NIK w HUE to ANTI - LABOR Bills! LABOR JOURNAL VOL. VXII; NO. 18 L'HARLOTTE, N. C± THURSDAY. AUGUST 7. 1047 Subscription $2.00 Per Year REITERATES PLANS TG Session Record Of Congi s Dismal For Workers SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS FORCED MEASURES AGAINST LABOR Washington, D, C.—The 80th Congress, the first under Repub* lican control since the advent of the New Deal, closed its first ses sion. ‘The record shows it to have been a most reactionary Congress. Progressive social reforms were eliminated, modified or quietly ig nored at this session which has seen the special interest groups riding roughshod over the* inter ets of the American wage earner. The 80th Congress forced a new concept of labor-management re lations upon the nation when it adopted the notorious Taft-Hart ley measure which had the whole hearted support of the National Association of Manufacturers. Over - the repeated warnings of labor spokesmen, enlightened in dustrialists and other public fig ures, the cause of labor was ham strung and the government placed right in the middle of labor-man agement relations. This was pre cisely what the labor and' busi ness leaders who realised that legislation' cannot settle labor dis putes, recommended against. The 80th Congress. tried to re duce taxes, not for the relief of thoee most in need hat for thoee already in the high income brackets. Not content with ost veto susUined by the House, the determined GOP leadership tried again on a post-dated basis in an effort to make good on a cam paign pledge to cut the tax re ceipts of the Federal Government. The President immediately sent through a second veto message which was sustained in the Sen ate. • The 80th Congress will be re membered more for what this first session did noV accomplish than for any legislative progress which it made. No action was taken on pro posals to increase minimum wage levels despite the crying need for an upward adjustment to com pensate for the increases in the cost of living. Social Security benefits were not increased, nor eras thd cover age of the law broadened. In stead, the Congress frose the present payroll tax rate at its present level until 1960, making it virtually impossible to liberal ize payments. Despite the existence of a se vere housing crisis, the long range program 'embodied in the Taft-Ellender Bill was shelved without actipn. The only measure touching upon the housing prob lem was the new rent control law which permits landlords to in crease rents under “voluntary” agreement with tenants. Various health1'measures never reached the flooiftof either house. With the recognised need for a health insurance program to fur nish complete medical care to workers and their families, action by the Senate committee consid ering this legislation was slowed by the introduction of the Taft Bill designed to provide, medical care on a charity basis to those families 'who successfully passed a means test. President Truman requested legislation to further social prog ress in his Message to Congress last - January and reiterated the need therefor in his recent mes sage transmitting his mid-year economic report. The first session of the 80th Congress failed to heed his re quests. The North Carolina Federation of Labor convention for 1947 will open in Wilmington Monday. August 11, for a three-day session and, according to the program released by the Wilming ton committee on arrangements. the meeting will ho honored by the presence of a goodly sprinkling of high American Federa tion of Labor officials who will address this the most important session of the N. C. Federation to bo held in at least 10 years, which carries aa back to 1937. when the AFL-CIO split took AFL PRESIDENT j_William Green AFL SEC. TREASURER William Green, George Meaney, I. M. Orabum and Frank P. Fen ton, AFL officials, have been in vited to be present, but thia week it is reported that perhaps Mr. Green will not be able to at tend. However, it is thought that the other AFL officers may be able to be present. George L. Googe, suotnern AFL director, is also an invited guest and will de liver a speech Tuesday morning, beginning at 11:45 o’clock. In this ad'lres Mr. Googe will have much to tell North Carolina un ionists relative to the current (Continued on Page 4>' LABEL DIRECTOR i L M. Omburn I. A. SCOGGINS First Vice Present North CareHaa Federation of Labor Brother Scoggins is also vice president of the Charlotte Central Labor Union, secretary-treasurer of his local electrical workers union, and a hard working unionist in every respect. Mr. Scoggins served as head qf the Charlotte Rationing oRke daring the war, being chairman. He is a past president of Charlotte Central Labor union. PRESIDENT SECRETARY-TREASURER SOUTHERN DIRECTOR Ci A. Fink to. G. Fiafier George L. Googe Convention Program RECREATION CENTER—SECOND AND ORAlfGfc STREETS WILMINGTON. N. C. Monday Morning. August, 11. 