WIRE •rWIITE tn
fur Congressmen in
Pretest A’liut All
ANTI -LUOt lilt!
* '
VOL. XVII; NO. 28
CHARLOTTE
LABOR JOURNAL
CHARLOTTE. N. C.. THURSDAY. NOVEMBER 27. 1H7
Subscription *2.00 Per Year
A. r. G." L TO SUPPORT NEW LABOR GROUP
WILLIAM GREEN SAYS TAFT NOT CONCERNED OVER INFLATION TREND
ASSERTS TAFTS POLICY ON FOREIGN AID WILL
WRECK PROGRAM
Milwaukee, Wis.—AFL President William Green charged
that Senator Robert Taft displays not “the slightest con
cern over the alarming increases in the cost of living-’ and
avdocates a policy which would undermine and destroy the
foreign-aid program.
In an address before the fifth biennial convention of the
AFL’s International Union of Automobile Workers of
America, Mr. Green branded as “ridiculous” Senator Taft’s
assertion that the President’s anti-inflation program seeks
to invoke “totalitarian methods" in an effort to solve the
nation’s economic problems. He said:
“Such charges are ridiculous. They are nothing more or
less than campaign propaganda. Realising that the Ameri
can people are naturally reluctant to s& the restoration—
even in part—of wartime controls, the reactionary strateg
ists are brazenly trying to make political capital for the
1948 campaign out of the critical situation in which our
nation finds itself.
“I challenge aanyone to read
Senators Taft’s intemperate state
ments on the President’s message
to Congress and find anywhere in
them the slightest concern over
the alarming and continuing in
creases in the cost of living.
“Senator Taft is not worried
about the high cost of living be
cause the wealthy interests whom
he represents in Congress are not
worried about it. To them higher
prices mean higher profits, already
at a record peak. The only thing
Senator Taft is concerned about
in tax seduction—the kind of tan
reduction which would bring sub
stantial relief to those in the
high-income brackets and place
the heavy burden of taxation
those least able to pay.”
On the question of foreign aid,.
Mr. Green said the Senator pro
fesses to be in agreement with{
the President while advocating
“a policy of too little and too
late, which would have the even
tual effect of undermining and
destroying the foreign aid pro* \
gram.**
“We have found many instances J
of his underhanded cunning in
the tricky provisions of the Taft
Hartley Act,” Mr. Green added.
Calling upon labor to exert it
self in the approaching election
year, Mr. Green declared that la
bor must face the fact that Sen
ator Taft and his “fellow stodges
or big business today occupy a
dominant position in the Congress
of the United States.”
“We must also ace tne iaci.
the AFL leader said, “that their
monstrous creation, the Taft
Hartley law, will exert a more
and more oppressive strangle
hold on our trade union move
ment in the year ahead, making
it ever more difficult for organ
ized labor to protect the inter
ests of the nation’s workers.”
Mr. Green pointed to the recent
Kentucky gubernatorial election as
proof that labor, mobilized for
the occasion, can and will succeed
against the tory reactionaries. He
said:
“In that election, the Republi
can candidate based his entire
campaign on support of the the
Taft-Hartley Act, The Democratic
candidate, who had voted to up
hold President Truman’s veto of
that law, sought to justify his
action.
“Faced with this clear-cut is
sue the workers of Kentucky, un
der the leadership of American
Federation of Labor, flocked to
the polls and administered a
crushing deefat to the defender
of the Taft-Hartley Act. So may
it be with all the apologists for
the Taft-Hartley Act in the 1948
campaign.
Lester Washburn, president of
the United Automobile Workers
Union, keynoted the convention
sessions with an address in which
he named the two major prob
lems facing the delegates. These,
he said, are the need to elimi
nate from Congress those men
who have let labor and the coun
try down, and the urgency of get
(Please Turn to Page S)
ADVISORY BO/RDS IN
81 AREAS RECOMMEND
CONTINUED CONTROLS
Washington, D. C,—Recommen
dations from 49 additional local
rent advisory boards calling for
continued rent control in their
areas, including the cities of Se-,
attle, Minneapolis, Milwaukeke,'
Memphis, Buffalo, New Haven,
Jersey City. Newark and Evans
ville. were received by the Office
of the Housing Expediter.
In two areas in Illionis and In
diana, the Housing Expedite!1 de
TWSTVlled rents on the basis of
information submitted by the local
rent advisory boards. The areas
eff£cf& were Henderson County
in Illinois, and Fountain County
in Indiana.
