lOtte labor journal
(AND DIXIE FARM NEWS)
rent* of Charlotte Central Labor Union and Affiliated Crafts—Endorsed By North
on of Labor and Approved By The American Federation of Labor.
VOL.
CHARLOTTE, N. C„ THUR DAY. JUNE 20. 1946.
Subscription Price $2.00 Per Year
Senate Curbs OPA And
Living Costs Increasing
PRESIDENT TRUMAN MAY VETO BILL WHICH
IGNORES THE PLEA FOR STRICT CONTROL
Washington, D. C.—The Senate gave the OPA a new lease
on life—in an oxygen tent.
By a vote of 53 to 11, the OPA was extended for another
year but its powers were so curtailed that the agency would
be impotent to enforce price controls and hold the line against
inflation.
Since the House had previously adopted an equally severe,
although different, OPA extension bill, Congress has virtually
repudiated President Truman’s demands for authority to keep
the cost of living within bounds.
Therefore, it waaVfreely predicted that after the differ*
ences in the House and Senate bills are ironed out by a joint
conference committee, the President is likely to veto the re
sulting legislation.
Since the OPA would expire et
the end of thie month unleee Con
trees extends it, a wtb might
mean the death knell for OPA,
either by the direct method of over
riding the veto or by not passing
any legislation and allowing the
agency's authority to lapse. *
Meanwhile, an AFL survey re
vealed that despite the OPA it now
costs the average family living in
an American city almost twice as
much to eat as it did before the
war.
At the same time, clothing bills
have gone up more than 75 per
cent for city dwellers.
The only important item in the
cost of living which has remained
relatively stable is rent.
The figures are considerably
higher than those of the Labor De
partment’s Bureau of Labor Sta
tistics, but that official bureau
does not take into account in its
index of consumer prices many of
the Unofficial holdups which are
being perpetrated against the
American people today.
For instance, the BLS makes no
allowances for black markets and
does not give sufficient weight to
the fact that low-price articles
* have practically disappeared from
city store shelves.
When there is no bread to be
bought for love or money, people
have to buy more expensive sub
stitutes, such as cake and crack
ers-^-all of which results in boost
ing the family food bill.
When $1 and $2 white shirts are
unobtainable, people have to buy
the $5 and $10 variety—and this
sort of thing eats up income rap
idly.
Added to these factors is the
new and ominous trend of OPA
policy in granting price increases
with a lavish hand. Fearful of be
ing wiped out altogether by Con
gress, OPA is relaxing price con
trols more rapidly at this time than
ever before in its history.
Such price increases within one
week, beginning June 1, boosted
the cost of living 1 1-2 per cent,
the Office of Economic Stabiliza
tion officially admitted.
Entering into this sudden jump
were price increases of one-cent-a
quart for milk, six-cents-a-pound
for cheese, 11-cents-a-pound for
butter and one-cent-a-pound for
bread.
If prices continue to go up at
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AMERICAN FEDERATION OF
LABOR NEWS
Charlotte Office
This office will attempt to is
sue a letter as often aa we find
we have interesting information
to send out to the membership in
the two Carolines. It is onr wish
to make these letters a weekly af
fair. So we urge all to let us
have information as to local activi
ties, 'organizational news events,
local union elections or any news
that will tend to create more in
terest in our labor activities.
We urge every member to aid
it. this plan to organize all the
workers, “Let each member get a
member.” Make your contacts and
report your progress to this office.
We will give you assistance as
fast as we can. Already many
good suggestions and requests
have been given us. We are pro
ceeding to follow them up.
Miss Josephine Gillis, organizer
A. F. of L. and Brother Kemp
Alsonon, A. F. of L. staff, are
already making much progfess on
their assignments. Brother A. E.
Brown, North Carolina Director
reports;
Durham, N. C.—Local No. B-553
has consummated an agreement
Electric Meter and Repair of Ra
leigh and Fayetteville. This is a
new organization and their first
bargaining agreements.
Greensboro, N. C. — Local No.
342 IBEW has just held an elec
tion here. This election was In the
four plants of the Proximity Mfg.
