Newspapers / The Charlotte Labor Journal … / July 4, 1946, edition 1 / Page 1
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Che Charlotte labor Journal (AND DIXIE FARM NEWS) A Newspaper Dedicated To The Interests of Charlotte Central Labor Union and Affiliated Crafts—Endorsed By North Carolina Federation of Labor and Approved By The American Federation of Labor. VOL. XVI—No. 8 CHARLOTTE. N. C„ THURSDAY. JULY 4. 194fi. .MiDscription Price $2.09 Per Year Bill To Increase Minimum Wag^Jfe Blocked In House Washington, D. C —The Mini, mum Wage Increase Bill, to lift minimum wages from 40 to 86 cent* an hour, was sidetracked and apparently blocked by the House Rules Committee ** Congress raced toward adjournment. ^ This measure is a top issue on President Truman’s legislative list and has been vigorously urged by the American Federation of Labor, which had pressed consistently for action before Congress would wind up its affairs. To expedite House action on the wage measure the Committee on Labor had brushed aside the bill approved by the Senate in April after a three-week fight and re ported out its own version, strip-, ped down to a simple raising 6t/ the legal pay minimum to 65 cents, the figure adopted by the Senator. No attempt was made, as with the Senate bill, to broaden the cover age of the wage-hour law or to raise other controversial issues. Through the acting chairman, Representative Jennings Randolph of West Virginia, a majority of ' the Labor Committee urged the Rules Committee to release this bill for floor action and to ban the offering of unrelated amend ments. This brought into the picture the fact that the Senate, twice defy ing a veto threat by President Truman, wrote into its minimum wage bill the Pace parity price raising amendment which Govern ment economists (declared would add some $4,500,000,000 to the an nual food budget of the country. Representative George E. Out Land of California, speaking as the head of the informal steering com mittee on proposed labor legisla tion, Informed the -committee that the President hitt told him he would veto a House bill if it contained the Pace amemhnent. Representative Stephen Pace of Georgia^.author of the proposal to include farm labor cost increases in the computation of parity prices, asked fag a rule which would ad mit his amendment fqr considera tion. He recalled that the House had ones adopted it, as a separate bill, by a unanimous vote and a second' time with only one vote against it. He said he would offer A majority of the Rules Commit tee indicated a willingness to open rtbe way; for the Pace amendment. After the executive session, dur ! ing which the committee promptly adopted rules to release four other measures for floor action, it was announced that the Wage bill was laid over “pending further consid eration.” Representative Adolph J. Sabath, chairman, Said this action was tak en because Representative Eugene E. Cox of Georgia, wanted to be present and he had left Washing ton for the Georgia primary cam paign and election to be held July 17. The date for the adjournment of the 79th Congress sine die has been aet tentatively between July 17 and July 21. Asked whether he thought there was any chance for the Rules Com mittee action on the Wage bill be fore the Congress went home to stay, Mr. Sabath said: “I’m afraid not.” Central Labor Union Notes This week’s meeting of Char-j lotto Central Labor onion has boon postponed until next week due to the Fourth of July holiday falling on the regularly scheduled meet ing night. The new officers and delegates who were elected at last wealds mooting. w*B ha flfctaUnt. next Thursday night. President J. J. Thomas, the re tiring president, reports that rep resentatives from several of the j international unions have been as- j signed to the Charlotte office cf | the American Federation of Labor j to participate in the current South-wide membership drive of the A . F. of L. Director Earl R. Britton’s of fice is buzzing with activity since «R»e hare eojnc time aga fig open North and South Carolina of fices for the A. F. of L. member ship campaign. He has returned from the South Caraolina Federa tion of Labor convention in Charleston, where he was re-elect ed as president at the close of the session last week. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF S. C. FEDERATION TO MEET ON JULY 14TH Colombia, S. C., July 3—Sec retary-Treasurer Fred C. Hatch ell of the South Carolina Fed eration of Labor announces that a meeting of the executive board will be held at It A. M., Sun day. July 14, at Wade Hampton Hotel in Columbia. Matters pertaining to the Southern organisation drive will be discussed. Also other mat ters that are to be put into ef fect following the recent meet ing of the S. C. Federation con vention will be disposed of. CHARLOTTE TYPOS TO MEET SUNDAY P. M. The regular monthly meeting of Charlotte Typographical Union will be held Sunday aft* ernoon at 2 o'clock in the Red Men’s Hall on South Tryon street. Routine matters will ha disposed of together with sev eral other topics of importance on the calender to be discussed. The annual convention of the International Typograph ical Union, originally scheduled for Charlotte, but transferred to Miami due to lack of hotel facilities in Charlotte this year, will be held in August and per haps the local union will have seme matters to transmit to its Charlotte delegates at the Sun day meeting. Tree Speech’ Clause Is No License j For Breaking Unions. Court Rnlesi Chicago.