CHARLOTTE
LABOR JOURNAL
VOL. XVII; NO. 2 CHARLOTTE. N. ( THURSDAY. MAY 15, 1947 * I . Subscription $2.00 Per Year
Collective
Bargainng
In Dagger
South Bend} Ind.—AntMaboi
legislation pending in Congresi
at this time is not designed t<
cure industrial unrest, but is di
rected against the very process
of collective bargaining.
Thi^ was the key of the mas
sage delivered here by Boris
Shishkin, economist of the Amer
ican Federation of Labor, in an
address before the Midwest Con
ference of Political Scientists ot
the University of Notre Dame.
In ^ blunt appraisal of efforts
in Congress to curb labor free
dom, Mr. Shishkin told the con
ference:
“It is not an empty phrase, but
a matter of grim reality that the
American system of enterprise
and the American institution of
political democracy are under
going a test on the outcome of
which depends their very surviv
al.
“The war itself and the tech
nology born of war have broken
-down the last barrier isloating
our nation from the rest of the
world. From now on the eco
nomic and political fate of the
United States is inextricably
bound up with that of other na
tions. This new postwar world,
of which America is irrevocably
and inseparably a part, is torn
by a far-reaching conflict — a
conflict between dictatorship and
self-government.
“This conflict of ideas is root
ed in the economic life of na
tions. It is not merely a conflict
between political democracy and
political dictatorship. More fun
damentally, , it is a conflict be
tween economic democracy and
-economic regimentation.
“If it is to survive this his
toric test, the profit system of
capitalist enterprise must adjust
to the realities of a highly de
veloped modern industrial soci
ety.
■“First of all, it must clearly
define its goals. The enterprise
system must recognise that it is
■hot an end in itself but a means
to an end. That end is the wel
fare of the people, material, cul
tural and spiritual, welfare based
on free choice expressed by the
rule of the majority.
“Second, it must recognize that
private enterprise has increasing
ly become a collective! enterprise.
Concentration of economic power
in the United States today is
not so much ini the hands of in
dividual corporations: And not
so much in the hands of indi
vidual corporations but of aggre
gates of corporations. These
large concentrations of wealth
and property carry with them
corresponding responsibilities —
toward labor and toward the com
munity. If private means are not
present to assure economic equity,
public controls cannot be escaped.
Political decisions are substituted
for economic decisions and inde
pendence of private enterprise
gives way to political domina
tion.
“Third, it must accept the pri
vate collective contract—the union
agreement—as the prime Instru
ment of national labor policy and
the foremost, tested guarantee of
sustained economic peace. Col
lective bargaining is meaningless,
unless it leads to collective agree
ment. Self-governing and mature
unions, effectively representing
the will and the needs of the
workers are an institution with
out which our enterprise system
cannot long survive.”
DETROIT TEACHERS GIVEN
RAISE OF $400 A YEAR
Detroit, Mich. — Approximately
3,700 students in East Detroit
schools have returned to their
classes as 115 teachers ended a
week-lone strike. The teachers,
nembers of the American Feder
ation of Teachers (AFL) voted
to return to work after the Board
of Education agreed to increase
salaries $400 annually.
The board established a nee
salary schedule of $2,400 to $4,00fl
• year from a previous scale oi
$1,800 to $2350.
5 ELECTRICIANS GET RAISE
-St. Louis, Mo.—Approximate^
1,000 members of Local B-1254
of the International Brotherhocx
at Electrics) Workers (AFL)
employed at the General Cabh
Corporation here, have beei
awarded a wage increase of 1
1-2 cents an hour across th
board, retroactive to April IS.
A Survey Of Labor Legislation In
South Carolina General Assembly
WORKERS’ LEGISLATION
MAKES LITTLE HEADWAY
Friends of Workers In South
Carolina Spend Much Time
In Efforts to Defeat Anti
Labor Proposals.
By EARL R. BRITTON.
Carolinas AFL Organization
Director
Legislation for the benefit
of the workers in South Caro
lina made practically little
headway in the State during
the 1947 session of the Gen
eral Assembly. The main rea
son was because the two ma
jor bills before the legislative
body were designed to de
stroy labor unions in the
State, and the friends of the
working people spent the ma
jor part of their efforts to de
feat these two proposals.