Co. The election was won by
more than two to one for this lo
cal to represent the workers in
these four plants, this is for the
maintenance groups. Representa
tive H. F. Adair will immediately*
pioceed to negotiating a collective
bargaining agreement for those
locals.
Locals 501 and 501-A also won
an election for the Operating Eng
ineers in the maintenance depart
ments of the Proximity Mfg. Co.
The vote in this instance was more
than three to one. While these
two elections were being won the
production workers represented by
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Congress’ Actions
W ilts Price Lines
Washington, D. C. — Here are
the major provisions of the OPA
extension measure as passed by
the Senate. It would:
1. Extend the price agency one
year, until June 30, 1947.
2. Wipe out ceilings on all
meat, poultry and dairy products
by June 30 of this year.
3. Direct the OPA Administra
tor to remove controls on all non
agriculutrai products not impor
tant in relation to business or liv
ing costa by the end of the year.
This, presumably, would include
luxury items and non-essential
goods.
4. Order removal of controls
over nonagricultural commodities
of which the supply exceeds the
demand.
5. Establish a three-member
price-decontrol board with power
to order removal of . specific price
ceilings if it finds appeals justi
fied.
6. Give tne secretary of Agri
culture the responsibility for des
ignating agricultural products In
short supply which should be kept
under price control, and the an- j
thority to issue orders to OPA for
lifting ceilings to stimulate pro
duction.
7. Instruct OPA, upon recom
mendation of the Secretary or
Agriculture, to remove ceilings on
ronessential agricultural products
by the end of the year.
8. Cut Government subsidies
for .the fiscal year ending June 30,
1947, from approximately $2,000,
000,000 to $1,100,000,000, with the
stipulation that prices must be al
lowed to increase on commodities
from which subsidy support is
withdrawn or reduced. Food sub
sidies would be forbidden after
May 1, 1947.
9. Abolish "MAP” — OPA’s
maximum average price order —
which was designed to keep the
production of low priced clothing
going at prewar rates.
10. Grant« five percent increase
in maximun prices for cotton tex
tiles to manufacturers who have
met specified production goals.
11. prevent OPA from order
ing reduction of normal peacetime
trade discounts and mark-ups of
wholesalers and retailers of “re
conversion items,” such as auto
mobiles, radios and refrigerators
which were in short supply on the
civilian market during the war.
12. Force OPA to add increased
costs to prewar prices in fixing
manufacturers’ price ceilings.
Labor Advisory Committee Of OPA
Recommends State-wide Policy Board
CLU Asks Cherry For
Accredited School Here
FAVORS SCHOOLS BEING CONDUCTED UNDER STATE
AUSPICES SO THAT THEY WILL BE ACCERDITED
The meeting of Charlotte Central Labor Union Thursday
night endorsed a committee report in which letters are to
be sent to Governor Gregg Cherry and to Rassell Grumaa
of the extension division of the University of North Caro
lina, asking that every consideration be given to establish
. ing Junior College training in the high schools here for
students who are unable to enter college next year due to
the inability of the colleges to provide the necessary dormi
tory facilities, etc. It was the sense of the labor union
committee that the training program be set up under aus
pices of the State, in order that the students participating
I in the training program may receive their credits for such*
j raining in colleges of this and other States when they do
have the opportunity to complete the higher academic
courses through college later on when accommoda
! tions become available.
The State Educational board met recently and is endeav
oring to explore the available facilities in the cities of the
State in order that a final decision may be made relative
to establishing Junior College training in the high schools
of North Carolina. The board reported that it had infor
mation in hand which pointed to the fact that 12.000 high
school students will not be able to enter colleges this tall
due U lack of facilities to care for them, which makes it
imperative that some means be devised to provide for them
a training program, which should be accredited.
Central Labor Union Notes
Charlotte Central Labor Union
had one of it* busiest meetings of
thenar »h« LtH?. Temple
Thursday night, with a large dele
gation present, representative of
local affiliated unions. The meeting
was called to order by President
J. J. Thomas, who asked H. A.
Stalls to serve in the capacity of
acting secretary in the absence of
Secretary R. R. Harris.
Minutes of the June 13 meeting
were read ana approved and cre
dentials were received from duly
elected delegates from the follow
' ing unions:
Pete Toffoli, Tile Layers; C. M.