—Ft** speech guaran tees of the Constitution cannot be used as a cloak under which em ployers can hide to wage war against unionism in defiance of the Wagner Labor Act. This declaration was the high light of a significant ruling by the United States Circuit Court of Ap peals here in a case involving the R. R. Donnelly A Sons Co., one uF the largest printing firms in the world with a notorious anti-labor record. The court, by a 2 to 1 decision, upheld an order of the National Labor Relations Board directing the company to cease its “union busting” tactics. The company had contended dur ing the court hearings that its ac tivities end propaganda against the unions was protected by the "free speech” clause of the Constitution. This argument was answered in the majority opinion written by Justice Sherman Minton, former Senator from Indiana. He cited the corporation’s past record of using labor spies, Mack ! lists And terrorism to maintain its j plant a« an “open shop” fortress.! Employes had to sign "yellow do*” contracts to stay oat of a union if they wanted to hold their jobs. The company, Justice Mist on said, con ducted a "dosed shop” — against During the entire decade since .the Wagner Act was passed, the management continued to battle against unions, the jurist declared. "The company went far beyond mere talk and argument with em ployee,” Justice Minton pointed out. “Foremen were active against the anions. Employes were threat ened that if the union came in they would lose many benefits. Also, the company maintained a vigilant sur veilance of employes’ union aetiv ties, which was calculated to inti I midate the workers. "In the light of this record, the company cannot cloak itself in the raiment of the first amendment to | the Federal Constitution in order to justify and excuse such threats and intimidation.” A Greater Buying Power Will Help Economy of South-President Green INDEPENDENCE DAY, 1946 I "THEY SHALL BEAT THEIR SWORDS INTO PLOWSHARES AND THEIR J SPEARS INTO PRUNINC HOOKS." TODAY WE CALL IT RECONVERSION. ! ON JULY 4TH, 1776, V/E DECLARED OUR POLITICAL INDEPENDENCE. TODAY, LET'S STRIVE FOR ECONOMIC FREEDOM. IN ORDER TO OBTAIN IT, IT IS NECESSARY TO SPEND OUR UNION-EARNED WAGES WITH FIRMS THAT DISPLAY THE UNION LABEL, SHOP CARD, OR SERVICE BUTTON. L M. ORNBURN, SecN-Treai.. Union L*)>ei Trades Dept., American Federation of Labor Green Calls For Militant Battle Against State Anti-Labor Bills Washington, D. C.—Grave warn ing that organized labor must fight to the limit attempts in many States to bring About enact ment of vicious anti-labor legisla tion was sounded by AFL President William Green before the opening session of the annual convention of the International Federation of Technical Engineers, Architects, and Draftsmen’s Unions (AFL). In a scathing attack on “labor haters" who have set up organiza tions throughout the Nation uin the belief that now is the time to strike a blow at labor," Mr. Green declared: “These groups here been ex tremely ective in North end South Dakota, Kansas, Florida, Nebraska, Arkansas, Iowa and even Califor nia. Their influence has been evi denced in many other States. Their attack upon labor, through legis lation, is being felt all along the line from coast to coast. “They are attempting to drive through State Legislatures statutes to outlaw the closed shop, despite the fact that the closed shop prin ciple has been upheld by the Su preme Court of the United States. They are sponsoring other punitive legislation against the trade unions wherever they can get a foothold. “Some law makers seem to be X.’ lieve that labor is merely a com modity, but they are wrong. The worker’s toil is his own, and invol untary servitude is prohibited by the Constitution, except as pun ishment for crimes. “Nor can the law makers change that basic of all laws, the law of economics. There can be no statute that can set aside that law, and those who think it can be done are following foolish, unsound reason ing. They just don’t understand.’’ Looking back over the seesion of Congress now drawing toward a close, Mr. Green said: “We have h*d a tremendous fight with Congress. When I think of the emotion, hysteria and bitter hatred which have marked this session I am grateful that labor has fared as well as it has. Presi dent Truman's veto of the vicious ' Case Bill, which was vigorously fought every step of the way by the American Federation of Labor, was a great victory for labor. Never in our history has there been a worse bill." Unrest ami discontent during the reconversion period, the AFL lead er told the convention, was only a natural cor sequence to the sharp change in living standards imposed by the end of the srar. "During the war period the workers toiled day and night, Sun days and holidays, and his take home pay climbed," he said. “With the end of the war and the fall in production, his earnings dropped. No longer was he able to maintain | the higher living standards he es-1 tablished with his war income. The postwar readjustment was much more difficult than the adjustment to war schedules. “But those who criticise the re action of the American worker could never, themselves, have pass ed through that period of tribula tion and sacrifice as did the mass es of labor.” RRA PLANS EXPANSION Washington, D. C.—Plans to ex pand the field activities of the La bor Department’s Retraining and Reemployment administrate were announced by Maj. Gen. Graves B. Erskine, chief of that agency. . N. D. FEDERATION TO MEET Bismarck, N. D. — The annual convention of the North Dakota State Federation of Labor will be held at Minct, N. W., September 1 and 2. The convention scheduled there last year was cancelled be* cause of wartime restrictions. GREEN HURLS CHALLENGE AT KKK IN THE AFL SOUTHERN ORGANIZING CAMPAIGN Charleston, S. C.