Editorial
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CHARLOTTE LABOR JOURNAL & DIXIE FARM NEWS
- Published Weekly at Charlotte, N. C._
Address All Communications to Post Office Boa 1061
Telephones 3-3094 and 4-5602
Office of Publication: 118 East Siath Street, Charlotte. N. C.
SUBSCRIPTION RATES: »2.00 per year, payable in advance or
6c per copy. ,,
ADVERTISING RATES for commercial advertising reasonable.
i:
H. A. Stalls, Editor and Publisher W, M. Witter, Associate Editor
Entered as second-cUs* mail matter September 11, 1931, at the Phot
Office at Charlotte, N. C., under the Act of Congress of March 3, 1879
Official Organ of the Charlotte Central Labor Union and Approved by
Toe American Federation of Labor and the
North Carolina Federation of Labor _
The Labor Journal will not be responsible for opinions of corre
spondents. but any erroneous reflecting upon the character, standing or
reputation of any person, firm or corporation which may appear in,
the columns of The Labor Journal will be gladly corrected when ^called
to the attention of the publisher. Correspondence and Open Forum
opinions solicited. ___
RAIL CLERKS TO OPEN MEMBERSHIP CAMPAIGN
Strategy for a broad campaign throughout this year to
expend its membership and register new benefits were
drafted at a national conference in Chicago recently by
leaders of the Brotherhood of Railway Clerks from all parts
of the nation. Officers of the grand lodge and genera!
chairmen, nearly 200 in all, took part in the meeting. ,
One of the highlights was an address by President George
M. Harrison in which he called for establishment of a 40
hour basic wegk on the railroads.
"That has become standard in nearly all other industries,
and the ‘Iron Horse’ must meet that standard also," Har
rison declared. "A shorter week will mean increased ef
ficiency on the part of the employes and will prove of real
benefit to our entire industry."
Harrison and Harry L. Tuttle, director of organiz
for the Clerks, presented a glowing account of the
gains during the past year.
Membership soared by 30,000 to over the 300,000
they reported. Additional railroads, airlines and bus lines
were brought under agreement and the last “company un
in the Gerks’ craft on Class I roads was eliminated.
ion
Charters were issued to 99 new lodges.
Harrison cited exceptional gains on a number/of airlines,
including a 40-hour week, marked improvement in overtime
pay, sick leave and vacations with pay, and substantial
wage “increases. - ~
Both Harrison and Tuttlo made it cleai* that the union.
doesn't intend to rest on its laurels, but/that ,even more
intensive organizing efforts are to be pushed in 1947—par
ticularly in air transportation, motor transport and coast
wise steamship service. The goal foi/this year, they said,
is "350,000 members."
"Although we have grown considerably,” Harrison said,
"wo can’t afford to be complacent. We must expand our
educational work. We must instill the trade union spirit in
our people or lose ground.” >
Pitfalls lie ahead unless the new members are inbued
with devotion to unionism, he stressed. As evidence of the
danger, he cited the current drive to induce all workers to
sigp, petitions asking for repeal of the Grosser amendments
to the Railroad Retirement and Unemployment Insurance
Acts- / ' . .
These petitions are being circulated by stooges seeking
personal advancement,” he said. "Some workers have been
duped into signing them, although it is obvious the peti
tions emanated from sources hostile to our unions.”
Other speakers at the early sessions included Vice Presi
dent J. H. Sylvester and E. R. Kinley, assistant to the
president, who gave advice on proper handling of griev
ances and changes in working conditions.
RANKS OF TEACHERS MAY SHRINK
Increasing economic distress will bring a further short
age of school teachers this year, it was predicted by Wil
lard E. Givens, executive secretary of the National Edu
cation Association, in a discussion before members of that
organization in Washington recently.
Increases in salary granted to teachers in many com
munities for the school year 1946-47 are being canceled
out by rising price levels, he stated, adding:
“The problem of recruiting and keeping teachers will
continue to grow worse.”
Estimating that the average salary of teachers, prin
cipals and supervisors was about $2,000 for the school year
1945-46, Mr. Givens declared that the 1946-47 average
would have to rise by $300 to $400 to help check the per
sonnel shortage.
Mr. Givens stated that Federal income taxes added a
“special twist” to the current economic pressure upon
teachers because they had not been subject to those taxes
prior to 1939 and “neither salary schedules nor personal
budgets were adjusted to the expectation of such tax pay
ments.”
The purchasing power of the “spendable income” of a
teacher without dependents earning the average salary,
he said, was IS per cent, lower for the calendar year 1946
than for 1939, adding that the estimated value in 1935-39
doUfra of the salary, less taxes, was $1,419 is 1939 and
$1,235 in 1946.
The NEA recommended a minimum salary of $2,400 for
fully qualified teachers. It was estimated that, after in
cbme taxes, the remaining salary of $2,082 would be worth
$1,315 in prewar purchasing power.
/Meanwhile Gov. Thomas E. Dewey, of New York signed
bill granting1 teachers in that State pay increases under
an emergency appropriation of $32,000,000.
Teachers in New York State, disappointed by the amounts
of increases permitted in the measure, arranged protest
meetings in almost every large city and made preparations
for s large demonstration in New York City.
