AFFILIATE
WITH YOUR
CENTRAL LABOR"
UNION
AND THE
N. C. FEDERATION
NOW!
VOL. XVI; NO. 50
Unionists, Do Everything Within Your Power To
AM In the Southern A. F. L. Membership Drive
_s. .
Working For A Better Understanding .Between
North Carolina AFL Unions and Employers of Labor
Charlotte Labor Journal
A Newspaper Dedicated To The Interest* of Charlotte Centred Labor Union and Affiliated Craft*—Endorsed Bp North
Carolina Federation of Labor and Approved By The American Federation of Labor.
-We*o it net far the labor
woaM *ot bo wbat it is to
day. and any nun who
trios to injure a labor pa«
per is a traitor to tbo
eaose.”—Samooi Caw pen.
CHARLOTTE, N. C* THURSDAY. APRIL 17, 1947
Sabseriothm
$2.00 Per Year
Co
Hill
unist Deceit In
World Affairs And Labor
Dealings Now Exposed
Washington, D. C.—A smashing
expose of treacherous Communist
methods in world affairs as wall
as in the treatment of workers
features the current issue of
“Labor's Monthly Survey,” pub
lished |t>y the AFL.
On the international front, the
survey explains the significance
of the current crisis in the near
oast as follows:
* “The Communist totalitarian
itate is now seeking to overrun
and dominate Greece and Turkey,
and thus control the narrow Dar
danelles {Strait which cuts through
Turkey to form a gateway from
the Black Sea to the Mediterra
' nean. Control of this strait has
long been the goal of rulers seek
ing world dominion. The Russian
czars sought to control it before
World War L When Communist
Russia in 1941 asked for the Dar
danelles as its price for continued
co-operation with Hitler, Hitler’s
answer was (o invade Russia,
seize Greece, and himself .reach
for the Dardanelles. If the Rus
sian Communists should succeed
in overrunning Greece and Tur
key, they would dominate this
strategic military point, key to
the trade routes of the Medi
terranean. To extend their con
trol Westward to Italy, France
and the rest of Europe would then
be only a matter1 of time. They
could also reach south to Suez
and Africa and east to Asia Mi
nor, .India and China. The United
States would soon find itself iso
lated and surrounded by a Com
munist world.”
Pointing up the situation which
caused President Truman to aak
Con*res* to authorize the use of
American personnel and funds for
Telief to Greece and Turkey, the
survey said:
“Today Britain, whose military
strength has safeguarded balance
of power throughout the world,
must withdraw her support from
Greece and Turkey. The huge
cost of‘stopping Hitler's advance,
which she bore almost aline for a
poor and a half, has exhausted
her resources. She needs all shs
has to build up the productivity
of her industries at home. Soviet
Russia is ready to move in as
Britain moves out, spreading a
totalitarianism more cruel and
far reaching than Hitler’s over
couKtries our boys died to free.
similar and equally effec
tive ways Communist minorities,
with the help of the Red Army
and Soviet trained police, have
gained control against the will of
the people in Roumania, Bulgar’a,
Poland and other small countries.
Communism, when judged on its
merits, has been defeated in every
free election. Because it has
nothing to offer but! poverty and
oppression, it can only be pro
mulgated by force, deceit and
manipulation.”
Throwing new light on living
conditions among the workers of
Russia, the survey said:
“Although the Russian consti
tution gives a comprehensive list
of individual rights on paper, in
actual practice these rights are
ignored. The will of the dicta
tors is enforced bjr secret* police,
who are informed about every
person’s ‘loyalty* by a network
of spies. These police or 'MVD*
seise and carry off to slave labor
camps any persons ‘who obstruct,
oppose, criticise, or are suspected
of secretly disliking the totalita
rian Communist regime.’ No one
so seised, whether guilty or in
nocent, has any right of protest,
appeal or trial by an unbiased
Jury or court. Only 5 per cent
are ever released, it is estimated.
The number of slave labor camps
! ia the USSR is so great, and the
hordes confined in them so enor
mous, that practically every fam
ily has a close relative anlong the
inmates.
“One reason for the Russian
worker's low living standard is
net faq to seek: Slave labor er
compulsory labor can never equal
the high productive efficiency of
free labor, working in a system
of free initiative and enterprise.
by the compulsory system. He
(Csntine.l On Rage 4) .