The most controversial bill was
the Rivers’ “Right to Work” bill,
House Bill No. 286. Many called
this the “Anti-Closed-Shop” bill,
but to call it by that name is a
misnomer, as the bill really pre
vented any kind of bargaining
contract by labor unions and man
agement that maintained any kind
of membership clause.
On March 27th the - House
passed the Rivers bill by a vote of
63 to 41 and sent it to the Senate.
It was referred to tha Senate
Commerce and Manufacturers
committee, which gave it a ma
jority favorable, minority unfa
vorable report. It remained on
the Senate calendar for about
three or four weeks without the
Senate ever taking a vote on the
second reading. It is on the cal
endar of the Senate for the 1948
session.
A spokesman for labor was
heard to comment that though the
South'Carolina Senate had never
been considered a body to pass fa
vorable legislation to the labor
groups, it had always demon
strated that it was fair to labor,
and would never be stampeded
into hasty legislation against any
group, especially when there was
a doubt as to the necessity of this
legislation proposed by Represen
tative Rivers of Jasper.
The “Anti-Check-Off” bill, Sen
ate No. 40, introduced by Senator
Cantwell of Williamsburg county
early in the session was referred
to the Senate Judiciary committee.
On February 25th a public hear
! ing was held by the committee.
| The bill remained in committee
hands for several weeks, Anally
came out with a majority unfa
vorable, minority favorable. Sev
eral stormy sessions developed on
the floor of the Senate, but the
proposal never re- eived a second
reading, and on the last Thurs
day of the General Assembly’s
lengthy session, the bill was car
ried over to the first day of the
1948 session. Senator Wallace of
Charleston county had held the
floor for a little over two hours
on that day in opposition to the
bill.
So these two anti-labor bills
did not pass in the South Caro
lina General Assembly, though
many predicted that they would
pass, especially the press in the
State.
Below are the recorded votes
(Please Tara to Page 4)
INDIAN JIMCROW 'FIGHT
Marysville, Wash.—AFl» unions
here have pledged their support
to American Indians who are seg
regated in a Jimcrow section of
! the Marysville Theater, The
I Indian people, whose ancestors
, have resided in t|is region for
> centuries, are being backed by
» Local 3146 of the United Brotb
L erhood of Carpenters (AFL) and
s the AFL Lumber and Sawmill
Workers Council and others.
IS A GESTAPO COMING TO THE U. S. A.?
imJi xSJflwia.ii i ''ig i i.ujli . j j i < -,
Rail Unions Stand to Lose 92 Millions
By Repeal of Crosser Amendments
Chicago.—Sound warning that
repeal of the Crosser Amend
ments would rob them of $92,000,
000 in pensions, of their sick ben
efits and aid for widows and their
children was issued by the Rail
way Employes Department of the
AFL to its entire organization.
In a statement addressed to all
general chairmen, system Feder
ation officers and the . railroad
field staff, the statement, entitled
“What Employes Stand to Lose
Should the Crosser Amendments !
be Repealed,” declared that such
action would:
1. Take pway all payment for
sickness or accidents.
2. Reduce the number of days
for which Unemployment Insur
ance is paid per year from 130
to 1(KL «
3. Reduce the maximum daily
benefit rate for Unemployment
Insurance from $5 to $4. In
other words, you ask to have
your benefits reduced $1 per day,
and these three items cost you
absolutely nothing, for they are
paid out of funds collected from
company.
.4,- Go back to the old system
whereby it was necessary to be in
service August 29, 1938, in order
to qualify for prior service.
8, Eliminate the employes who
were absent on account of sick
ness or disability on August 29,
1938.,
6. Carry, at your own expense,
all the dead-heads who were on
furlough August 29, 1938, but
who did not return to railroad
service when recalled. (Those
absent August 29, 1936, because
of disability are not eliminated
under the amended act.)
7. Return to the old system
of minimum annuity, requiring
an employe to have at least 20
years’ service and be in service
at age 65.
8. Discontinue liberalized dis
ability provisions and return to
old system where an employe had
to either have 30 years’ service
or be 60 years old and, in either
event, be totally and permanently
disabled for regular employment
for hire.