Receipt of the 49 additional rec
ommendations of local boards in
24 different states makes a total
of 81 areas from which the Hous
ing Expediter has thus far re
ceived recommendations for con
tinuation of controls. Some of
them also have reported that the
general levels of rent are ade
quate or that the present provi
sions for adjustment of individual
rents offer a means for elimina
tion of inequities.
Other boards, in reporting that
rent controls need to be continued
for ‘the present, have indicated
that they will study the adeuacy
of the general level of rents and
make recommendations on this
matter at a later date.
Of 12 recommendations from
rent advisory boards for decon
trol, upon which the expediter’s
office has acted, seven have been
approved and five disapproved. Of
six actions on recommendations
for increases in rent levels, two,
have been approved and four dis-1
approved.
GROUPS VOTE SUPPORT
New York City.—Represents-1
t ves of 25 civic, cultural, relig
ious and labor organizations voted!
to support the National Council
for a Permanent Fair F nploy
ment Practices Commision in ef
forts to obtain passage of Fed
eral legislation against discrimi
nation in employment.
The decision followed a day's
seas ons for 100 delegates under
auspices of the Catholic Inter
racial Council, Jewish Labor Com
mittee. Negro Labor Committee,
ar.d the Presbyterian Institute on
Industrial Relations.
Minneapolis.—Minnesdtians are
overwhelmingly in favor of more
co-operative business enterprises,
according to the results of a pub
lic opinion poll oouducted by the
Minneapolis Tribune.
The newspaper’s interviewers
found that three-fourths of the
farm people in the state do bus
iness with co-ops. Te number
of people who believe that more
eo-ope would be “a good thing”
was twice as great as those op
posing co-ops.
UNION SHOP ELECTION
BURES UNFAIR T-H
LAW PROVISION
Chi ido.—Ore of the most un
just. ant'democrati.' provisions of
the Taft-Hor-V v taw was sharply
llustruteq n a recent AFL vic
tory in a union ship election con
ducted by the National Labor Re
lations Board.
Th's is the requirement of the
law that to win such an election
i
a union must pel, a majority
of all eligbile voters and not!
simply a* majority of the voters
who actually cast their ballots.
Eligible voters in any election I
include not ,rly employes at work, j
but those ill at home, those re
cently laid.off, and those who for
any reason are not available to
vote on the day set for the elec
tion. Failure of any of these
eligible employes to vote is a
‘•no" vote against the union.
The election which emphasized
this unfair provision of the anti
labor law involved th elnterna
tional Brotherhood of Electr'cal
Workers which won by a smash
ing vote of 1.037 tci 14. It was
a resound: g victory for the un
ion, but as M. F. Darling, local
union pre- dent said, its main im
portance lies in the fact that it
served to expose the basic in
justice of the law.
- He peswted out that on the day
he elector was held 16 employes
were absent because of illnesir.
Thus, the union had a potential
'eftcit of 16 votes to overcome
sven before the polls opened for
voting. In this particular elec
tion. the union arranged for 6 of
the ill employes to be transported
to the polling place by ambulance.
In the eaSe of jjhe otehr 10, how
ever, their doctors advised against
any attempt on their part to par
ticipate. t
One ease brought to light an in
teresting ‘point ar.d one which
could • conceivably mean the dif
ference between victory and de
feat to some union at a future
election. A union employe of j
WebsterrChicago Company, the
employer concerned in the elec
tion, had a baby the day before
the election. Her involuntary ab
sence from the polls meant th.1L ,
her vote was counted against the '
union.
I
Joseph M. Jacobs, attorney for
the runion, pleaded with the
NLRB examiner in charge of the
election to allow her vote to be
cast in the hospital under tne
supervision of an NLRB represen
tative. Hts request was turned
down.
Mr. Jacobs has sent a written
protest to the NLRB’s headquar
ters in Washington pointing out
that in the event of a close elec
tion such an involuntary' vote
against a union might mean its
defeat. It is hoped that the pro
est may serve to call attention
to he basic injustice against la
bor stemming from the Taft-Hart
lay law itself.
HIGH COURT RETURNS
JOBS TO TWO FOREMEN
Washington, D. C.—The Su
preme Court refused to override
a decision of the National Labor
Relations Board ordering the re
ins tatment of two foremen, de
spite the existence of the Taft
Hartley law.
Because the new labor law bars
foremen from the, class of “em
ployes” due the protection of the
Wagner Act, the Vail Manufac
turing Company of Chicago ask
ed the Aiprtme Court to quash
the NLRB order. The Supreme
Court, however, declined to entea
the dispute, leaving the labor
board command effective.