—A blunt challenge to the Ku Klux Klan on the issue of freedom for all workers, without regard to race, color or creed, was hurled by AFL President William Green in an address before the annual convention of the South Carolina State Federation of Labor. Spurring the drive throughout the South to add 1.000.000 members to the rolls of the AFL within the next year, Mr. Green declared: “The final principle upon which our organization drive here is based is that it will offer the benefits of unionism to all workers. “Let us make ourselves entirely j clear on this point. The decent people of the South do not hate the Negro, nor do they wish to de ny him opportunity for economic advancement. Race hatred has no place in America, nor in the trade union movement. The secret forces which seek to foment race hatred and prejudice are the very same as those which stir up antagonism against the unions. “The pioneers in our labor move ment fought and overcame enemies who sulked behind masks and white sheets and who sought to terrorise union organisers by fiery crosses and threats of lynching. Such Fascist forces are hostile to the high traditions of American free dom. The American Federation ef Labor is going to continue fight ing them and their hateful phil osophies until they are eradicated. “During the past few years, or ganized labor has been forced to defend itself against a vicious hate campaign wrich culminated In a widespread series of attempts to impair the freedom of American workers and American trade unions by enactments of Congress and a number of State Legislatures. “This campaign has been clever ly directed by a sinister combina tion of reactionary interests, in cluding wealthy employers, cor rupt politicians and racketeering promoters. “The American Federation of Labor has succeeded in the last few weeks in halting these anti lubor forces in their tracks in Washington. The President vetoed the Case Bill. Congress, in turn, has decided to let the President's strike-control bill die. “This drive in the South will re vive industrial and agricultural ac tivity in this area by creating a greater purchasing power and wider markets. It will help to pro mote the economic and social wel fare of the entire nation. “Trying to maintain a prosper ous industry and agriculture with out high purchasing power is just as futile as attempting to run an engine without fuel. It cannot be done. "But where labor is well-organ ized and union wages are paid, a different picture presents itself. With greater purchasing power come higher standards of living, thriving business and more pros perous farming. The benefits ac crue not only to labor but to the entire community." Lashing out at the Communist influence within the CIO, “which dared even to picket the White House and condemn America for imperialism,” Mr. Green said: “It is not surprising that the policies of the CIO are affected by the policies of Stalin. A number of their key organizations are con* trolled lock, stock and barrel by Communist leaders. These Com* munist leaders hold places on the CIO's National Executive Board. Instead of repudiating them, the CIO placates them and bows te their will. “I predict that the workers of the South will overwhelmingly re* ject affiliation with such an organ isation. The Southern workers are patriotic Americans. They can never feel at home in an organiza tion which traffics with a foreign nation bitterly opposed to the American way of life.” The federation re-elected Earl i R. Britton of Columbia as presi | dent. He defeated Clyde R. Ro land, also of Columbia. Fred E. Hatched was re-elected secretary treasurer for his 21st year. Othqr officers named were Paul ■T. Jloas of Spartanburg, first vice president; C. O. Gamble of Co I lumbis, second vice president; John J. Minehan of Charleston. third vice president; J. Belton Warren of Laurens, fourth vice president; Walter E. Jenkins of Beaufort, fifth vice president; James Darnell of Orangeburg, sixth vice president: Charles R. Norris, seventh vice president; and Joseph M. Hunt of Greenville, eighth vice president. John J. Irwin of Charleston was named chairman of the legislative committee, with J. W. Harrison of Spartanburg as vice chairman, and the following members; W. M. Hall of Winnsboro; John Nates of Columbia, and Janies Coles of Charleston. Roy McKinney was named as the delegate to the com ing convention of the A.F.L. Greenville was chosen as the 1947 convention city. MANBECK HEADS DIVISION Washington, D. C. — Jesse B. Manbeck, president of Columbia Typograp'iicar Union 101 here, has been made chairman of the labor -division of the American Public Relations Association. President William Green of the AFL also is an advisory member of the APRA labor division. Security Act Revised To Raise Aid To Needy Washington, D. C. — Extensive revision of the Social Security Act, including a 50 per cent increase in Federal contributions for needy aged and the blind, were approved by the House Ways and Means Committee. By a vote of 17 to 8 the com mittee backed an increase in tbe public assistance program, which, through the State-Federal match ing system, would enable the needy to obtain $60 monthly relief. This compares with a present top of $40. With this new provision insert ed, the committee ordered intro duction of a bill embracing these other stipulations it already had agreed upon: 1. A 60 per cent increase in the old age and survivors' insurance tax January 1, from 1 per cent to 1.5 per cent agaiast employee’ pay and employers’ pay rolls. This tax on that date will jump automati cally to 2.6 against each if Con tra** does not act. 2. Blanketing over 200,000 mari time workers under the unemploy ment compensation program of so cial security. 3. Inclusion of all veterans’ fam ilies under the survivor insurance provision “for three years, without cost. 4. Repeal of a provision of the 1943 revenue act whereby the fed eral treasury guarantee* the sol vency of the old age and survivon insurance fund. This guarantee was writter when Congress refused to let the security tax increase in war time. Chairman Doughton (D., N. C.) ^ (Continued se page 3)
The Charlotte Labor Journal and Dixie Farm News (Charlotte, N.C.)
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July 4, 1946, edition 1
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