I. Tell them to take away all
monthly benefits for widows, chil
dren an 1 dependent parents, and
return to oM plan of payment of
4 per cent lump sum payments.
10. Return to system of hav
ing death benefits eaten up by
annuity and have no death bene
fits after a year of retirement.
II. And, finally, take out of
your pension fund, $92,000,000 a
year and return it to the employ
ers.
Do you want to give up your
sickness benefit*, your monthly
payments for widows and chil
dren, your minimum annuity and
your liberal disability provis ons
or should you register s protest?
RETURNS FINE TO
CALIFORNIA CARPENTERS
San Francisco, Calif.—Fed oral
Judge Michael J. Roche has order
ed the return of >37,000 in fines
paid by the United Brotherhood
of Carpenters in 1941 in an anti
trust suit. The U. S. Supreme
Court reversed the conviction.
MAP ANTI-LABOR BILL FIGHT
Des Moines. Iowa. — A policy
committee of 190 AFL leaders in
this area are mapping out labor
strategy in connection with new
Iowa antilabor laws.
EX-REP. FITZGERALD DIES;
LONG ALLIED WITH LABOR
Norwich, Conn. — William J.
Fitzgerald, former Representative
and long a leadeT and champion
of the cause of the American
Federation of Labor, died hero
following a long illness at the age
of 51>.
Mr. Fitzgerald, for 25 years a
member of the Internatonal Mold
ers’ Union of North America
(AFL), and for four years first
vice president of the Connecticut
State Federation of Labor, served
in the Connecticut State Senate
from 1931 to 1935 and was re
sponsible for some of the most
valued labor legislation passed
in that State during his tenure
' In the National Congress. Mr.
Fitzgerald, who served two terms,
voted 100| per cent for every bill
placed before the House which
' would benefit labor.
He endorsed measures favoring
i railroad retirement, low rent
■ housing, relief appropriations, the
AFL Wage and Hour Bill for
40 cents an hour and 40-hour
! week on a national basis, con tin u
! ation of the Un-American Activi
j ties Committee, and opposed a
wide range of bills which would
have ham-strung labor and im
posed Government restrictions
which would have had the effect
| of nullifying the beneficial acts
which had been approved.
On eight of the major issues
presented to Congress his two
terms. 1937-39 and 1941-43, the
vote of Congressman Fitzgerald
was in full accord with the posi
tion taken by the AFL.
Mr. Fitzgerald, during his serv
ice in the Connecticut State Sen
ate from 1931 to 193b, was in
strumental in securing enactment
of a number of labor laws which
(Pleaae Tara to Page 4)
Unions Meet
To Work Out;
New Problems
Washington, D. (^.—Represen
tatives of 12 unions, whose mem
bers are associated with the en i
tertainment industries, opened
conferences here this week to set
up machinery for adjudication of
jurisdictional disputes in the mo
tion picture and other amusement
fiekls without resort to strikes.
The conference was called pur
suant to Resolution No. 187,
adopted unanimously at the last
national convention of the Ameri
can Federation of Labor. This
resolution provided:
“Resolved, that the American
Federation of Labor through its
Executive Council undertake to
set up within the motion picture
and amusement industries and
with the sanction and agreement
of all unions working in those
industries,' ways and means for
the purpose of examining, con
sidering and, after deliberation,
setting up machinery, with the
sanction and agreement of the
national and international unions
affected, which will insure the
peaceful settement, without work
stoppage, of all jurisdictional dis
putes within the Mractunt of the
motion picture and amusement in
dustries.”
After polling the unions in
volved and ascertaining their
willingness to participate, Mr.
Green arranged the conference
for next Tuesday. The unions
invited to send representatives
follow:
International Alliance of The
atrical Stage Employes and Mov
ing Picture Machine Operators of
the United States and Canada;
Associated Actors and Artistes
of America; Building Service Em
ployes’ International Union; Unit
ed Brotherhood of Carpenters and
Joiners of America; International
Brotherhood of Electrical Work
ers; United Association of Jour
neymen and Apprentices of the
Plumbing and Pipe Fitting Indus
try of the United States and
Canada; Brotherhood of Painters.