FOOD PRICES Iff 3.6 PER CTJ
IN MONTH, BIS INDEX IT 40
PER CENT OVER JUNE, 1946 i
Washington, D. C. For the 4th j
consecutive month retai'. prices!
for foods hit new record levels, j
according to he Bureau of I.a-1
bor Statistics.
A per cent ri- . ■ r.g the
month ended Septent 15th
brought the BLS retai! food price
index to a level 20.1.5 per cent
or" the 1935-30 average. 40 per
er.t higher than ir. June f 1940,
anti 10 per cent above the June
1920 peak after World War I.
Prices advances on meat, dairy
products, and eggs were respon
sible for most of the increase,
SLS reported.
Prices of meats, poultry, .and
fish as a group attained new
highs for the fifth consecutive
month, reflecting . record prices
established in primary markets.
The largest advances were re
ported for pork cuts, from 5 per
cent for whole hapi to 17 per
■ent for salt pork. Lamb prices
•use 5 per cent with continued
short < upplies. Chicken prices,
vhich usually decline at this time
of year, rose 6 pet cent, because
of strong consumei demand re
sulting from higher prices for
most meats. Fresh fish prices
rose 5 per cent, and pink salmon
6 per cent.
Prices of dstty "products In
creased 6.2 per cent over the
month. The price of butter
umpei more than 10 cents to an
average of 92 cents per pound
as a result of lower production.
Prices of cheese and milk rose
about 3 per cent as production
declined seasonally, feed costs ad
vanced. and demand was good.
Egg prices increased 11 per cent,
about the usual seasonal amount
for this time of year.
Prices of ^cereals and bakery
products were 1 per cent higher
han u month earlier. AH items
In the group showed advances,
ranging from 1 per cent for flour,
bread, and vanilla cookies to 6
per cert for corn meal. Coffee
prices rose 3 per cent, and sugar
prices increased less than 1 per
cent.
Advances m re:an rood prices
between August 15 and Septem
ber 15 occurred in all of th^ 56
cities surveyed. Price riess ranged
from b.T per cent in Peoria, to
>.i# per cent in Wichita, with
prices of meats, dairy products,
adn, eggs advancing in all cities.
Compared with a year ago, re
tail food price increases varied
from 12.2 per cent in Jackson to
23.7 per cent in St. Louis. Com
pared with August 1939 price
rises' ranged from 101.9 per cent
in Portland. Maine, to 145.S per
cent in Memphis. %
4FL FREEZES FUNO
FOR-CZECH UNIONS
London — Irving Brown, the
AFL’s European Representative,
announced that trade union of
ficials in the United States order
ed “stop payment” of American
labor funds to Czechoslovakia
trade unions because they feared
the money might fall into Com
munist^ party hands.
An estimated |160,000 is on
deposit in a London banks, resi
due of a fund raised among
American workers to aid the
Czechoslovak resistance movement
during the war. It was to be used
to aid postwar restoration of
Czech trade unionism.
Mr. Brown said union offcials
in the United States sent a joint
telegram to the London bank an
nouncing “the funds are not at
the disposal of the gentlemen try
ing to get them.'’ He added
that “I think we have been ef
fective in our efforta.”
NON-FARM EMPLOYMENT
SETS RECORD: UNEM
PLOYMENT »T NEW LOW
Washington, I> C.—Non-farm
employment surged to rew levels
in October, Ewan Clagu-*. Com-1
'issiior.er of Labor Statist os re-1
>orted with ‘ industry producing)
r.ore smoothly than at any time j
ince the war’s end."
In 1 is monthly rev ew of the
employment situation. Mr. Hague
sa d the Bureau of Labor Sta
tistics figure for September
showed 43.230,000 employed, a
fain of more than 200,000 over
he September level. The pre
Christmas rise in bus'nes* activ
ty accounted for nearly all the
increase, he said. t
In another sector of th> econ
omy covered by BLS data. Mr.
Clague, in referring to ths wage
increases granted labor shce V-J
say- declared that price increases
uritig the same period offset the
H>st war gains.
The BLS employment figures
re not comparable to (he Census
bureau’s totals, which include
agricultural employment, domes
tic* and the self-employed. The
aggregate exceeds 59.000.000.
Contributing to the record
number of jobs, said Mr. Hague,
were the continued heavy demand
for goods, an improved flow of
:u wntaterials, - a low volume of i
striket and the favorable eptather
which permitted this saitumn’s
homebuild'ng boom to continue.
October, with 92,000 homes placed
under construction despite the ap
proach of winter, ranks among
the best homebuilding monhs on
record, Mr. Hague said.
