:*;■* t . f>3
WITH YOUR
CENTRAL LABOR
UNION
'(
AND THE
N. C. FEDERATION
NOW!
Unionists, Do Everything Within Your Power To
AM la the Southern A. F. L. Membership Drive
Working Per A Better Understanding Between
North Carolina AFL Unions and^Employerg of Labor
Charlotte Labor Journal
"• ’ - . ~ ~ ~ "
A New*paper Dedicated To The Interest* of Charlotte Central Labor Union and Affiliated Craft*—Endorsed By North
Carolina Federation of Labor and Approved By The America n Federation of Labor.
"Were it not for the labor
. mam_ *h- .IbLm MAOOOiOH
prras, i nr inwi Hiuveiariw
would 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.
VOL. XVI; NO. 38
CHARLOTTE, N. C„ THURSDAY. JANUARY 30, 1947
Subscription $2.00 Per Year
AFL EXECUTIVE COUNCIL MEETING IN MIAMI
_ » » *
Unions Rally To Call Against Anti-Labor Measures
Green Scores Measures
To Punish Unions As
Council Meeting Opens
Miami.—Confronting some of the most momentous is
sues posed before it in recent years, the Executive Coun
cil of the American Federation of Labor converged on this
city for its mid-winter meeting, which is expected to oc
cupy at least two full weeks.
Foremost among the problems raised are those centered
about the heavy flow of anti-labor legislation offered in the
brief span since the current session of Congress convened.
Bills already thrown into the legislative hopper would
strip organized labor of every protection it has obtained in
recent years. They* would wipe out the closed shop and
every other form of union security; would punish unions
for jurisdictional strikes; ssubject unions to court injunc
tions; bar industry-wide collective bargaining, and latest
but far from least, a new Ball measure which would, in
effect, nullify the Wagner Act and set organized labor back
numbers of years when the workingman represented little
better than slave labor status. **
uurer matter! coni renting the
Germany, whose report is sharply
critical of existing conditions
there and which calls for aban
donment of the four-zone system
and every reasonable aid in re
establishment of German indus
try; a preliminary report on the
situation in Argentina, as, viewed
by the recent AFL mission to
that country; a report from Mat
thew Woll, AFL vice president,
^and David Dubinsky, president of
the International Ladies Garment
Workers Union and vice presi
dent of the AFL, on the World
Economic Council and the United
Nations, and a report on the in
tensive Southern organising drive.
The latter is expected to show
long strides toward the initial
goals and also to raises policy
questions regarding special fields
in which the AFL has inaugu
rated drives.
Sparing no punches in a recent
article written for the AFL Fed
erationist. President William
Green sounded fresh warning
against the flood of anti-labor
bills confronting Congress.
Declaring that these bills al
ready numbed more than 90, Mr.
Green asserted in part:
“The purposes, policies and pro
cedures of oar 'trade union move
ment undergird Me enterprise
by assuring more adequate pur
chasing power — an essentially
stabilising force in sustained
prosperity.
unions ire ui« mrmua uj
which wage earners promote their
welfare more effectively than
would be possible fo rthem a*
individuals. Through the union,
workers have become a self-di
—TCcted element in free enterprise
and haev given their members
effective opportunity to promote
• their welfare.
“Their progress is conditioned
by their wisdom, their disciplne
and their resourcefulness. They
as well as management have
everything to gain by sound union
policies and practices and much
to lose if unsound substitutes are
tried. * * *
“Make no mistake about the
principle that free unions are just
as essentia] to free enterprise as
Is free management. Enterprise
can maintain its freedom only if
it uses its freedom wisely and
makes iU ultimate gude service
.. to fellow men.'
“Free enterprse is carried oh by
human beings. There are few per
(Plcaae Tarn To Page 4)
■ i.
MIX*]
FOR CURBING LABOR RIGHTS
Senator Ball’s violent attitude
toward labor is too much even
for the man who appointed him
to the Senate—former Governor
Harold F. Stassen of Minnesota.
Stasssen told newspapermen that
the Ball bills to punish labor
“go to far.”
I
This is the second time Stassen
has taken pains to disassociate
himself from Ball’s bitter cam
paing against the workers. In «
talk before the Yale Law School,
Stassen told his audience that he
opposes “any form of compul-.
sory arbitration” and is against
any change in the Norris-La
Guard ia Act which would subject
unions to court injunctions.
CALIFORNIA JOBS INCREASE
San Francisco, Calif.—Reports
from the California Division of
Labor Statistics and Research |
shows a continuous upward trend
in employment. Factory employ
ment ia the State for November,
1944, was IS per cent higher than
for the corresponding month in
IMS. Employment in the non
durable goods industry for the
month of November was the high
est for November in the history
of employment in the State.
rIGKT
INFANTILE
PARALYSIS
MARCH Or DIMES
| JANUARY 15-30
AFL Officials At Mid-Winter Meet
Reading, left to right: William Green, president of the American
Federation of Labor, who will preside over the Executive Council
sessions; George Meany, secretary'treasurer; George L Googe, South* j
era AFL director, who will report on the current Southern member-!
ship drive and just below Mr. Googe is I. N. Oraburn. director of
the lTrtibl Label Trades department of the AFL. The Executive Coun
cil meeting in Miami is expected to last at least two weeks and
many other officiate will participate in the sessions. Chief among the
matters to come before the meetings will be the vnrfons anti-labor
hills bsing pat before Congress, which if enacted, would severely
penalise ail American workers. The AFL is nrging all of its affili
ated Unions throughout the country to lodge protests with their .Con
gressmen against these bitter anti-labor measures.
j LABOR—U. S. A. j
Is The Guaranteed Annual Wage
Practical?
