Section 3
1946
LABOR DAY
Number
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WITH YOUR
CENTRAL LABOR
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VOL. XVI, NO. 16
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AND
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JOURNAL /LABOR
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day, and any man who
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rause."—Samuel (iompers.
CHARLOTTE. N. C., THURSDAY, AUGUST 29, 1946
, Subscription Price $2.(19 Per Year
Five Months Campaign
Opens To Establish
New Extension Service
Washington — Launching of a
five-month nation-wide campaign
to secure support for a bill to es
tablish a Labor Extension Service
within the Department of Labor
has been announced here by Hilda
W. Smith, Chairman and Executive
of the Committee for the Extension
<of Labor Education.
Sack a bill, already introduced
in the House and Senate with
strong bi-partisan support, would
provide for a ten to fifteen million
dollar grants-in-aid program to
land-grant colleges and universi
ties, other colleges, universities and
educational institutions which are
prepared to extend their resources
and teachng facilities for the bene
fit of the 45 million American wpg*
and salary farners, „
1 Tbs bill would carry out thd
purposes of the Morrill Act of
1862, providing for the “diffusion
of useful information” for the
benefit of persons engaged in agri
culture and the mechanic arts.
The Agricultural Extension Serv
ice in the Department of Agricul
ture now uses more than 44 mil
lion ’dollars of Federal, State and
.looal funds in servicing some six
million farmers and their families,
totaling 20 million persons.
' The bill is open for amendments
between now and the beginning of
’the new Congress next January,
Miss Smith emphasized. Labor,
teachers and other groups have
been asked to study 'the bill and
propose possible improvements.
Sponsors in the House and Senate
have stipulated that perfecting
amendments may be made in Jan
nary. - - •' »*».
The proposal for Federal aid in
the extension of labor education
already has strong popular sup
port and more is in sight, Miss
Smith said. She pointed out that!
Representative Andrew J. Biemil
ler of Wisconsin, in introducing the:
bill July 23, cited statements in
support of the basic idea by Amer-j
lean Federation of Labor President
William Green and CIO President.
Philip Murray.
To Poll Candidates for Conrgess
Decision to launch the nation
wide campaign was made this week
at a meeting of the committee.
After receiving reports of active
Congressional interest, the commit
tee approved plans for undertaking
a program of information, educa
tion and the cooperation of groups |
who, prior to the November elec-j
tions, will ask candidates for Con-'
gress to go on record in support of j
the bill. With such support en-!
’.listed in advance of the convening
Wf the new Congress next January,
early hearings and favorable action
next session will be mere likely.
I Among the organizations sup
porting the basic idea of a Labor
Extension Service are:
American Federation of Labor
Congress of Industrial Organiza
tions
The Railway Brotherhoods
American Labor Education Serv.
»K*
National Women*’ Trade Union
League
Workers Education Bureau of
America
'Young Women’s Christian Asso
' elation
National Council of Negro Wom
en
United Council of Church Women
National Farmers Union
National Congress of Colored
Parents and Teachers
Michigan Consumers League
Michigan Federation of Teacheri
Detroit Federation of Teachers
Workers Educational Service,
University of Michigan
Labor and Management Center
Yale University
Hudson Shore Labor School.
* "More than fifty colleges am
universities which have already
undertaken some workers’ educa
tion activities are eager-for a fur
ther extension of this work,” Miss
Smith said. “Many others wouV
like to undertake such activities
and are certain to support such
legislation.
Hunger for Service is Nationwide
“Most important, there is a tre
mendous demand by literally mil
lions of workers for this sort of
service. This hunger for education
is nationwide. By every national
policy and precedent, wage and
salary earners are entitled to such
a service. It is long overdue. We
have found in Congress a most en
couraging sympathy with the pur
pise of the bill and a willingness
to work actively for early enact
ment. '• • , •
The job now is to get the word
out to wage and salary earners
everywhere that establishment of
a nation-wide Labor Extension
Service is in sight. As that is done
the Committee for the Extension of
Labor Education is confident that
sufficient demand will be registered
with members of Congress to dem.
onstrate the reality of the need, its
size and its meaning in relation to
future industrial and community
relations. <■
Purpose of the Bill
“Workers’ education in this coun
try is years behind that developed
in many other countries before the
war. While it is true that general
education here is generally higher
than in most countries, there are
many millions of workers who
were compelled by economic need
to leave school at an early age and
who now need and want the sort
of education that the bill proposes,
in its Section 2, to offer to all
wage and salary earners, namely,
‘instruction and educational activi
ties in the field of labor problems
generally, industrial relations, gov
ernment, community programs,
techniques of workers’ education,
responsibilities of citizenship, and
related fields.’
