VOL. XVI; NO. 48
[Unionists, Do Everything Within Yonr Power To
| Aid In the Southern A. F. L. Membership Drive
--u
Charlotte Labor J ournal
A Newepaper Dedicated To The Interest* of Charlotte Central Labor Union and AffUiated Crafts—Endoned By North
Carolina Federation of Labor and Approved By The American Federation of Labor.
Working For A Better Understanding Between
North Carolina AFL Unions and Employers of Labor
*nM a«t be what it ia to
day. sad aay aiaa who
trlss ta iajara a labar pa
per is a traitor to tbs
I Gsapera.
CHARLOTTE, N. C„ THURSDAY, APRIL 3, 1847
Subscription $2J>0 Per Y<
518 Mines Ordered
Closed After Lewis’
Talk Before Senate
102,699 MINERS ARE IDLE AS GOVERNMENT CHECKS
CONDITIONS IN THE PITS
Washington, D. C.—Closing of 518 Government-operated
soft coal mines was ordered by Interior Secretary J. A.
Krug as John L. Lewis, president of the United Mine
Workers, was placing before a House Labor Sub-Commit
tee charges that Krug, by negligence signed the death
warrant for the 111 miners who died in the recent Cen
tralia, 111., mine disaster.
Interrupted during his testimony to be informed of Mr.
Krug’s order, Mr. Lewis declared: ’
“That is Krug’s death-bed confession. May God in
Heaven forgive him for not finding that mine unsafe be
fore, and for not closing it down before those 111 men
died.”
Branding Krug as a scheming, faithless politician, crim
inally negligent in permitting the death of these miners,
Mr. Lewis pointed out to the committee that only two sof^
coal mines throughout the Nation are really safe. *1
Krug directive closing the 518 mines ordered also 2013
more not to open up again until their safety has been
certified.
In one of the most dramatic •
situations seen on Capitol Hill in|
recent years, Mr. Lewis, facing
a battery of newsreel cameramen
and press photographers, asserted
his sincere belief that President
Truman should remove Mr. Krug
on grounds that his negligence
was responsible for the damping
of the Centralis miners.
Mr. Lewis told the House giwup
that Mr. Krug had "signed with'
me on President Truman’s desk”
the agreement under which the
mines would be operated under
■definite safety regulations which
would be enforced by the Gov
ernment. This responsibility was
ignored by Krug,* he said.
The mine closings will stop 26
per cent of the nation’s daily bi
tuminous production and affect
102,699 miners employed in the
S18 mines, the Soft Fuels Ad
ministration estimated. These
mines produced 616,000 tons a
day, 31 per cent of the UMW
production.
Removal of the top Administra
tion official reeponaible for opera
tion of the mines was one of three
suggestions by Mr. Lewis in his
day-loaf appearance before the
House Labor subcommittee. He
proposed that Congress, by reso
lution, ask the President to re
move Krug "for cause." "
His ether proposals were:
Legislation making it manda
tory to dose mines on the find
ings of a safety Inspector that
safety standards ware being vio
lated.
AuUiorixation erf the Federal
Treasury to remit the' fWO.OO fine
against the United Mine Workers
to the widows of the miners
killed at Centralis and at Straight
Creek, Ky„ in December, 1M*.
for the education of their chil
dren.
(Twenty-four men loot their
live* in an explosion at the Ken
tucky Straight Creek Coal Com
pany mine in Pineville, Ky., on
December 26. IMS. Seven were
' saved. The miners were entombed
.more than 48 hours before rescue
workers found the first surviv
ors.)
Representatives Gerald W.
i—M*, Republican, or Indiana,
said he would sponsor the -twe
latter proposals of Mr. Lewis,
f Mr. Lewis gene dm committee
/ asoauraace that the aw where of
his union would be beck at their
/ posts a* dm termination of dm
six-day SMuruiag period. He
qualified tide, however, by saying
mine.
