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Charlotte Labor Journal
. \ | ' ' ' . • ’• ( >
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 America n Federation of Labor.
VOL. XVI; NO. 41
CHARLOTTE, N. C., THURSDAY. FEBRUARY 20. 1917
“Were if not for the labor
press, the labor movement
would not be what it ia to*
day. and any man who
tries to injure a labor pa
per lit a traitor to the
cause."—Samuel (Jumpers.
Subscription $2.00 Per Year
Green Sharply Assails
Bills To Impose Curbs
On Activities 01 Unions
Washington, D. C.—Grave warning that approval of anti
labor legislation now pending in Congress wou^ produce
such confusion in industrial circles “as to undermine the
present world position of the Unittd States” was served
on the Senate Labor Committee, by AFL President Wil
liam Green. ~
Mr. Green’s blast was the opening attack by labor spokes
men against the large number of bills before the current
session of Congress to strip union workmen of virtually
every gain they have made over a long period of years.
In a blanket indictment of far-flung proposals to com
pletely revamp labor legislation, the usually mild-speak
ing labor leader made no attempt to conceal his contempt
as he condemned the major measures as “vindictive,)’ “Ob
noxious,” “propagandists hogwash” and attempts to im
- pose “government * -
Questioned at one point by Senator Irving M. Ives of
New York, Mr. Green said that leaders of the American
Federation of Labor would be willing to sit down in confer
ence with members of the Senate committee to discuss a
possible compromise on the entire question of labor legis
lation.
Mr. Green expressed vigorous
opposition to the Ball-Taft-Smith
Bill, declaring it woqld greatly
weaken the Nation's industrial
setup. Measures to outlaw the
closed shop, to Ban industry-wide
bargaining, to revise the Wag
ner Labor Act and similar pro
posals were condemned by the
A PL chieftain with equal vehem
Point) by point, Mr. Green pre
sented the committee with a de
tailed analysis of each of the
major bills. Carefully he dis
cussed the forces and conditions
of the Nation’s expanded econ
omy, the great expansion in ma
chine development* manpower die
' placement, dislocations and ad
justments caused by the depres
sion, the war and postwar period
and eventual emergence of cer
tain economic and social truths.
Ha singled out particularly the
Ball-Taft-Smith Bill and kindred
measures which would set up a
Federal Mediation Board, compel
a “cooling-off . period,” ban tbs
closed shop and industrywide bar
gaining and place new limitations
on the’’scope of the Wagner Act.
Regarding the proposal of a
^ cooling-off period, Mr. Green said
this constituted “an unwarranted
invasion of an essential liberty
—the right to strike—and violates
the 13th Amendment to the Con
stfttChHfc 'prohibition against invol
unury^rvitode."
Thl#, proposal,, the labor leader
declared, also “suggests what is
completely untrue, namely that
unioawcall'j&d engage in strikes
at <ti$*Krop of a hat, in a mo
ment of heated excitement, with
out skqr consideration for the wel
farf - of either union members or
the general public.”
Unions confronted with such a
“legislative ireese,” he declared,
“in order to avoid its harsh con
sequences, rapidly would be forced
to develop their differences with
dustrial practice and returns la
bor disputes in order to invoke
the aervieee of conciliation.”
The bill to ban the dosed shop,
Mr. Green asserted, “is not only
bitterly reactionary, but flouts
over 10Q 'years of traditional in
dustrial practice an Returns la
bor to the same status it occupied
at the Vary beginning of its strug
gle for recognition.”
Regarding the Ball bill for re
vamptag of the Wagner Act, Mr.
Green told the committee:
“It will be a sorry day for this
country if and when it adopts
(Please Tara To Page 4)
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What a Wonderful World It Would Be - -
11 1 ALL A€ PKR FROM
HATE A« THlf
lii.,^1
AFL Members Asked
To Aid Red Cross
Washington, D. C.—An urgent
appeal for wholehearted support
of the approaching Rad Cross
campaign for funds was issued
here by AFL President William
Green.
In a special message to all
branches of the American Feder
ation of Labor Mr. Green cited
the widespread services of the
Red Cross and the grave obliga
tion of the American people to
support its plea for assistanse.