“AH of organized labor supports)
this idea of approach. So, too, do!
church, welfare and teachers or-j
ganizations familiar with the prob- j
lems of industrial and community
relations. The committee hopes
that many employer and manage
ment groups and leaders will see
the value of such an informational
and educational service in promot
ing intelligent and peaceful nego
tiation and settlement of problems
that normally arise in relations
between labor and management.”
Broad Support in Committee
The Committee for the Extension
of Labor Education, which includes
hationally-known leaders in the
fields of education, economics, in
dustrial relations, community ac
tivities and information, includes:
Hilda W. Smith, chairman and
executive; Alan Strachan, vice
chairman; Marion H. Hedges, sec
retary-treasurer; Glenn Atkinaon,
Emory F. Bacon, Phillips Bradley,
Edith Christenson, E1 i s a b eth
Christman, Eleanor G. Coit, John
D. Connors, Nelson H. Cruikshank,
Kermit Eby, John W. Edelman, Ar
thur A. Elder, Frank Fenton, Er
nestine L. Friedmann, Clinton Gol
den, George T. Guernsey, Julios
Hochman, James G. Patton, Hugh
G. Pyle, Mary M. Raphael, John
Reid, Victor Reuther, Laurence
Rogin, Boris Shiskin, Margaret E.
Smith, Maida Springer, Mark Starr,
vCaroline Ware, Philip Weightman,
Edward H. Weyler, Jack Zeller.
Why Labor Wants This Service
In a supplemental statement
made on the day the bill was in
troduced (July 23) Representative
Biemiller said: jg,
“This is a bill to promote, inso
I (Please turn to Page 2)
'
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National Labor Strvut
"Son, wo did this by working together. Workers of all
religions, races and national backgrounds, standing together,
will build an even greater tomorrow."
American workers are proud of their long record of
progress and achievement. No odd coincidence or magic
formula has brought us the gains we can chalk up today.
Only the hard work, the united effort and the unflinching
loyalty of all workers—of every race, religion and national
background—standing side by side in their common battle
for better conditions, have made them possible.
. Qld-timers remember the days when strikes were broken
and unions destroyed because workers didn’t stick together.
They remember men and women who lost their battle for
higher wages and better working conditions because they
were divided among themselves—white workers against
black, Christians against Jews, native-born against foreign
born. They remember who the victors were in those days.
We learned our lessons the hard way. But we learned
them well. We know today that no worker’s rights are safe
unless the rights of all workers are protected. Together we
have built a mighty record. This Labor Day finds us deter
mined to build a safer and a more secure life for the men and
women who work our nation’s industries.
Council Backs Petrillo
In Lea Act Challenge
Chicago—The American Feder
ation of Labor'3 Executive Coun
cil, in session here, threw its full
support behind the challenge
raised by James C. Petrillo, presi
dent of the American Federation
of Musicians (AFL), on the con
stitutionality of the “antilabor”
Lea Act.
Mt. Petrillo, arrested for a!- j
leged violation of the newly-en
acted law, is awaiting outcome of
his case in the courts and has
announced that, if necessary, he
will carry the issue to the Supreme
Court.
In a formal statement the AFL
Executive Council said
The Executive Council of the
American Federation of Labor has
considered the question of the Lea
Act and the prosecution instituted
by the Government against James
C. Petrillo, president of the Amer
ican Federation of Musicians, for
alleged violation of that law.
It is the unanimous conviction
of the Executive Council that this
statute represents the lowest point
in our history of national labor
legislation. Never before has any
Congress so arbitrarily and com
pletely struck down the basic right
to strike for plainly lawful pur
poses, Never before has any Con
gress so openly indulged in such
flagrant discrimination in favor
of a powerful industry, the broad
' casting industry, and in unfair op
! position to the workers, the Amer
i ican musicians, who made possible
j the phenomenal success of that in
| dustry. Never before has any
I Congress manifested such wanton
disregard for simple economic jus
tice and for the cherished, elemen
tal rights preserved by our Con
stitution.
While the Lea Act, with gros"
unfairness, singles out for attack
a single union in a single 'indus
try, it contains principles and im
poses restrictions which, if up
held, would crush the freedom of
all American workers and destroy
the American trade union move
ment. In waging their valiant
fight against this vicious law and
those who sponsored it, the Amer
ican Federation of Musicians and
its president, James C. Petrillo,
are fghting for the liberties of
every worker in this country and
for the very existence of every
trade union in these United States.
They deserve the support and co
operation of AH who value freedom
and trade unionism.