Washington, D. C.—Labor, leg
islative and business spokesmen
clashed in n nation-wide broad
cast Sunday over the facilities of
the Columbia Broadcasting S/s
tfm on the burning issue of the
practicability of the guaranteed
annual wage.
Boris Shishkin, legislative econ
omist of the American Federation
of Labor, declared that the guar
anteed wage plan is one of the
major objectives of the AFL;
Senator Wayne Morse, of Oregon,
said he favored the annual wage
guarantee if it can be obtained
through collective bargaining and
with a minimum of legislation,
and Dr. Emerson P. Schmidt of
the U. S. Chamber of Commerce
expressed doubt that it could be
applied generally because of the
seasonal employment problem
confronting many industries.
In a strong defense of the
guaranteed annual wage plan,
Mr. Shishkin declared:
"inis pian is oasea on inis con
dition: In many industries the
manufacturer buya all his mate
rials and plans all his costs one
year in advance. Why shouldn't
he earmark in advance the
amount of money needed for hia
annual payroll in the same way
he does for other things? Afid
once he has an advance assump
tion of the risk for the year ahead
for the payroll, why should there
not be a minimum gualfcntee of
employment, of the same kind as
happens in many professions,
where the white-collar payrolls
are mainlined on a yearly basis
to advance?”
Mr. Shishkin stressed his strong
belief that, through collective
bargaining plans could be nego
tiated between management and
unions voluntarily, by which there
is at least- a minimum guarantee
and an indication of security to
the worker for the year ahead.
Expressing satisfaction at hear
ing Mr. Shishkin ’‘emphasise the
point about collective bargain*
ing,” Senator Morse aaid he felt
nevertheless, “that here we are
dealing with a subject which
shows again the differences be
tween theory and practice and be
tween ideals and reality.”
“I think that, where practical,”
he added, “a guaranteed annual
wage is desirable, but I think it
is a great mistake to lead millions
of workers into a feeling that it
is practical to have a guaranteed
annual wage in a good many
working situations. I don’t accept
the premise that the annual wage
is practical in all industries.
“I do think that whenever we
can get la®or and management to
sit down around the table and
enter into an agreement for a
guaranteed annual wage, it Is
desirable.”
The Senator expressed grave
concern over attempts by way of
legislation to endanger any of
the minimum standards “that we
already have set up in legisla
tion that are now benefiting the
workers. I think that those stand
ards already are too low in many
respects.”
Dr. Schmidt contended that
there are “very definite” limita
tions on the extent to which n
rua ran teed sap plan eoold be
applied. In this regard, he point*
ed oat that, not only seasonal
fluctuations, but also other fields,
weald be confronted with grave
problems under such a plan.
“For instance,” he said, "dur
ing the depression we had almost
1.0 house construction. Contrac
tors who would be forced to
guarantee wages Over the cycle,
over a period of prosperity and
depression, would simply be up
against it. They probably would
go bankrupt.”
Dr. Schmidt cited particularly
as an admirable plan that intro*
dueed at the Hormel packing
plant, under which the employe
works as much sa 53 hours a
week, without overtime, in the
busy seasons, and- as few as 20
hours in slack periods, but re
(Please Turn to Page 4)
BUILDING CRAFT UNIONS
\ IN CHICAGO GET RAISES
Chicago.—Membcra of six AFL
building construction craft unions
here have received wage increases
of 10 per cent, effective June I.
This date was accepted by the
unions to permit contractors to
complete' present building pro
grams as well as to make future
plans. * >
Wages of bricklayers will in
crease from $2 an hour to $2.20;
carpenters, hoisting engineers and
cement finishers from $1.06 to
$2.16; laborers $1.30 to $1.60, and
technical engineers’ pew rates
will range from $1.20 to $2£0
an hour.
Previously AFL plumbers and
pipefitters were granted increases
from $1.95 to $2.16 an hour, and
electricians’ wages were boosted
from^|1.97 1-2 to $2.15 an hour.
FRANK HOPKIN8. 42. DIES;
INDIANA LABOR EDITOR
Michigan City, lad. — Frank
Hopkins, 42, sditor of the In
diana Labor Beacon, died sudden
ly here of coronary thrombo
sis, Shortly before his death
he had returned to his home from
his office complaining of a pain
in his chest.