He said in part:
"The American National Red
Cross is one of the most valu
able public service institutions in
our country. In time of disaster,
its activities reach from the re
motf community to the greatest
metropolitan center. Its wartime
sei'vke to our nation is will
known. Many of our people qrs
relatively familiar with the varied
undertakings of the Red Cross In
the field of relief, but many still
remain unacquainted with the
manifold activities of the Ameri
can Red Cross in the everyday
life of our nation.
"For hundreds of thousands of
our sons and husbands and broth
ers, the war is far from over. We
have 80,000 patients in veterans'
hospitals who served in World
War I and World War II. They
will require and He entitled to
all the skill and attention which
a grateful nation can bestow.
Professional Red Cross workers
in more than 90 veterans’ hos
pitals co-ordinate the work of
thousands of volunteers who help
to relieve the tedium and loneli
ness of hospital life, and to ren
der service to the helpless.
“During the past year, 1,100-,
000 veterans and their families
appealed to the Red Cross for
services ranging from friendly
counsel and advice to financial as
sistance. This is an additional re
sponsibilty of the Red Cross
which is pledged to aid veterans
and their families..
“The American National Red
Cross is the nationall designated
agency of our country for the al
leviation of suffering caused by
disaster. In the year ending
June 30, 1946, Red Cross work
ers attended 271 disasters and
aided 136,000 people. Financial
expenditures for disaster relief
in this period totaled f 1,800,000.
“In the less familiar, but equal
(Please Turn to Page 4)
UVIIK COSTS M ONTM
HBJ) Baow U. S. COSTS
Montreal, Can.—The Interna
tional Labor Office haa just dis
closed that Canada, Great Britain
and South Africa have outstripped
the United States in keeping down*
the cost of living since 1937.
Price increase percentages in the
general cost of living between
1937 and late 1943 are:
Canada, 23; Great Britain and
Northern Ireland, St; Union of
Son* Africa, 38; United States,
48; Sweden, SO; Norway, 35; the
Netherlands, 82; Brasil. 126;
MuiS, 300; France, 900; Rome,
1,900; Indo-China; China, 2,300,
and Japon, 4,800.
On Food. alone the percentage
increases were: Great Britain, 21;
Canada, 42; Sputh Africa and
Sweden,'49; Norway, 31; United
States, 78; the Netherlands, 101.
RAIL WORKERS BENEFIT
Chicago, IH.—The AFL Rail
way Employes' Department here
has received substantial inprove
ments in rules and working con
ditions on the Southern as a re
sult of negotiations just concluded
! by System Federation No. 21.
The improvements secured will
add an estimated $75,00 a year
to the earnings of the carrier’s
shopcrafe employes. * f
North Carolina Labor
Deplores Action 01
Conunittee On Labor
House Rill No. 229, which is an anti-closed shop measure,
was passed by the North Carolina House comhuttee on La
bor and Manufacturing following a public hearing on the
bill on Wednesday. A number of speakers were heard,
both for and against the bill, among those being Editor
Josephus Daniels of Raleigh News & Observer, and E, B.
Jeffries, publisher of The Greensboro News and Record,
and Frank Graham of the University of North Carolina,
who spoke in opposition to the proposed measure.
DEFENDS LABOR'S RIGH1
HON. JOSEPHUS DANIELS
Editor Ralaigh Now* t d**rw,
who ipokc ia favor of the right
of vployoni uf wployoo to oiga
cloood shop caatrorto wfthoat oat*
■Mo iatorfor—oo. la gjdrtoaiag tho
Labor aad Moaafoctariag Coaaaalt.
too of tho North CsroUao Goaoral
• Mr. Daniels stated that he had
' been dealing with the Internation*
at Typographical Union for many
! years and that he had had splen
did results with closed shop
agreements during this time. Con*
timi ng, he said in pdrtt.
PHW dho tnmhs hr cha
regulate labor unions, just as
soon push back the ocean—it can*
uui oe none."
He said the bill was “conceived
in secrecy and came irom an as*
sooation that wants to destroy
labor unions—not Horn dissatis
uuU unions themselves.”
“ihe proposed but would throw
a firebrand huo every industry in
th.s State. iSorih Carolina has
been comparatively free from
strikes, and nearly always, die*
agreements have been settled
peacefully through collective bar*
gaining.
“U you gentlemen pass this
bill, you will have destroyed the
right of men to collective bar
gaining .. . You will havo stabbed
labor in the back,” Daniels con
cluded.
Sixteen proponent# and 14 op*
(Continued On Page 4) ,
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