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CHARLOTTE
LABOR JOURNAL
VOL. XVII; NO. t
CHARLOTTE. N. C.. THURSDAY. JULY 3. 1947
Subscription $2.00 Per Your
UNION HEADS SUMMONED TO AFL PARLEY
Central Labor Union To Install New Local Officers
GREEN DEFENDS Mac ARTHUR
LABOR POLICIES AGAINST
WPTU CHARGES
Washing ton, D. C. — President
William Green of the American
Federation of .Labor defended the
occupation policies of General
Douglas MacArthur in Japan
against charges made by Chinese
and Australian delegates at the
so-called World Federation of
Trade Unions’ conference in
Prague. These delegates accused
the occupation authorities of be
ing “anti-labor” and of permit
ting the continued exercise of au
thority by Hirohito, pre-war
“capitalists” and “generals.”
In a formal statement. Mr.
Green said:
“First-hand reports made to
me by representatives of the
American Federation of Labor in!
Japan prove their i& no basis for
the chargef made against the pol
icies of General MacArthur.
“The facts are clear. Eighteen
months ago there were no labor
unions in Japan. Today more
than five million members have
been organized by Japanese un
ions and collective barghimhg is
rapidly expanding to co\er the
vast majority of Japanese indus
tries. V
“This growth hap been en
couraged and fostered by General
MacArthur and the Labor Divi
sion created by him to maintain a
close relationship between the oc
cupation authorities and Japanese
trade unions. .
“This Labor Division extends
the maximum freedom of action
for Japanese unions. The only
restriction placed upon them is
that strikes which would seriously
cripple the occupation are for
bidden. Considering the fact
that Japan is still an occupied
country, such a temporary re
striction is understandable.
“’Furthermore, General Mac
Arthur’s Labor Division is carry
ing on an intensive educational
campaign among trade union
members. The only ones who ob
ject to this is the sprinkling of
Communists active in one wing
of the Japanese labor movement.
“Ag to Hirohito, the new con
stitution under which Japan is
governed renders his office pow
erless. The elected government,
chosen by the voters last April,
is politically moderate and far
from reactionary. In fact, the
occupation forces have purged
pre-war and wartime Japanese
leaders very thoroughly from their
former positions of influence.
“General MacArthur’s Labor
Division in Japan ia headed by
James S. Killen, an experienced
and liberal trade unionist who
formerly served as an officer of
the International Brotherhood of
Pulp, Sulphite and Paper Mill
Workers of the United States
and Canada, an AFL affiliate.
"It is true that inflation, criti
cal shortages of raw materials
and consumer goods and an active
black market have combined to
threaten the welfare of Japanese
workers, but every effort is being
made to correct these conditions.
“Obviously the charges made
against General MacArthur have
no basis in fact and were broad
cast from WFTU meeting for the
sole purpose of encouraging Com
munist disruption in Japan.”
AIKEN PUSHES SCHOOL AJD
Washington, D. C.—Charrman
George D. Aiken of the Senate
sub-committee on education said
that a tentative agreement had
been reached by his group to al
low Federal aid to states on the
basis of need, but would assure
to all a minimum allotment of
|6 a child.
CLAUDE ALBEA, NEW PRESIDENT, WITH
OTHER OFFICERS, BE INDUCTED JULY 10
PRESIDENT
Claude L. Albea
New officer* will be installed at the July Iff meeting oH Charlotte
Central Labor Union. when a ballot will be cast for all official
posts, the nominees having been named last week without opposition.
Claude L. Albea is the new president; J. A. Scoggins, vice president;
H. C. Eddins. secretary-treasurer; Fred G. Hahn, sergeant-at-arms,
■nd the following trustees: C. P. Hannon, V. J. Funderburke and
I. L. Kiker.
‘ VICE PRESIDENT
J. A. Scoggins
EMERGENCY CONFERENCE SET FOR JULY 9 AFTER
EXECUTIVE COUNCIL MEMBERS SURYEY
EFFECTS OF TAFT-HARTLEY ACT * '
Washington, D. C. — Pledging a three-front offensive
against the unjust and oppresive provisions of the Taft
Hartley Act. AFL President William Green summoned an
emergency conference of the officers of all 105 affiliated
unions in the nation’s capital July 9.
This decision was taken after a special meeting of the
resident members of the Executive Council at which Joseph
A. Padway, AFL’s Chief Counsel, outlined the drastic ef
fects of the main provisions of the new law.
"We will carry on the fight against this terrible legisla
tion just as vigorously as when it was pending before Con
gress," Mr. Green told a press conference. *
"We are going to fight it in the courts.