Decorators and Paperhangers of
America; American Federation of
Musicians; Office Employes In
ternational Union; Radio Direc
tors Guild; International Union
of Operating Engineers, and the
Operative Plasterers and Cement
Finishers International Associa
tion of the United States and
I Canada.
ENGINEER SCARCITY SEEN
tlowim; road building
Washington, D. C.—The , Na
, tion’s postwar construction pro
gram will be retarded and normal
improvement in technical develop
ment will be restricted, unless
new engineers are attracted to
; the highway field, according to
the American Road Builders’ As
sociation’s engineer • director.
Chas. M. Upham.
Highway transport in the Uni
ted States or any other country
can only he as efficient as the
engineers who are responsibile for
its development, he declared.
“Since a state highway depart
ment is charged with the respon
sibility of Spending large sums
of the public’s tax money, sal
aries for engineers should be com
mensurate with this responsibili
ty,” Mr. Upham continued. “Low
salaries will not attract ambiti
ous young engineers to the high
way field and without these en
gineers. ~1millions of dollars can
be wasted. Salaries in industry
are carefully adjusted to the
amount of responsibility carried
by the individual. Losses caused
by mismanagement are voided by
fixing salaries that obtain maxi
mum efficiency,” he added.
Railway Clerks
Report Gains In
New Members
Cincinnati. — More than 1,000
delegates from all parts of the
Nation, and from Canada and
Newfoundland, converged on this'
city for one of the most historic
conventions of Brotherhood of
Railway Clerks (AFL) to hear
reports of ttuj great strides made
bjL the uniiW in the last four
year* and to chart the course for
the future.
The reports, in their highFghts,
showed an amazing growth.'* in'
membership, a sound financial
position and broad gains in the
field of collective bargaining.
The report of President George
M. Harrison, a Vice-President of
the American Federation of La
bor, showed a membership gain
for the union of more than 82,
000. This brings the total mem
bership of the organization to an
all-time high of close* to 350,000.
The Harrison report revealed also
that the union now is the bar
gaining agent for 450,000 work
ers.
These gains were registered not
only on the railroads proper, but
in all the related fields in which
the Clerks are active—that is,
express service, airline, freight
forwarding companies, steamship
lines, motor transport and bus
terminals.
We have greatly strengthened
our organization, financially and
numerically,” the Clerks’ chief
tain explained. “We have en
joyed a splendid increase in mem
bers, and ace now the hq^est or
ganised group of railway work
ers.
“We have expanded our contrac
tual relations with the employ
ers in our industry. Several sub
stantial general wage increases
were obtained. Numerous griev
ances and other complaints have
been adjusted. Protections and
benefits .were secured for many
members affected by abandon
ments, co-ordinations, mergers and
consolidations.
“Substantial and valuable im
provements were made in our so
cial security system through the
recent amendments to the Rail
road Retirement and Unemploy
ment Insurance Acts.
“We enjoy good relations with
all of the employers of our mem
bers. The general condition of
the Brotherhood was never bet
ter.
“These majoi1 achievements are
milestones marking our progress
and development. They are trib
utes to the service, sacrifice and
co-operatipn of our members and
officers, and demonstrate the val
ue of an efficient and progres
sive labor organisation.”
The Clerks’ leader told of the
•Treat role played by members of
the Brothedhood in keeping trans
portation rolling during the war
and in speeding the day of vic
tory. He stressed, too, that the
members “did their share of the
fighting”—that more than 38,000
served in the armed forces and
875 were killed iif the conflict.
Harrison related how the Broth
erhood has gone the limit in pro
tecting the interests of its mem
bers in military service. Their
dues were waived. Their re-em
ployment rights, plus accumulated
seniority. Were protected by con
tract. The union saw to it that
'“all benefits won by the Brother
hood in their absence were ap
plied to them in full.”
Also, the Clerks paid out a
quarter miHion dollars in death
benefits to families of member*
who made the supreme sacrifice
during the war.
UNDER-SCALE BOSS JAILED
Long Beach, Calif.—A restau
rant operator, Leslie Dekom, will
spend the next she months in Jail
for failing to pay an employ* the
scale provided in his contract with
Hotel aijd Restaurant Employe*!
International Union (AFL). De
kora ignored repeated warning*
from the State Division of Law
Enforcement.
i