Joseph Landis, president of the American Federation of
Teachers, said he appreciated the increase but added he was
disappointed that it was merely an emergency move rather
than permanent legislation. He expressed hope that it
would be made permanent by later action at Albany. 7
“Salary increases in the teaching field are sadly needed
throughout the country,” Mr. Landis said. .“We are en
couraged by each legislative action toward this end and
hope eventually that these benefits can be spread across
the country/9
Subscribers to The Journal should send
subscriptions immediately. The pfice is
Much is happening in Dixie in the labor
should not miss a single issue. Address
Journal, P. O. Box 1061, Charlotte, N. C.
either money order or check.
in their renewal
$2.00 per year,
world and you
Charlotte Labor
, and remit by
gT? Vto HONORED ITAU4N PEASANTS
TWRCW DOWN THfc BOUNCPR lES
ON eoo ACRESOP LAND NEAR.*Mt
W AUGUST 1946 —THB PROPERTY
OF “PRINCE ALLESSArCR&T&ftLCNlA,
AND PROCEEDED*? “DISTRIBUTE
THE LAND AMONG "THEMSELVES.
“THEY CLAIMED “THAT 1HE PRINCE
HAD NEVER PVT THE LAND 1o USE,
THUS CONTRIBUTING TbTHE GEN
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MET With NO RESISTANCE FffeM
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■One NfT WORKlM® CAPITAL
CP 63 LARGEST MAWUfACTUR
MG COdfOEA-ncSNS KS6AS6O
PROM i 5,223,000,000 M1939
I TO*8,4O2p0WCO
ArLd mah nr.Au nnn laduk unri. siiiur
Secretary of Labor Lewis Schwellenbach has set up a
labor education service to “improve and broaden” the de
partment. Arthur A. Elder, president of the Michigan
Teachers Federation (AFL) will head this new service. Mr.
Elder will continue his work as director of the University
of Michigan’s workers’ education service, a position he has
held for the past three! years.
The new bureau will offer personal consultative service
to any union, university, labor school or civic group to de
velop a labor-education program, serve as a clearing house
on labor education matters, and prepare and distribute
lesson plans and pamphlets containing study material.
Five members of this 10-man advisory committee are
from the American Federation of Labor. They are as
follows:. Director of Research Florence C. Thorne; Di
rector of Organization Frank Fenton; Director of Social
Insurance Activities Nelson H. Cruikshank; Research Di
rector Marion Hedges, International Brotherhood of Elec
trical Workers, and Secretary-Treasurer James Brownlow,
Metal Trades Department.
Green . Warns Of Request
Made By U. S. Physicians
Washingon, D. C. — Grave
warning of a recent development
in the Held of medical care, of
vital concern to all uniona which
have established sick benefit plans
or have evinced an interest in
such plans, was sounded by AFL
President William Green in a let
ter to all National and Interna
tion unions.
Citing the request of the House
of Delegates of the American
Medical Association for o dal
representation on any body in
control of funds to promote the
health and medical care of the
United Mind Workers, Mr. Green
declared this action waa in line
with “the long-standing policy of
the AMA to maintain monopolistic
control of all means of providing
medical service."
Declaring that such n policy
“affects our plans for securing
enactment of national health in
surance,” Mr. Green asserted:
“‘In line with this monopolistic
practice the AMA and its state
societies have been instrumental
in passing state laws which, if
held constitutional, will prevent
wage earners and other nonpre
feesional groups. from organising
or promoting plans unless the
doctors are given a controlling
voice in every state and every
county where such plans may try
to operate.
"Such restrictive leers have al
ready been passed in about IK
states and it is reported that
bills along this line will be intro
duced at the instigatoh of the
state medical societies in many
state legislatures during 1947.
"Now we see the AMA, while
continuing to seek medical mo
nopoly over health insurance
plans in general* demanding rep
resentation on the controlling
body of a plan started and sup
ported by organised workers!
"You understand that the posi
tion of the American Federation
of Labor has always been that it
is proper that physicians have
the sole responsibility for the
purely professional services sup
plied through inurance plans, but
it is not appropriate that they
should * have control of the or
ganisation and management of
such plans.
“I am enclosing a summary of
a recent article by Dr. Michael
M. Davis, which gives 4k clear
picture of the situation developing
within the states. I ask that this
matter be brought to the atten
tion of your legislative repre
sentatives and that they take
proper action. It would also be
appropriate to notify your State
medical societies that you .do not
' propose -to surrender the manage
ment of medical service plans to
monoply control and to demand of
them that adequate representa
tion of labor , and other public
groups is accorded on the govern
ing bodies of all medical care
plans.”
TRUCKERS GET INCREASE
Atlanta, Ga. — Central Truck
Lines, Inc., have signed a city
pick-up and delivery agreement
and also an over-the-road agree
ment for their employes under
the Teamster^ Jurisdiction with
Truck Drivers and Helpers Local
Union 728 (AFL).
It's the Quality efjiadmbsp
that makes Leadtrf I ■ r
i N
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V. 5. Trtumry Drttrtmnt
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