Newspapers / The Charlotte Labor Journal … / Nov. 28, 1946, edition 1 / Page 1
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AFFILIATE WITH YOUB CENTRAL LABOR UNION i I; AND THE N. C. FEDERATION NOW! Unionists, Do Everythtaf Within Tour Power To Aid In the Southern A. F. L. Membership Drive Working For A Better Understanding Between North Carolina AFL Unions and Employers of Labor :^mn ,. ^ ... j||jHI| 0 Charlotte Labor Journal A Newspaper Dedicated To The tmtereoto 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. 30 CHARLOTTE, N. C„ THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 28. 1946 "Wo* it not for the labor press, the labor movement woo Id not be what it is to* day, and any man who tries to injure a labor pa per is a traitor to the cause.”—Samuel Compere. Snbserintion 12.00 Per Year MINERS CHALLENGE INJUNCTION AT TRIAL Labor Commissioner Talks At Tri-State Meeting Here Courtroom Is Packed As Spectators Await Mine Strike Decision Washington, D. C.—Before a packed Federal courtroom, with the eyes of the entire nation intent on the outcome, attorneys for the United Mine Workers Union challenged the Government's legal right to force the union by injunc tion to stop the coal strike. The proceedings at the opening hearing before Federal Judge Goldsborough were brief and inconclusive. The Jt dge, himself, engaged in a rambling dissertation on the case and then postponed trial of the issues until Novem ber 27. At that time Lewis, appeared with his lawyers before Judge Goldsborough’s court and defended the mine union's action on the basis of the Norris-LaGuardia act's terms, which the Mine Workers claim! forbids the issuance of in junctions in strike cases. The trial lasted for the day and was postponed until Friday, November 29, at which time Judge Goldsborough is to impanel a jury and hear the case. The jury will decide, 1, Whether the injunction Judge Goldsborough issued calling on UMW President -John L. Lewis to withdraw his formal notice on November 15 that the union’s contract with the Interior Department had been terminated, was legal. 2, Whether Mr. Lewis and other union officials are guOty o',ron tempt oC-aourt for failing to heed the injunction. 8, If the court upholds the legality of the original,' temporary injunction, it will then have to be decided whether the injunction should be, made perma nent. Attorneys for the Government and for the union got short shrift j from Judge Goldsborough at the] opening hearing. Once the Judge realized that the union intended to contest the legality of the en tire proceedings, he postponed further argument until the No vember 27 trial. But the Judge did not stop there. He launched into a speech of his own. Summarizing the position of both sides, he said the Govern ment says the defendants have not obeyed the restraining order, while the defendants maintain categorically that they tMre done nothing since the termination of the Krug-Lewis contract. “That is equivalent to saying they have not obeyed the restrain ing order," he added, 4 but, then they say they do not have to obey the restraining cider as it is not legal.” The Judge remarked that there seems to be no legal precedent for the current proceedings. “I don’t think a situation like; this has ever confronted society | before, or confronted a court be- j fore—I never heard of one,” he said. Continuing, Judge Goldsbor ough discussed the effects of the situation on the nation, on the union and on labor in general. He even threw in a few remarks about capitalism and Karl Marx and the possibility that Congress may proceed to enact legislation kHiiiMawi SHOPPING DAYS LEFT -FOR XMAS “that will set labor back many years.” Then, half to himself and half to the courtroom, the Judge con cluded his remarks by saying: "I do not know whether I was justified in making that state ment . It was extrajudicial.” Meanwhile, the coal mining stoppage throughout the nation remained 100 per cent effective. Without receiving any orders from the union, without a single picket line around any coal pit, the 400,000 bituminous miners volunutarily stayed away from their jobs in a demonstration un matched in labor’s history. Newspaper reporters, inter viewing coal miners and their families in the coal regions, wrote stories to the effect that the miners are determined to go through with their fight for a bet ter contract and that any attempt by the Government to jail Mr. Eewis or to fine the union will only intensify their determination to stay out. Throughout the nation, coal conservation orders were put into effect by Federal, State and local officials. It was estimated that the supply of coai above ground would be sufficient to cover the essential needs of the nation for more than 30 