IFl AUTO WORKERS OPER
CAMPAIGN TO ORGANIZE AL
US ‘ CHALMERS COMPARY
AFL Auto Workers Open Cam
paign To Organize Allis-Chal
mers Plant On ^Urgent Appeals
Of Employes
Milwaukee. — Yielding to ap
peals of more than 1.00 workers
in the Allis-Chalmers plant, Les
ter Washburn, International Pres
ident of the United Auto Work
ers (AFL), announced plans to
wage a determined battle against
both the UAWeCIO and an inde
pendent union, to organise the
workers In the large plant here.
In announcing the AFL unions’
decision to inaugurate a vigorous
organising drive at Allis-Chal
mers, which was closed for a long
period due to a dispute with the
UAW-CIO, Mr. Washburn said:
“For the past several months,
through letters, telephone calls
and personal contacts with our
17,000 members in Milwaukee, we
have received requests from more
than 1.0(H) Allis-Chalmers’ work
ers to help them in their present
pitiful plight. Up to this point,
because we have at no time ever
wished to, jeopardise the outcome
of the Allis-Chalmers strike, we
have refrained from entering the
picture.
“But nowv that the strike has
been lost &y Local 248 of the
UAW-CIO and officially termi
nated by that unign, we will pro
ceed to comply wholeheartedly
with the' request of those Allis
Chalmers workers who would like
to see the UAW-AFL selected as
their official collective bargain
ing agency.
“The UAW-AFL is confident
that an overwhelming majority
of Allis-Chalmers workers realise
that a company, dominated or In
fluenced union, or any indepen
dent union, can never develope
the collective bargaining power
necessary to effectively cope with
powerful corporations, such as
the Allis-Chalmers Co.
“We are also convinced that
the Allis-Chalmers’ workers will
welcome this opportunity to free
themselves of the Communistic
domination and misrepresentations
of Local 248, and the political in
trigues of a factional torn CIO
International Union which failed
them miserably.
“Allis-Chalmers workers de
serve, and are are certain that
the community will welcome, a
bona fide democratic, responsible,
American union.
“A petition now being pre
pared by the UAW-AFL attorneys
will request the Wisconsin Em
ployment Relations Board to
break the present deadlock be
tween Local 248 and the Inde
pendent Union by giving the Al
lis-Chalmers workers an oppor
tunity to choose the UAW-AFL
as their bargaining agent.”
SHORT WORK WEEK AIDS JJt
1,450,000 IN GREAT BRITAIN
• London, Eng. — Announcement
that shorter work week* became
effective in January for 1,650,000
British workers was made by the
Minister of Labor. More than
500,000 received ware increases in
January the report revealed.
The hour chances affected
mainly workers in the automobile,
machine tool and other types of
machinery operations. The nor
mal' week was reduced from 47
to 44 hours. *
Iron and steel, tobacco manu
facture, class containers, flour
miUinc and wholesale trades re
ceived wace increases durinc Jan
uary, addinc 100,000 pounds to
the weekly wage bill.
Four hundred and twelve thou
sand workihc days were lost
titroufh industrial disputes dur
ing January. This represent* an
increase *'dver December; 1940.
Particular importance is attached
^ the loss of 21,000 working days
in coal mining as a result of labor
disputes.
NEW YORK UNIONS FIRM
IN PLAN TO BAR REDS
. New York City.—The Central
Trade* and Labor Council of New
York ha* taken a firm stand
against communism.
Three hundred delegates, rep
resenting 700,000 members of the
organization, a unit of the Amer
ican Federation of Labor, were
unanimous in their opposition to
communism.
The delegates approved a reso
lution accepting a recommenda
tion by their executive board call
on all AFL affiliates not to par
ticipate in the annua! May Day
parade “because it is communist
sponsored and dominated.”
After the meeting. Moe Rosen
vice-president of the council, who
was in the chair in place of Mar
tin T. Lacey, president, said that
if any affiliated unions in the
central body partclpate actively
in the May Day parade, they will
stand suspended.
_____________
MEN DYING IN GAS-FILLED
MINE SHIFT WROTE SAO
LETTERS TG. RELATIVES
Centralis, Ill.-r-Th,e final words
of 13 miners who scrawled in
darkness on pages torn from a
foreman’s time book—were pub
lished today.
The notes were in the clothing
of the last group of the Expan
sion’s 111 victim* who were found
Saturday alornlng^ They had
lived a possible If. hours after
the blast.