The American Federation of
Labor will back up the efforts of
the Amerioan Federation of Mu
sicians to have this discriminatory
law adjudged unconstitutional.
CANNERY ELECTION CALLED
Washington, D. C.-—The National
Labor Relations Board hag direct
ed an election during the week end
of August 31 to determine a col
lective bargaining agent for 20,000
Calfiornia cannery workers. This
order follows the peak season in
the California canning industry as
determined by the regional NLRB
director.
NATIONAL CAMPAIGN
TO ENROLL NURSES
IN AFL .LAUNCHED
*
New York City — A national
drive to organize registered grad
uate nurses in the American Fed
eration of State, County and Mu
nicipal Employes Union (AFL1
has been launched here.
Seven hundred nurses and oth
ers, heard national leaders of the
organization declare that only
through such a union could harsh
working conditions be remedied.
Under the plan presented to the
nurses similar organization meet
ings would be held in other cities.
Nurses’ unions already organized
in such cities as Chicago, Los
Angeles, San Francisco and in
New York, would be amalgamated
into a National Council of Nurses.
Roderick MacDonald, national
director of organization, said the
union has drawn up an 80-point
program that would include a
$3,000 annual minimum salary for
ell registered nurses and a 40-hour
week. Ha reported that these de
mands have been presented to
Commissioner of Hospitals Ed
ward M. Bernecker. Mr. Mac
Donald said that the commissioner
and Mayor O’Dwyer have dis
cussed the program and would
probably meet with him soon.
Arnold S. Zander, national pres
ident of the organization, told the
nurses that the fight was their
own, but that every facility of
the AFL would be thrown behind
them to achieve a decent standard
of living and working. This, he
said, was long overdue.
Further support was pledged by
Rose Schneiderman, president of
the Women’s Trade Union League,
and Vincent Kane, a State vice
president of the AFL, who said he
was there in behalf of Mathew
Lacey, president of the Central
Trades and Labor Council.
Mr. MacDonald declared the
nurses could win for themselves
the same conditions of fair em
ployment that existed in other
organized hospital groups. He
emphasized the objectives as $3,
500 salaries^ time and a half and
double time for extra hours of
work, Sunday and holidays.
Dewey Hitsll.S.
Interference In
Labor Disputes
Rochester, N. Y.~—Government
interference and dictation in labor
affairs was sharply condemned by
Gov. Thomas E. Dewey in an ad
dress before the New York State
Federation of Labor.
“It is my deep conviction,” he
declared, “that where the Govern
ment insists upon arbitrarily in
\ jecting itself into labor disputes,
the inevitable result is to weaken
I or to destroy the process of free
I collective bargaining.
“It is fruitless to set up machin
ery for. mediation and collective
bargaining if, in the end, every
major dispute is going to have to
| be carried to a Government bu
' reauerat—and I may add, to any
| Government officer, no matter how
' high his office.”
When the Federal Government
has stepped into major labor dis
putes, he added, both labor and
management have learned that “the
result may go either way, depend
ing on which way the political
winds are blowing."
Gov. Dewey thanked the Federa
I tion, which represents 1,300,000
members in New York State, for
helping him in the solution of many
' problems.
“You have helped me learn
' much,” he said. “So far as the
conditions within our State are
concerned, we can face the future
with confidence and hope. Togeth
er we have built well and soundly
for the years to come.”
Businessman Raises
Wages, Cuts Prices
I
GOVERNMENT ALTERS
POLICY TO EXPEDITE
' WAGE SETTLEMENTS
Washington, D. C.—A change in I
policy, effective September 1, un- i
der which unions and employers j
will be invited to share jointly in ■
selection of arbitrators in disputes j
over basic contract terms of wages, i
was announced by Edgar L. War- i
ren, director of the Labor Depart- !
| ment’s Conciliation Service. This
I plan, he said, was recommended
last winter by the President’s la
] bor-management conference.
"Where contracts voluntarily
entered into provide that the Con
I ciliation Service shall appoint the
; arbitrator, the service will con- j
tinue, as in the past to do so,” Mr.
Warren said.
“Where contracts provide that
the Conciliation Service shall fur
: nish a list of names for the par
ties to choose from or strike from,
! the service will continue to follow
j that procedure.
“The new policy, however, will
be applied in those cases where
j disputes involve the fixing, by the
i arbitrator or by a board of arbi
trators, of wages, or the writing
of basic contract terms, for the
reason that the financial stability
of the company or the existence
of the union may be involved.”
; Mr. Warren emphasized that the ;
j new policy governs only arbitra-1
tors, who sit as judges and hand
down binding verdicts on issues
after they are argued and not con
1 ciliators, who attempt to persuade
disputants to compromise their
| differences. j
The director said the arbitration
policy will have "far-reaching ef- j
feet” and was designed to assure !
parties of “both the fairness and
the professional competence of ar-j
bitrators.”