Mr. Hopkins’ editorals in the
Beacon were widely reprinted and
his art 'work was well known
throughout labor circles. His
cartoon practice appearing in the
Beacon was known as “Girtie and
Mae,” two shop girls, and "The
Gripe Brothers,” two gloomy
factory hands.
Unmarried, Mr. Hopkins took
an active interest in Boy Scout
activities, first as Scout then as
Scout Master. Funeral services
were held Thursday.
-/
Labor Is Aroused By s
American Workers
Washington, D. O.^-Organised labor throughout the na
tion is building up a campaign of strong resistance to na
tional and state legislative proposals for punitive labor
measures. - '
Labor leaders throughout the country have appealed to
the rank and file to register vigorous opposition with
their legislative representatives against proposals to “cruci
fy labor” on the built-up theory that recent labor-man
agetnent disputes h*»ve been caused by unjustified demands
of workers. ,
- Meeting in Miami, the General Executive Board of the
International Brotherhood of Teamsters (AFL)( topk a
strong stand against proposed Government interference
in jurisdictional disputes.
“Labor claims the just right to settle its own affairs
in the future as it has done in the past,” said a telegram -
from President Daniel J. Tobin to Senator Robert A. Taft
of Ohio, new chairman of the Senate Labor and Educa
tion Committee. The message referred specifically to pro
posed W«s for setting up a Government tribunal or com
mission to handle jurisdictional clashes.
Penalize
SUPREME COURT IS EXPECT
ED TO RULE ON MINERS'
CASE LATE IN FEBRUARY
Washington, D. C.—Decision of
the United States Supreme Court
on the imposition of $3,510,000 in
fines on the United Mine Work
ers and its president, John M.
Lewis, is expected to be issued
sometime late in February.
The union sharply challenged
the legality of the Government’s
use of an injunction to head oR
the November soft coal work
stoppage and the Government, in
turn, charged the miners with ig
noring Federal power to force
continued operation of the pits.
UMW Counsel Welly K. Hop
kins told the court that Attorney
General Clark’s statement sup
porting the fines sounded like s
political speech.”
“It had better been said in
politics! forum than a court of
law,” he told the court.
Hammering vigorously at Jus
tice T. Alan Goldsborough’s im
position of the fines, Mr. Hop
kins declared the rulings were il
legal and lacking in authority.
Joseph A. Padway, general
counsel for the American Federa
tion of Labor, supporting th«
position taken by Mr. Hopkins,
contended thst thg District Court
erred in granting an injunction in
the face of the Norris-La Guard
ia Act.
Counsel for the union contend
ed that, merely because the mines
were seised by the Government
in a way* dispute, the minen
were not Government employee
in the sense of clerks and other
Government workers who devote
their full time to Federal service.
Mr. Hopkins said that the line
could not stand because the con
tempt of court prosecution was
bungled. The charges were not
brought as charges of civil con
tempt of court ought to be
brought, he said, and they were
not brought as a charge of erim
nal contempt of court ought to
be brought.
Mr. Lewis and the UMW were
not told which kind of contempt
they were accused of, he said,
tnd did not know for sure until
they heard Justioe Goldsborough
finding them guilty of both kinds.
Justice Frankfurter asked wheth
er Mr. Hopkins made thes4 ob
, (Continued On Page 4)
u vjovern mem trespasses on
the right of labor to settle its own
disputes, undoubtedly as time
goes on it will encroach further
on the liberties of the workers
and their organisation,” Mr. To
bin warned. ,
AFL President William Green,
in a letter to all international,
national and local AFL affiliates,
advised all members to be on con
stant guard against approval of
measures in federal and state
legislatures which would impose
undue burdens and uncalled-for
limitation* upon organised work
ers in the United States. '
“It is highly important at this
time that' every worker in Amer
ica should study> with gravest
concern the labor legislation
which is being presented not only
to the national Congress but to
his State Legislature,” Mr. Green
said in his message. “There has
never been a period of more ex
treme danger to the welfare of
the American worker than right ~
now, and his best insurance
against unfair legislation is a
sharp intelligence regarding the
measures confronting our legis
latures.”
Mr. Green pointed out that bills
have been presented in Congress
which would completely wipe out
the benefits gaind by labor in the
last decade and would shackle
workers to the post to which they
had been tied for a long number
of yean.
I Meanwhile, overflow meeting*
were beta* held throughout the
country to proteat vigorously
against anti-labor bills which had
been swamping Congress and
State Legislatures.
In San Francisco such an out
pouring was held under the aus
pices of the San Francisco Cen
tral Labor Council, where ut*
meeting unanimously approved a
resolution by Local 265, Inter
national Brotherhood of Team
stars, calling upon 153 Local un
ions to wire or write California
members of Congress urging them
t? oppose anti-lahbr measures.
Delegates of the Chicago Fed
eration of Labor, the Railroad
Brotherhoods and independent
unions, representing nearly a mil
lion organised workers, plan a
joint meeting there to draw up
their strategy against anti-union
steamroller moves in Congress.
In Salt Lake City, Utah, AFL
leaders havg joined with inde
C Coo tinned oa Pago 6)