A notice on the rock face above
their bodiea advised rescue work
ers “look everybody’s pocket. We
all have notes. Give them to our
wives.”
Names of the writers were
withheld. * ,
“Looks Like the End”
“To my wife: It looks like
the end for me. I love you,
honey, more than l:fe itself. If
I don’t make it, please do the
best you can and always remem
ber and love me, honey. You are
the sweetest wife in the world.
Goodby, honey and Dickey,” one
note said.
Another, addressed to two boys:
“Be good boys. Please your
father. O Lord help me.”
Others:
“Dear wife. Please take care
of the children. Leave all to my
"Good by. Give — xr family
(■am of money.) Pat too ms tone
oa all graves.”
“My dear Wife: Goodby. Name
baby Joe, so yon cap have a Joe.
Love aO. Dad.”
“Dear Mother an<T Slaters and
Brothers: I am fine at 8:30 p m.
It looks better, getting some air.
- is in bad shfjpe, moaning
and going on. Take care of
mother. Tell- I forgive her.
See about security insurance. We
won’t all get out. fre found a
place in the air a little. The
■moke was bad. God bless you
all, Yur • loving son.
“Everyone going, all are gone
but Joe Ballantini, Fred Gutsier,
Ned Jackson of the joy (refers
to machine) is here. Don’t know
about the others.”
"Dear Sweetheart and sons!
It’s now « o’clock. -- la feel
ing pretty low, but honey, if I
don’t make it, sell .the house and
go live with your folks. Your
mom and dad will tsiks care of
you and the boys. Please pray
for me and join the ehurch for
me. Tell dad to quit the mine
and take care of mon|, not like
this. Well baby, and my loving
boys, goodby as I am feeling
weak. Lota' of love.”
“Dear wife and sons: Well,
hon, it looks like this^is the end.
Please tell mom and dad I still
love them. Pease gs|,the baby
baptised Snd sent-4—~tj the
Catholic school. Well, I Ions yon
all and please take care of them
and raise them a good Christian.
I lave them. Love to all of you.
UNIONS MEETM6 PARTIAL
SUCCESS IN FIGHT ON
STATE Mm-UIBOR BILLS
Washington, D. C. — Reports
from organised labor sources
throughout the Nation indicate
that, despite one of the most bit*
ter anti-labor campaigns pre
sented in many years, the trade
union movement has emerged so
far with a better than 50-50 bat
ting average in it* far-flung 1947
struggle to resist punitive meas
ures in State Legislatures.
A wide survey disclosed that
proposed laws to prohibit “union
shop” agreements—chief favor
ite of toed of labor—had passed
in five States, but had been de
feated or side-tracked in ten.
States in which these bills were
enacted so far this year included
Virginia, North Carolina, Tennes
see, North Dakota and New Mex
ico.
However, similar measures were
killed in Wyoming, Indiana, West
Virginia, Colorado, Utah and Ida
ho. In Minnesota, the home state
of Senator, "Little Joe” Ball,
principal labor-baiter in Congress,
the Senate, by a 30 to 29 majori
ty, turned back a proposed con
stitutional amendment to make
the “union shop” illegal.
While this was an important
test vote, it did not immediately
kill the proposition. Advocates
indicated they would bring it up
agtift. but spokesman ^<a> Iffeer
were hopeful of ultlbiate victory.
lucuut'Ai mcuuirs uppeui vu w
I have been blocked in two other
| states—Louisiana and Georgia—
as a result of developnenta fol
lowing action by the legislatures?
In Louisiana,/the bill paused
both houses, but was vetoed by,
Governor “Jimmie”—Davis, pne
time movie actor and member of
the AFL Actors’ Equity. \
In an unusual move-the author
of the bill, Representative W. J.
Cleveland, started^ court suit to
reinstate his measure on the
claim that Davis didn’t veto it
until after the legal. 10-day limit.
However, Cleveland lost hia light
both in a Louisiana lower court
and the other day' in the court
of appeals, as well.
In Geecgia, •hackling legisla
tion was held up by the extra
ordinary gubernatorial upset.
While Herman Talmadge Md
the statehouse, the legislature
put through bills outlawing “un
ion shop” pacts and placing an*
vere curbs on picketing lights.
Talmadge signed them. However,
after that had been dons, tbs
state Supreme Court ruled that
Talmadge was out and that Mel
vin E. Thompson, the elected
lieutenant governor, was in.