IPresby, Stancil Rowland, L. U. B.
379, I. B. E- W.; V J. Funderburke,
H. P. Moore, N. L. Johnson, F. G.
Hahn and W. C. Nolen. Carpen
I ters and Joiners; J. J. Thomas and
J. D. Green, Firefighters; M. A.
| Van Dyke, H. R. Efird, Frank G.
i Ellis and Y. W. Edwards, Plumb
l«r».
Reports of special committees
were heard and Brother Nolan re
ported on the status of a recent
1 increase by a local real estate con
cern of the Temple’s monthly rent.
It was thought that the increase
was exhorbitant and the central
body voted to conduct further nego
tiations in an effort to get the
sum reduced somewhat.
Reports from local unions were
then heard, after which the chair
i announced that nominations of of*
ficers and delegates was in order.
However, it was the sense of the
meeting that this be deferred un
til all other business had been dis
posed of, which was done.
A communication was read from
Secretary Meany of the American
Federation of Labor and due to the
absence of Secretary Harris, ac
tion on same was deferred until
the next meeting.
The special committee, headed
by Mrs. Knight of the AFGE lo
cal, to draft letters to Governor
Cherry and Secretary Gruman of
the University of North Carolina
extension division was then heard
and its report adopted.
Under new business Brother No
lan reported that a meeting of the
Charlotte members of the OPA
Labor Advisory committee was
held Thursday afternoon with As
sistant Regional Labor Advisor
Archie W. Graham of Atlanta,
which resulted in the local com
mittee recommending that a state
wide organization be formed in
case Congress does not curtail the
activities of OPA to the extent of
giving it the “kiss of death.'’ Un
der present law H lias only about
10 days to lies.
Nomination of takers and dele
gatee was then flBCe fasts- and re
sulted as- follows:
For President, Sterling Hicks.
For Vice President, J. A. Scog
gins. •
For Secretary-Treasurer, R. R.
Harris.
For Sergeant - at - Arms, C. M.
Presby. -
For Trustees, C. E. Knight, C. L.
Albea, Brothers Oraddy, Presby,
Snipes, Nolan and Howards.
Delegates to State Federation of
Labor (two to be elected with two
alternates), Sterling W. Hicks, C.
M. Presby, Mrs. W. C. Nolan and
Brother Snipes.
The election will be held Thurs
day night, June 27 but further nom
inations may Be made again before
the election is held, according to
C. L. U. law.
Delegate Nolan then asked all
delegates to co-operate 100 per
cent with Director Earle Britton
who has arrived and opened AFL
offices in the Labor Temple prep
aratory to activities of organizing
the two Carolinas in the South
wide membership campaign.
The meeting adjourned.
MINIMUM WAGE LAWS
NEEDED, MANY STATES
Washington, D. C.—State mini
mum wage action is imperative for
thousands of women workers who
will find their postwar employ
ment in laundries, hotels and other
service industries not covered by
minimum rates established under
the Federal Wage and Hour Law,
the U. S. Labor Department has
warned.
Minimum wage amendments as
adopted in Nevada, South Dakota*
New York and Rhode Island were
praised by the department. Efforts
to improve minimum wage stand
ards were taken in orders in Cali
fornia, Massachusetts, Oregon, and
New York, New Jersey and Penn
sylvania, the surrey showed.
AFL TUG MEN GET RAISE
Washington, D. C.—A wage in
crease has been ordered by the
Wage Stabilization Board for tug
boat workers of the Federally
seized facilities of the Great Lakes
Towing Co. The increase amounted
to $1.53 a day, retroactive to No
vember 23, 1315, and will increase
the tugmen’s wages from $10 to
$11.53 a day. The union in ques
tion was the Firemen’s, Linemen’s,
Oilers’ and Watchman’s Protective
Association of the Lohgphoremen’s
Association (AFL),
ANTHRACITE MINERS BACK
AT WORK WITH WELFARE
FUND. 18 1-2 CENT RAISE
New York City — Hard coal
miners returned to work on sub
stantially the same terms (ranted
miners in the soft coal field.