In
for neglect of
Mr. Lewis
Interior Secretary aa **a
(Cewtianed Oh Page 8)
DR SPOKESMEN
AGAINST EXPLOITING
UTIN COUNTRIES
Washington, d. Cl—Improved
aid in industrialization of Latin
American countries and develop
menf^of * a more sincere under
standing by which the people of
those natiqga will no longer re
gard proffers of help by the
United States with suspicion are
important keys to cementing bet
ter relations throughout the hemi
sphere and to improve the living
standards of our Southern neigh
bors.
These were the highlights
brought out in a radio discus
sion on the weekly America
United program, broadcast over
the facilities of the National
Broadcasting Co- »
Featured in the discussion,
which centered about the ques
tion “How Can We Improve
Our Relations With Latii\ Amer
ica?” were Frederick Gardner,
representing the United States
Chamber of Commerce and for
merly associated with the Office
of Inter-American Affairs; Philip
Pear! and Robert J. Watt of the
American Federation of Labor,
and Russell Smith of the Na
tional Farmers Union.
Roth Mr. Watt and Mr. Pearl
were emphatic in their declara
tions that, to reach an improved
understanding, the United States
must get its story over to the
people of Latin America in terms
which will convince them that this
nation has no intention of ex
ploiting their resources, but seeks
! mainly to extend a helping hand
for the improvement of firing
standards throughout ■ their na
tiona.
As Mr. Walt pat it:
“I think wa hare to tall them
in plain and simple language—
not in the language at the striped
pants and spats, but in the lan
guage which people will under
stand, who we are and what we
am and what we are doing. We
want nothing from them.
"And I am sure that the great
nr-f" of American workers will
be giad to help. Our poaitisn
frankly I think wa ham a re
sponsibility to tell oar story
Mr. Gardner denied that the
suspicion of the Latin AsMiiean
tion of thoee nation#
by expMta*
by
He
■itnation largely
due U the’
to be
BAlIOA-DOllAR SOCIAL
WELFARE BU06ET IS
TAFTS FORECAST
Washington, D. C.—An event
ual billion-dotlar-a-year budget
for social welfare, covering health,
education and housing, was fore
cast by Senator Taft of Ohio, who
described the housing shortage as
a problem crying for attention.
“We are< going to have to do
something soon” to get more
homes, Taft declared in testify
ing before the Senate Banking
commitee. Replying to a question
by Senator Robinson of Virginia
as to whether he would favor in
creasing the national debt, now
totaling 262 billion dollars, Taft
emphatically replied:
“No. 1 would not.”
Nevertheless, he said, the hous
ing situation is a national prob
lem and “nothing is closer to the
welfare of the people.”
“The Government has done no
job at all in the past,” he said,
“» j private industry has never
provided the necessary housing
for lowest income groups.”
Taft asserted that the emerg
ency program set up by Con
gress last year to encourage pro
duction of scarce building materi
als has been “a complete failure.”
tje said that of 400 million dol
lan provided for subsidies to pro
ducers, only about 35 million dol
Ian wil have beem spent by the
jnd of the year, June 30.
“The justification for public
housing is that we have to elimi
nate the disgraceful type of hous
ing in which the lowest income
families live,” he said.
Taft was joined in his testi
mony by Senators Wagner (D., N.
Y.) and Ellender (D., La.), co
sponsors of the Wagner-EIlender
Taft bill which sets up a goal of
15 million new dwellings by 1958.
Some of this construction would
be public housing, built with the
aid of Federal money.
Stressing the need for public
housing, Ellender cited industry
opposition and declared:
“I find such an attitude very
disturbing. In effect, it is a rec
ommendation for the condemnation
indefinitely of millions of our
citizenry, through no fault of
their own, to lives of squalor and
disease."