1*47 Convention called to order 9:00 A. M. by C. B. Kornegay, President Wilmington Central Labor Union. Invocation . Reverend Carl Lewis Pastor Sunset Park Baptist Church Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag of the United States, of America, by all Delegates present. “I pledge allegiance to the Flag of th^'United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all.” National Anthem . ...Richard G. Woods Address of Welcome .. ®. L.. White Mayor of City of W'ilmington Address of Welcome ... H. Winfield Smith New Hanover County Recorder Response .. ..f. A.' E. Brown Chaplain of N. C. State Federation of Labor Presentation of Gavel to C. A. Fink, President of the N. C. Federa tion of Labor, and the President's Opening Address. Convention duly < pened for the consideration and transaction of busi ness. Appointment of-Committee on Credentials and Committee on Rules of Order. ’ t 11:15 A. M. Address ... Forrest H. Shuford N. C. Commissioner of Labor 12:00 NOON Address ... .- William Green President, American Federation of Labor 1:00 P. M. Recess for Lunch. Monday Afternoon—2:00 o'clock Report of Credentials Committee. Obligation and Seating of Delegates. 3:00 P. M. Address .. Frank F. Fenton Director of Organization, American Federation* of Labor 4:00 P. M. Address ... .... I. M. Ornburn Secretary-Treasurer, Union Label Trades Dept. Introduction of Visitors. Report of Rules Committee. Appointment of Committees. • Announcements. 5:00 P. M. Adjournment. Tuesday Morning. August 12—• o’Clock Invocation _ .~. A. E. Brown Chaplain,' North Carolina Federation of Labor Reports of Officers. Introduction of International Union Representatives. 10:00 A. M. Address ..John O’Hara President Tobacco Workers International 11:00 A. M. Address .. ... Nick Collins Vice-President United Textile Workers of America 11:45 A. M. Address ........George L. Googe Southern Director of the American Federation of Labor 1:00 P. M. Recess for Lunch. Tuesday Afternoon—2 KM ©’Clock Reports of Committees. 2:15 P. M. Address .......—...T. A. Wilson j _ Chairman Industrial Commission 3:00 P. M. Address...........„.... C. H. Williams RegionaT Director, U. 8, Conciliation Service, of Atlanta, Georgia Nomination of Officers, S \ (Continued on Page 4) 1 building activity up Washington, D. C.-rThe U. S. •arena ai Labor Statist*** «rw porta that a 10 par cent inerqase in construction activity poshed building expenditures to 91429, 000,000 in Jon# and gave jobs to 1,760,000 workers. The BLS indi cates that this is a 19 per cent increase in inancial outlay and a Imost at a quarter-mill ion in the number of workers over June, 1946. Send in year subscription to the Labor Jearaal today! CHALLENGES EMPLOYERS WHO SEEK TO DESTROY TRADE UNIONS Sacramento, Calif.—AFL Secre tary-Treasurer George Meany de clared vigorously that “labor is not going hack to the conditions which existed prior to 1933“ de spite the Taft-Hartley law and the vicious intentions of all its proponents in and out of Con gress. In an address before the con vention of the California State Federation of Labor, Mr. Meany said the American Federation of Labor intends to continue to main tain its organization as an “ef fective instrument of the. nation’s workers in their light for ^ bet ter life." While indicating a desire to bargain in good faith with any employer, Mr. Meany warned the reactionary business groups. He said: _ *'T« these essployess whe test the Taft-Hartley law is going to enable them to dictate at will the terms and conditions of employ ment without regard to the wel fare and desires of their em ployes we say—if you want in dustrial warfare—we accept the challenge.” The AFL leader reiterated the position taken by the American Federation of Labor in announc ing a campaign to be undertaken (Please Turn to Page S) CLAUDE L. ALBEA » Pre*idt*t of the Charlotte Central Labor Union Mr. Alboa la a member of the International Typographical Ui and for many yearn served aa president of the Charlotte local ei ITU. He is a former rice president of the North Carolina F< * tion ad Labor, aad has served many terms aa president of the lotto Contra! Labor Union. Mr. Albea served 12 years on Charlotte City Connell aad in Juno of this year rag again as a member of the Charlotte City Council by a large vote, widely known throughoat North Carolina Labor circles. State Federation 12-13