days. However, many manufacturing enterprises, esoecially the steel mills, which are huge consumers of coal, and the railroads, imme diately started cutting back their operations and, as a result, many thousands of workers were forced into temporary idleness. It was the consensus in Wash ington that, barring some sudden move to break the deadlock on the part of the Government or the union, the legal proceedings undertaken by the Department of Justice will drag on for a long time. Meanwhile, no coal was in prospect of being mined. Editor’s Note: Dering the Thanksgiving holiday reports coming out of Washington say that the Mine Owners have of fered to negotiate with the Miners Union, offering some concessions over previons con tracts in the way of shorter hours. However, this could not be confirmed aa The Journal goes to press. TWA PUTS AGREE TO uomnoN pun by THREE-MU BOARD Washington, D. C.—Leaders of the Air Line Pilots’ association (AFL), after a nine-hour confer ence with the National Mediation board, agreed to submit their pay and working rules dispute to a three-man arbitration board. UndeR the terms of the truce, pilots agreed to return to work, ending a stoppage which began October 21 and which brought to a halt operations of the Trans World Air Line spread over three continents The issues confronting the ar bitration panel are rates of pay for pilots and co-pilots flying do mestic and international routes, minimum monthly pay for pilots in the International service, flight tiiNe limitation for pilots in the international service and a new plan of bidding procedure for Pn«iJW he Meta' David L. Behncke of the filets' Union said every ef fort would be made to restore normal operations quickly. As to the arbitration agreement, Mr. Behnke said the pilots were “fol lowing their traditional methods of dispute settlement, which is to work while they talk.” 8,000 AMPUTEES SEEK CARS Washington, D. C.—Eight thou sand amputee veterans filed appli cations for free automobiles in the first four weeks of the cars for-amputees program, it was an nounced by the Veterans adminis tration. WITH LOCAL UNIONS —“4k NO CLU MEET tHIS WEEK The regular Thursday night meeting of Charlotte Central Labor Union was postponed this week due to the holiday falling on Thursday night. The next meeting will he held on Thursday night sf next week at 7:30 in Labor Temple, 317 14 North Try on. delegate* from all affiliated locals are urged to be present. PRINTERS MEET SUNDAY The regular monthly meeting of Charlotte Typographical Un ion No. 338 will be held Ban day afternoon at 2 o’clock in the Labor Temple. 317 1-2 North Tryea street RETAIL STORE SEES TAKE LEAP UPWARD Washington, D. C.—An esti mate from the Defrartmetrt' of Commerce shows that retail store sales during September wNre $8, 203,000,000. This figure is 28 per cent higher than in September of 1945, but 2 per cent below, last August, after adjustment for sea sonal factors and the difference in the number of shopping days. . The estimate shows that total retail sales in the three months ending September 30 set a record quarterly high, 31 per cent above the second quarter this year aft er seasonal adjustment. The chief factor, however, was the rise in prices, the department stated. i INCREASED EXEMPTIONS OF TAXES URGED BY AFL COMMUTE ON TAXATION Washington, D. C.—Increased exemptions (or persons with in* comes below $3,000 was demand ed in a report by a special AFL Committee on Taxation headed by AFL Vice President Matthew Woll. “Any tax relief program initi ated by the next session of Con gress should place primary em phasis on elimination of burden some excise taxes on essential goods and services and the need for raising exemptions for those in the low-income bracket, partic ularly that group with incomes below $3,000,” Mr. Woll aaid following the committee session. “Elimination *of wartime con trols of prices and, wages re-em phasizes the need for tax relief for the many thousands of Amer icans who are paying heavy taxes out of below-subsistence incomes.” Mr. Woll told newsmen that the committee approved adop tion of exemptions of $1,800 for single persons, $2,860 for marript couples, and $500 for each ' de pendent. At the same time the commit tee made a strong demand for elimination of war-created agen cies, bureaus and unnecessary personnel in all Government de partments as an immediate and necessary economy measure. A report of the committee, however, pointed out that while all unnec essary expenditures should be cur tailed, it was essential that rev enue to support all legitimate governmental activities and neces sary Federal assistance for Fed (Continued On Page 4) Forrest Shuford Says Strikes Will Not Destroy U. S. Syste “It is possible for