Raymond M. Foley, National
Housing Administrator, told the
committee that while the WET
MU to “not perfect, I believe it
mould make It possible for this
(Continued on Page 4)
Union and Adam Hats Start
"Good Neighbor" Policy
Initiating Adam Hata’ policy of featuring the Union Label in ite
Hate, Max Zaritskjr, President of the United Hatters, Cap and Mil*
linery AFL Workers, (Center) presents an emblematic Union Label
to Frank Moore, Sales Manager of Adam Hats. Martin Koppel,
Busineea Manager ef the CIO Retail and Furnishing Employees
Union, approvingly watches the proceeding which sparks a new
nsillhKAP^ 1 ohi|f n/klinw
ADAMS HATS TO
FEATURE UNION LABEL
A policy of featuring and ac
tively promoting the Union Label
has been instituted by Adam Hats,
America’s largest retailer of
men’s hats. Max. Jaritaky, pres
ident of the United Hatters. Cap
and Millinery Workers Union,
making the announcement, cited
the step as “an extension of true
leadership which may well set a
good-neighbor pattern for union
retailer relationships."
President Zaritsky declared:
“The Union Label stands for
integrity, quality and expert
craftsmanship. As the silversmith
puts the sterling stamp of excel
lence on his products, so our
members put the Union Label on
their product as the symbol of the |
finest workmanship. When Adam
Hats tells its customers to look
for the Union Label, it is telling
them to look for peak quality and
materials plus long wear and fair
price.”
Pace-setting is not new in the
history of Adam Hats, which re
cently made possible substantial
consumer savings by being the
first national organisation to low
(PI ease Turn to Page 4)
GIVE TO FIGHT
I
AFl RAIL UNIONS
ASK MORE MY AS
UYIN6 COSTS RISE
Chicago, HI.—Request* for o'!
20-cents-sn-hour pay increase
have been made by seven Ameri
can Federation of Labor non-op
erating railroad unions represent
ing an estimatd 500,000 workers.
The requests were drafted at a
meeting of union leaders here for
immediate presentation to rail
road operators.
James M. Burns, secretary
treasurer of the Railway Em
ployes Department of the AFL,
who announced the results of the
meeting, said this would be the
sole issue in negotiations with
the carriers.
Mr. Burns said that the union
leaders decided to postpone action
on proposals to reduce the work
week from 48 to 40 hours and
change certain working or oper
ating rules. He added that the
shorter week was eat aside tem
porarily because of the shortage
of experienced railway employee.
Mr. Bums said the wage In
crease was being asked beeaaae
of pay inequities between railroad
workers and employes in other
industries, because of the ld
vanced cost.of living, and heranss
"railroad workers need more take
home pay.”
The unions involved are non
operating groups and include the
International Association of tla
chinists. International Brotherhood
of Boilermakers, Ship Builders
.and Helpers, International Bro
therhood of Blacksmith and Drop
Forgers, Sheet Metal1 Workers
(CeaUaasd an Page 4)
House Group Plans
Labor Bill Action
Before Senate Acts
SENATE MAY BACK
PRESIDENTIAL VETO
OF PORTAL PAY BILL
Washington, D. C. — Informed
congressional sources saw a strong
possibility that Presdent Truman
would veto the recently-approved
portal-pay bill and would be sus
tained by the Senate. --
Some members of the Senate
predicted the President would de
cline to sign the measure be
cause it would rip out the very
heart of the Fair Labor Stan
dards Act and render ineffec
tive many other laws which were
placed on the statute books only
after years of struggle by cham
pions of the labor cause. The
bill, in one full swoop, would out
law the portal-pay suits, without
regard to the merits of any in
dividual case.
This effect of the left illation
was emphasized by Labor Secre
tary Schwellenbach, who, In blunt
term*, told Congress at bearings
on the measure that he believed
The vigorous opposition to this
meausre by the American Fed
eration of Labor was brought
out quite clearly in the testimony
of Walter J. Mason, a legislative
spokesman for the AFL, in his
testimony before a House Judici
ary Subcommittee.
“The portal-pay bill," Mr. Ma
son charged, “is merely being
used as an excuse to nullify the
Wage-Hour Act as an effective
national standard for minimum
wages and maximum hours, and
to emasculate certain laws passed
as a result of efforts of organised
labor to improve the conditions
of workers throughout the coun
try"
Mr. Mason charged that enact
ment of the portal-pay bill would
"put the American workers back
several generations to the time
when they wore paid by the day,
regardless of the number of hours
they worked.”