“We are going to fight to protect the rights of our mem
bers in contract negotiations with employers.
“And we are going to organize politically to defeat every
member of Congress who voted for this law."
Attending me council meeting
with Mr. Green were Vice Presi
dents John L. Lewis, Harry C.
Bates, G. M. Bugniaset, William
C. Doherty and Secretary-Treas
urer George Meany.
Later, Mr. Green told newsmen
that the AFL does not intend to
form a political action committee,
such as the CIO>, although “our
objectives probably will be par
allel.”
-ffe announced a widespread
"rank-and-file” protest and re
volt against the Taft-Hartley Act,
ClllajWltlJgg in repeated demand*,
for a general, nation-wide striVe.*
This the AFL will not author
ise, Mr. Green emphasized. He
said:
“Sucfy action .would not be ad
visable. I am responding tp all
appeals for a general strike with
instructions to exercise restraint
in this emergency. Otherwise
thousands of damage suits could
be invoked against^ unions in the
courts and public opinion would
be seriously influenced against
labor."
In this respect, Mr. Green an
ticipated an appeal from Presi
dent Truman urging labor and
management to “exercise patience
and moderation” in accustoming
themselves to the major changes
made necessary by the new law.
The President, who had declared
in his veto message that the Taft
Hartley Act was bad legislation
and unworkable, nevertheless
promised in a public statement
that “insofar as it lies within
my power as President, I shall
see that this law is well ahd
faithfully administered.”
This statement was considered
an official attempt to silence crit
ics among the reactionary groups
who have widely voiced the opin
ion that the Truman Administra
tion^ would try to sabotage the
operation of the law. Such hints
were* interpreted in informed cir
cles as an advance alibi for the
failure of the law to deal effec
tively with labor - management
problems.
Mr. Green said at his press
conference that there were two
major reasons for calling the
special conference of officers of
all national and international un
ions.
“First,” he said, “there exists
a great deal of confusion through
out the trade union movement on
what the Taft-Hartley Act means,
how it applies to unions and what
they can do and cannot do under
the new law. a
“It will be our purpose at the
meeting to present full and ac
curate Information covering these
points and to provide answers to
all questions which may occur to
our union officials.
“The national and international
unions can then, in turn, convey
this information to their local
unions and to the delegates in at
tendance at the conventions this
summer and fall.
“But there is a second and
equally important objective. We
must form a clear-cut policy on
how to deal witl\ thia legislation
and how to combat it. Through
this meeting, we hope to obtain
uniform action, instead of indi
vidual and contradictory action.”
Mr, Green was asked whether
enactment of the anti-labor legis-^
lation would serve to promote
unity botaroan the AF& and the
"zjaz ^ w.
ence seeking organic unity be
tween the American Federation
of Labor and the CIO will be held
soon, although no date has been
set yet. Th« need for unity has
been underscored by She enact
ment of this legislation. It has
created a growing, increasing and
expanding sentiment among the
membership of both organisations
for the cementing of a united la
bor movement which will be
strong enough and powerful
enough to vanquish the enemies
of labor and reverse the reaction
ary trend.”
In the statement he issud at a
White House press conference.
President Truman made it clear
that he expected employers not to
take unfair advantage of the
broad license granted them under
the new law. Although he ad
dressed his statement to both la
bor and management, his inten
tion was evident when he said:
“Neither management nor la
bor will achieve any long-range
benefit by seeking to use the pro
visions of this Act to gain un
fair advantage or to sustain ar
bitrary attitudes. It is in the in
terest of both to maintain steady
production at fair wages while
the effect of the new Act is being
tested by experience.”
The first test appeared to be
shaping up in the coal fields
where hundreds of thousands of
miners staged an advance walk
out which even critical observers
could not attribute to union in
structions. The coal miners hung
up signs reading:
“Let the Senators Dig Coal!”.
Despite advance promises, even
the sponsors of the new law such
sa Senator Taft and Representa
tive Hartley could not point to
any provision in it which could
cope with the situation.
FIVE AFL BUILDING CRAFTS
IN KANSAS CITY GET RAISE
Kansas City. Mo.—Five major
AFL building crafts have won
a 15-cent hourly wage increase
here. Unions involved in the set
tlement were- composed of car
penters, laborers, operating en
gineers, lathers and cement fin
ishers.
Electricians and sheet metal
workers signed..earlier agreements
for the same boost, and boiler
makers, glaziers and painters set- |
tied for 12 cents an hour.
i