strikes to attain such size and scope as to impair seriously our capitalistic system, but I do not believe that this will occur,” Forrest H. Shuford, State La bor Commissioner, told delegates to the twenty-seventh an nual meeting of thn Carolinas-Virginia Purchasing Agents association here last Friday. Delivering a prepared speech on the “Economic Effects of Strikes,” Shuford told the purchasing agents that “It is popular now to blame everything on strikes, just as it was an easy way out during the war years to blame everything on the war. As a matter of fact, ’ the (Auction is greater now in nea it has ever been before in ye tides is chiefly the result of brought on by years of war. cnnnot get an automobile bei altogether the case. The aut able to procure enough steel I practically every industry la ever before due to the greate of all Kinds. ; “Much- more production 1s and off the job. than has ever There are strikes other than those by industrial workers, Shu ford declared. “We hare heard a great deal about buyers’ strikes when prices get too high on cer tain articles. We have heard much also about strikes by manu facturers who withhold their goods from the market because they cannot get the price for their product which they desire.” Concerning the recent strike of seamen against the wage or der of the Wage Stabilisatioa Board. Shuford said that “Since the only commodity which a A FI# ASKS FOR PUNISHMENT OF THUGS George L. Googe, Southern Director of the American Feder ation of Labor, has called for full punish ment of the thugs re sponsible for the bru tal attack upon an AFL organizer, who is shown on a hospital bed at the right with Mr. Googe sitting be side him. The attack upon the Georgia organizer is one of the most das tardly crimes in the history of the South ern Labor movement. “DEMOCKERY” IN UPSON COUNTY, GA,—Robert Walk. UMW Organizer. tella George Googe, AFL South ern Campaign Director how he wee beaten almoet to death by a goon-eqnad last week near the Old Thomaatoii Mill while organizing textile werkere. More than 4# stitchea were taken in Walk a head. He wae blackjacked, kicked and knifed to near death. Calling on local, atate and federal enforcement ageaci<& U ^igoroeajy proeccute” the lhi|% Commissioner continued, “pro rly all fields of endeavor than ars of peace. Scarcity of ar the great, pent-up demand Many people believe that they ‘•use of strikes. This is not >mobile industry has been un o operate at capacity because using more steel today than t demand for consumer goods to*T froln "accfdenlsT'Sbth on been lost because of strikes.'’ worker ku is his labor, was it aot aataral for the seaman to fool that ho had as much right to withhold his product—his la bor—for a higher price as the moot producer* had to with hold their products from the market for a higher price ia opposition to the price-fixing of OP A and the Decontrol board?" The Commissioner pointed out that reconversion to peacetime production has brought relatively few strikes in North Carolina. “The textile industry, with one or two exceptions, has been practical ly free of strikes during the past year or so. Yet it has been hard er to buy shirts and sheets since the war ended than it was be fore.” Shufod declared that “No body wants to strike" because the workers lose pay, manage ment and stockholders lose profits, the unions lose dues and spend money for em ploye relief, and everybody fools the elects of a stoppage of production. “Like other dashes of force be tween croups, strikes could be disastrous to the capitalistic sys tem which is the basis of the greatest economic development experienced by any country in the world,” he said. “But I cannot see any signs on the horizon which indicate that there is any probability of this country being engulfed in any such serious work stoppages. Our past ex periences does not lead us to any such conclusions. An overwhelm ing majority of employers, work ers, and labor leaders in America are much too intelligent, tolerant, and patriotic to be led astray by any foreign 'ism' which would tear down our economic system.” Per better relations between management and tabor. Shuford suggested that the two groups try to apply the Golden Rale in their dealings with each oth er. “The interest of the work er is so integrated with the in terest of the employer that it cannot be segregated. Every employe is an individual hu man being and cannot be han dled on a mass production ba sis.” Journal advertisers are friends of Labor—buy from them and say you saw it in The Labor Journal
The Charlotte Labor Journal and Dixie Farm News (Charlotte, N.C.)
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Nov. 28, 1946, edition 1
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