Immediately thereafter, Attor
ney General Eugene Cook ruled
that all laws passed by the legis
lature and signed by Talmadge
were unconstitutional, and had to
be acted upon again by the new
governor to 1m^ valid.
In Iowa all pending anti-labor
bills, including one to bar the
“union shop,” were indefiinitely
sidetracked, and hopes were beta
out that they would not be re
vived. .
Outside of the “union shop"
ban, various other restrictive Mis
Were put through in a number if
states. Several outlawed strikes
by government employes and If
workers in public utilities.
Meanwhile Attorney General
Walter Johnson of Nebraska in
vited attorneys general of ff
States to meet him on April 14
and IS in Omaho to work out
“united strategy" in resisting
test suits which have been started
by the AFL to challenge consti
tutionality of laws barring the
“union shop."
Incidentally, the 26 states listed
by Johnson included
have already defeated
ion shop" proposals,
where the
awaiting
“
m
Labor, Business And
Farmers Urge Salary
Raise For Teachers
Washington, D. C. — Greater
financial aid for teachers was
urged unanimously by labor, busi
ness and farm leaders in a radio
panel discussion in which Senator
Aiken of Vermont also partici
pated.
The weekly program, commonly
known as “America United," was
presented under the sponsorship
of the American Federation of
Labor. ,
It featured Senator Aiken,
chairman of the subcommittee of
the Senate Committee on Labor
and Public Welfare, which is
conducting an inquiry into the
need for strong action to solve the
educational crisis; Irvin R. JJuen
sIP, Secretary-Treasurer of the
American Federation of. Teach
ers, AFL; Paul H. Good, Secre
tary to the Committee on Educa
tion of the U. S. Chamber of
Commerce, and W. Raymond Ogg,
of the American Farm Bureau
Federation.
Mr. Kuensli, asked hew he felt
about the basic causes for the
present “crisis in education." re
JpiiedLi, is,, *!'i;
“I am sure all of us will agree
that the whole future, net only
of tha United Statue, eat of the
world, the whole salvation af the
world, lies in the field of educa
tion and despite that fact, we
find that the Nation has a weak
ened, struggling public school sys
tem, with thousands of teachers
leaving the profession 4id with
many more thousands aopu't Id do
so. And we find also that very
few young people are preparing
for the teaching profession.
“Now, the basic causes of this
unrest, and the real reasons for
the strikes which have been given
such wide publicity, have been
stated by other people who have
appeared on radio programs. I
think, however, I should make
it quite clear to our entire people,
that the American Federation of
Teachers, as an AFL affiliate,
has a no-strike policy which it
has obtained throughout its entire
kistoryi that there never has been
a strike of any local throughout!
the satire Nation until this pres-1
ent crisis arose. And, in fact,
there has been only one strike
by an AFL local. There have
been two or three others in which
our locals have participated with
n<*i-un'on organizations. Most
of our members feel we have been
able, despite the present crisis, to
maintain our no-strike policy
about 99 per cent.”
Senator Aiken declared that hit
subcommittee is planning a vig
orous inquiry into the need for
extensive action to solve educa
tional problems.
“The members of our commit
tee realise fully the need for do
ing something about the horrible
educational conditions in this
country today,” the Senator said.
“We are planning to open hear- ,
inga very soon on several educa
tional bills which have been in
troduced in the Senate. The first
of these hearings will be of a pre
liminary nature and will be held
on April 9 then we will probably
let a few days elapse in order
that the public may become aware
of the fact that the bearings
BH
been obtained, which probably
will be about the end of April."
Discussing die educational situ
ation in rural araa, Mr. Ogg said
the school problem in farm areas
is far more acute than in. urban
districts.
“Farm people are confronted
with a very different problem,
having over half of the Nation’s
school children, and yet having
the smallest financial resources
with which to maintain educa
tion,” he told the radio audience.
‘"We have too many small
schools,” he added, “which are
inadequately financed, we have
poorly, equipped buildings, we
have teachers who are underpaid
and some of whom are poorly
trained. But this problem re
quires not only local and state
action but also federal action."
Mr. Good, speaking for the U.
SL Chamber,’declared that his or
fmnisfttion hid mt i mtinoftQ*
dum to all Chambers of Com
(Haase Turn la Page 4)
available information
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