Tie said companies and unions
would be asked to participate in
selection of arbitrators by choos
ing names from lists the Labor
Department will submit when so
requested.
RAIL SIGNALMEN
REPORT RI6 GAINS
Jacksonville, Fla. — With 150
delegates from all over the United j
States and Canada in attendance,
the 28th regular convention of the
Brotherhood of Railroad Signal
men, in session here, reported
some of the greatest gains in -the
history of the brotherhood. Presi
dent Jesse Clark presided.
President Clark’s report de
clared that “Our Brotherhood is
now stronger numerically and fi
nancially than it has been for
many years.” Since the last con
vention of two years ago, the or
ganisation of skilled craftsmen
has increased in membership to
well over 2,000, an all-time high
in strength and influence.
“Everything points to a bigger
and better signal department and
we are eagerly looking forward to
a larger and stronger Brotehr
hood.”
Nearly half the period covered—
from July 1, 1944, to April 30
1945—was during the regime of
President A. E. Lyon, who has
been on leave of absence to carry
on his duties as executive secre
tary of the Railway Labor Execu
tives’ Association. His successor
Mr. Clark, said that the selection
of Mr. Lyon in the capacity of ex
ecutive secretary of the RLEA
was a “distinct honor” for the Sig
nalmen and “he is filling the job
with great distinction and his
name will go down as one of Amer
ica’s greatest labor leaden.”
THE MACKINAC CONFERENCE
HEARS RESULTS OF UNION
M AN AG EM ENT TEAM WORK.
Macinac Island, Mich.—Crediting
union-management teamwork for
making it possible, a California in.
dustrialist reported here a policy of
price decreases on his company's
food products, although his com
petitors are maintaining or increas
ing their pricps.
“We think, the country needs
goods as cheaply as possible,” said
W. Edgar Gallwey. president of the
Vaeudri Corp., Oakland, Calif., ad
dressing 50Q representatives of U.
S. and Canadian industry; labor,
government, education and farming
at the Moral Re-Armament Train
ing Center. The Fifth Annual Ses
sion of the conference, extending
from July through September, has
already brought people of nine na
tions here, including the Director
of Agriculture of the United Prov
inces of India and one of the Brit
ish delegation to the United Na
tions. t
"We’ve had no strikes, no slow
downs, and a record of constantly
increasing production per man
hour,” said tiallwey, whose com
pany produced 40 per cent of the
dehydrated apples used by the U.
S. Armed forces all over the world.
“Wages have been increased, vol
untarily, not by demand. The cost
of operations has constantly de
creased. This year with prices gen
erally rising, we are able to an
nounce a decrease in prices though
our competitors are maintaining or
increasing theirs. We can do it and
still make a good profit."
Telling the story behind these
results of the application, of floral
Re-Armament in industry, Galiwey
continued: “It started aft' about
five years ago at the outset of tho
war when^ dehydration changed
from a group business to an indus
try. In our plant we decided tt\at
sound labor relations wgs one of
the greatest assets to the country.
So at the suggestion of the men,
I asked the Dehydrating Workers
Union to come around and talk
with us. I invited them to work
with us to build a good industry
based on human relations.
I hey Drought around, as a sam
ple, the standard contract, a 17 1-2
page document written obviously
by two sides who had a low opin
ion of each other’s integrity. We
decided we would rewrite the con
tract together on a basis of trust.
“It was only a page and a half
long. When we ruled out mistrust
and suspicion all we had to put
down was facts. We had a heck of
a time getting it through our board
of directors, who said it wouldn’t
work and wasn’t practical.
“For five years now we've been
operating Under it and we’ve never
had a dispute. I had a talk with
the union representative recently,
and we figured that in the fiva
years the union had been in our
plant, we had spent a total of two
hours on contract negotiations.
That’s about 25 minutes a year.
“I am convinced that industry,
which was the deciding factor in
| the war of arms, has got to find
■ out how it can be the deciding fac
I tor in the peace.- It turns into
! “gimmes” and you have strife and
1 discord. Industry has got to get
in and fight in the war of ideas and
bring Democracy’s inspired ideol
ogy to the world.”
- »
ARTHUR CANTY DIES *
Chicago, 111.—Arthur E. Canty,
55, a leader in the American Fed
eration of Labor here and the
American Legion, died recently at *
his home here of a heart attack.
Mr. Canty had just recently been
elected to hit fifth term, consecu
tively, as president of Local 143,
International Union of Operating
Engineers.
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