The new anthracite agreement,
negotiated by a committee headed
by John L. Lewis, president of the
United Mine Workers (AFL),
granted the miners a welfare fund
based upon a 5-cent royalty on
each ton mined, and an 18 1-2 cent
hourly increase.
A major feature of the hard
coal contract, which is expected
to grant the 75,000 members of
the union a welfare fund of some
$2,500,000 annually, was the agree
ment of the operators to permit
Mr. Lewis to select two of the
three members of the hoard which
will administer the fund. The
r.ew agreement, culminating more
than a full month of negotiations,
was announced at a press confer
ence here, attended by spokesmen
for both the union and the opera
tors. It confirmed earlier reports
that such an agreement had been
reached and was being put into
formal terms.
Ralph E. Taggart, president of
the Philadelphia-Reading Coal and
Iron Co., and spokesman for the
operators, disclosed the mine own
ers had been in touch with Federal
stabilization officials n/vd had
“reasonable assurance” that a
price increase would be approved.
Taggart declined to estimate the
1 amount of the increase which
would bd asked, but on the basis
of the figures he cited it was esti
mated at more than $1 a ton on
the wholesale level.
Terms of the agreement were
read by Thomas J. Kennedy, sec
retary-treasurer of the UMW.
“I think the agreement is whole
some and constructive and I will
warmly recommend its approval to
the mine workers,” Mr. Lewis de
clared as Mr. Kennedy concluded.
Based on a seven-hour day, all
categories of workers in the an
j thracite mine fields will receive a
! basic increase of $1.29 1-2 a day.
A sixth working day of seven
hours, which would be paid at the
rate of time and a half, was made
optional to both the miners and
the operators.
Travel time was increased for
inside miners from $1,132 daily to
$1,339 for a 45-minute period. Out
side workers, numbering 26,000,
who also receive the travel time
payment of $1,132 although, strict
ly speaking, it does not apply to
them, do not receive this same
increase but instead will have the
present rate consolidated into their
j basic hourly pay.
Shift differentials were in
creased from 4 cents to 4.2 for
workers on the swing shift and
from 6 to 6.3 cents for men on
the overnight. These differentials
will be included in the basic hourly
rates for computation of overtime.
An increase of 32.2 cents won in
' 1943 by the miners under the Lit
' tie Steel formula was increased to
| 48.3 for contract workers, while a
provision giving them 37.8 cents
for reducing lunch time from 30
to 15 minutes that was granted in
1944 was continued without
change.
As in bituminous, the anthra
cite miners will receive an increase
in their annual vacation allowance
from $76 to $100. This will be
prorated for miners who work less
than a year.
The agreement provided further
that the industry would comply
with Federal mine safety stan
dards and the compensatjpn and
occupational disease laws of the
State of Pennsylvania, which are
elective. A union statement said
that heretofore “only a few com
panies” had subscribed to the
State laws.”
On the question of the unioni
zation of foremen, supervisor per
sonnel and clerical help, the par
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t
ASSISTANT REGIONAL LABOR ADVISOR GRAHAM
ADDRESSES GROUP, POINTING OUT NEW STEPS
FOR ORGANIZED LABOR TO TAKE
At a meeting of the Labor Advisory Committee of tho
OPA held in Charlotte, on Thursday, June 20, represents*
lives of organized labor discussed future activities to make
the program of OPA more effective.
A recommendation from the committee was passed that
a top policy committee to represent labor in OPA be formed
in the State of North Carolina composed of 12 members rep
resenting the CIO, A. F. of L., and the Railroad Brother-*
hoods.
CROSS SECTION—AFL
NO. 10—PRINTING TRADES
Featuring spokesmen for five
printing trades, interviewed by
Dwight Cooke, CBS confmenta
tor, from the heart of the larg
est newspaper in the United
States, the New York Daily
News.
New York City—Five branches
of the printing trades, all mem
I 1 ers of the American Federation
; of Labor, placed before the Nation
a clear-cut picture of how the larg.
est newspaper in this country
flows smoothly through the com
posing, press and mailing rooms
into the hands of millions of read
ers.
At the same time each of the
j spokesmen interviewed explained
j in detail the benefits offered by
I his union, the pleasant relation
jship they enjoyed with nuypge
ment, and proudly cited the ab
! sence of. any jurisdictional dis
putes,' despite the fact that all
. have overlapping tasks.