APL spokesmen pointed out
that it had never been the policy
of the Federation to ft* In for
widespread portal-pay suits, and
that few such actions had been
instituted by AFL affiliates, be
cause the Federation much pre
ferred to settle any controver
sies without resorting to courts.
They strongly contended that no
legislation was required on the
portal-pay issue, and expressed
confidence that the Supreme
Court "could handle the problem
very well" as regarded definition
of compensable working time.
Green Urges Labor
To ^lacJs: Appeal
For Cancer Fund
the
Washington, D. C.
tppwl to
Nation to Jtin with
in Dm Mr* to miss foats to «*»
bat cmnt ku born issuto by
AFL FiwUsBt William Orton.
la bis ■tossy to tbs MaJUa's
laboring groups Mr.
*Tbs
for from tbs
cor 4vmHt w**b att
if
work) nr people from eueir is ex
coedinyty high. For that reason
laker should join with other
groups in the ««ht which is he
lav made arainst cancer and its
deadly effects.
“Many expert medical repreeen
tativee report that at least M pgr
cent of these suffer! ag from can
cer can bo aneed by early ding
neeis and treutmeat, AH ef this
Washington, D. C.—Plans for
'ompletion of a draft of new la
jor legislation for, strike control,
restriction of the closed shop and
ndustry-wide bargaining by April
14 were revealed by members of
the House Labor Committee.
Declaring they had abandoned
Lheir intention of waiting for ac
tion first by the Senate Labor
Committee, they expressed de
termination to begin immediate
work on the drafting of the new
measure. IK *
“We will certainly go ahead
and act independently,” asserted
Rep. Landis of Indiana, second
ranking Republican on the House
group.
Some members of the commit
tee said that the task might be
finished by the end of the week
but that a report would be with
held until after the Congress
Easter recess. .
Though a majority of the com
mittee members were reported to
be in apparent agreement on a
aeries of amendments to the Wag
ner Act, described by their spon
sors as plans “to equalise” pro
visions affecting management and
labor, no agreement has get been
Men * tUqrjajssed *a» W In
dustry - wide bargaining plans.
Some members favor restrictions
on both points, but at least four
compromises on the closed shop
and twe on industry-wide bar
gaining have been offered and
favorably received by seme of the
legislators.
The compromises proposed on
the closed shop are:
1. A proposal to declare the
closed shop and "improper union
objective." Workers who struck
for a closed shop would lose their
Wagner Act rights. But it still
would be permissible for employ
ers and workers to agree to one.
2. A proposal to continue ex
isting dosed shop contracts for
one year. New closed shop con
tracts would have to be approved
by a specific two-thirds or three
fourths vote of all the workers
affected. Otherwise, the coo tracts
would ha illegal.
S. A proposal by Rep. Case of
South Dakota, to approve a Con
gressional declaration giving in
dividual states the right to out
law dosed shop contracts.
4. A proposal that would not
touch the closed shop but which
would give workers expelled from
a union the right to appeal either
to the National Labor Relations
Board or to a Federal court.
The compromises proposed on
industry-wide bargaining are:
1. A proposal to declare such
bargaining an Improper labor ob
jective and to withhold Wagner
Act protections from workers who
insist upon it.
2. A proposal to forbid indus
try-wide bargaining unless it is
certifled by a Federal agency as
essential to maintain good in
dustrial relations.
RICHARD GRAY’S DAUGHTER
It BURIED IN ARLINGTON
Wtfafcinctoa. D. C.—Mre. RUaa
both Gray Jean, SI, wh®, M u
Army aunt, a urri red the Paeiflo
campaign and a torpedoiny at na,
waa buried in Arlington National
Gaamtery with fall military kaa*
ora. Davihttr of Richard Gray*
praoidaat of the vAPL Building
Tradaa Department, Mro. Jooaa a
former anptaln fat the Army
Nuraea Corpe, diod from iajurioo