Harry Mastick, member of the
International Typographical Union
for 22 years, a union 85,000 strong,
explained that his group provides
sick benefits and maintains a
Union Printers’ Home at Coloraa*
Springs, one of the finest of such
, institutions in the country.
Timothy McMahon, for 30 years
! n member of the Stereotypers’
Union, founded 83 years ago, de
i scribed the Costello Home in Den
' vsr, established for convalescents.
He explained, also, some of the
| intricacies of getting a metropoli
tan paper to press.
John E. Smith, member of the
Pressmen’s Union for 26 years, de
scribed the functions of steering
the news pages through the giant
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Representatives ot the Building
Trades, A. F. of L. stated that
they were anxious to participate
in a community wide housing com*
mittee that would expedite the
building of homes for veterans
and to relieve housing shortages.
Assistant Regional Labor Ad
visor, Archie W. Graham, in ad
dressing the group stated that
plans are being set for greater ac
tivity of organized labor in each
State of this region on the con
tinuation of an effective OPA
program that would include great
ei participation by labor in chan
neling information to their mem
bership^mwhttiw^general public and
to Tfisure representation on Price
Control Panels.
J. A. Scoggins, Chairman of the
Area Price Control Board, presided
at this meeting as the representa
tive of the district director; T. S.
Johnson of Raleigh, N. C., who
was unable to attend this gather
ing.
COURT TEST SET ON
THE PKTRSiLq *ILL
Washington, D. C. — Attorney
General Tom C. Clark announced
that a criminal information had
been filed in Chicago against Jas.
C. Petrillo, president of the Amer
ican Federation of Musicians, AFL,
and of the Chicago Federation of
Musicians, charging him with co
ercive practices affecting radio
broadcasting. *
This is a test of the Lea Act
which Mr. Petrillo invited when he
called a strike at Radio Station
WAAF, Chicago, to compel the sta
tion to employ three additional li
brarians.
The Lea Act became law April
16. A violation is a misdemeanor
punishable by $1,000 fine and a
year in jail. Mr. Petrillo recently
told the AFM convention that if
the constitutionality of the law was
upheld musicians might refuse to
perform for network broadcasts or
for recordings.
Labor Foe s Confused
Over Case Bill Veto
Washington, D. C.—Stunned by
President Truman’s veto and the
sweeping denunciation of the Case
Bill, the Congressional anti-labor
bloc appeared demoralized and un
able to agree on new strategy to
enact curbs against the trade un
ion movement by some other meth
ods.
A meeting called by Senator
Byrd and attended by the dispirit
ed leaders of the anti-labor group
in both Senate and House broke up
without any formal accord on what
to do next.
One faction, it was reported,
urged that the House Rules Com
mittee attach the provisions of the
Case bill to the President’s strike
control bill. However, since the
latter measure is temporary in
scope, this suggestion did not sat
isfy the die-hard labor haters.
It was pointed out, moreover,
that the President might feel call
ed upon, for the sake of consist
ency, to veto his own bill if Con
gress attempts such a legislative
trick.
• Significantly enough, the anti
labor bloc remained cool and aloof
to President Truman’s ^repeated
suggestion for a Joint Congression
al Committee to study the cause
of labor disputes during the next
six months before recommenda
tions for new legislation dealing
with labor-management relations
are formulated.
Apparently, the foes of labor
feared that such an investigation
might reveal that management and
Governmental policies have been
largely to blame for the tide of un
rest and disputes which have swept
the Nation since V-J Day.
Meanwhile, the House Rules
Committee is sitting tight on the
President’s Emergency Bill, which
provides for injunctions against
labor unions which strike after the
Government has seized an indus
try and taken over its operation.
The House pacsed this bill in its
original and more drastic form, in
cluding a provision for the draft
ing of workfrs into the armed
forces when they strike under such
circumstances. However, the Sen
ate struck out this provision and
made several other major amend
ments, notably the deletion of a
provision for the retention by the
Government of profits derived from
the operation of'prlvate industries
seized because of strikes.
Within the next week or 10 days,
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