The physical volume of new
construction will be about 10
per cent greater next year than
this. Nearly 1,000.000 new homes
are expected to be started by
private builder* next year, as
against 860.000 this year. About
250.000 more workers will be em
ployed by construction, contrac
tors next fall if the antcipated
level of activity is reached.
A drop in unemployment to
10.700-000. the lowest point sine**
shortly after the fear’s «rd, and
the continued heavy utilisation of
older workers and teen-ace youths,
underscore the favorable employ
ment situation, Mr. Clague said.
“Jobless, anion* veterans fell
below the half million mark for
the first time since large-scale
demobilization began. Less than
4 per cent of the veterans in the
job market are now unemployed
a» compared with almost double
that ratio a year ago.*
Employment in . manufacturing
• industries, totaling 15,800,000 in
October, set a new high mark
for the postwar era. This was
about 750,000 above the total em
ployed in these industries in Oc
tober of last year. The non
durable groups registered sub
stantial gains.
Grs GET BENEFITS
FOR STUDY ABROAD
Washington, D. C.—World War
II veterans studying overseas
under the GI bill are eligible for
additional benefits under the Full -
bright Act, the Veterans Admin
istration announced.
Th:s act authorised use of
United States credit in foreign
currencies accumulated from the
sale of war surplus property to
help college student veterans who
wished to study abroad.
Statute s prohibited veteran
students from receiving Gederal
aid simoltantoualy from two
soucres.
The agency held, however, that
grants under thee Nbright Act
were not affected because the
funds would not cone from Uni
ted States Government appropria
tions.
GREEN NAMES DELEGATES TO LIMA CONFERENCE
ON JANl ARY 10
Washington. I). C.—AFL President William Green an
nounced the intention of the AFL to participate in the for
mation of a new international federation of labor composed
of democratic trade union organizations in the Western
Hemisphere.
Mr, Green named .an AFL delegatin to attend a confer
ence in Lima.' Peru, on January 10th at which representa
tive- from about 20 North and South American nations
will meet to establish the new organization. The A*FL del
egates will be:
Phil Hannah, Secretary of the Ohio Federation of Labor
and former Assistant Secretary of Labor; Janies M. Duffy,
President of the National Brotherhood of Operative Pot
ters: and Patrick E. Gorman. Secretary-Treasurer of the
Amalgamated Meat Treasurer of the Amalgamted Meat
• utters and Btucher Workmen of North America.
Aecompaning the AFL delegates to the conference will
be Serafine Romualdi, the AFL’s Latin-American Represen
tative.
JULIAN PIERCE, FORMER AFL
NEWS SERVICE EDITOR, DIES
Washington,' D. C.—Julan Irv
in* Pierce, widely known labor
writer and for many years an.
editor of the AFL Weekly News
Service died in a hospital here at
:he age of S3.
Mr. Pierce was first employed
by the American Federation of
Labor in 1919 to set up index
■Lies for the AFL’s monthly jour
nal. The American Federationist.
He was later appointed librarian
for the AFL, a position which h“
held for 12 years.
lit 19*4, AFLr President Green
named Pierce editor of the AFL
Weekly News Service. In this
capacity he became widely known
by labor editors throughout the
country and by persons interested
in the activities of the labor
press. He continued in this posi
tion tuyitil' 1943, when ^illness
forced his retirement from ac
tive employment.
Mr. Pierce was born in Vassar,
Mich. He attended local schools
there and later graduated from
the University of Michigan. He
continued his education in Eur
ope, where he studied journattsm
in Paris. Upon his return to
this country he was employed by
the United States Government
Prntnig “O ice.
Throughout his lifetime, Mr.
Pierce was vitally interested in
bettering conditions of the work
ingman. He devoted much of his
energy to this purpose and to the
general improvement of social
conditions in his own community.
Prior to World War I, he played
a major part in the drive in the
District of Columbia for improve
ment of the intolerable conditions
in existence in the District jail. In
this connection he arranged to
have himself arrested and jailed
in order that he might carry on
the fight and focus attention upon
a situation which he deemed de
plorable.
ACCIDENT RATE SHOWS
DECLINE IN INDUSTRY
New York City.—A reduction
since last year of nearly two
ponts in the accident frequency
rate in industrial plants was re
ported by the Greater New York
Safety Council on the basis of its
fifth annual inter-plant accident
reduction contest.
Of the 463 plants 'in the metro
politan area competing in the 1947
contest, 64 led their divisions in
reducing accidents. Ninety-six
plants went through the six
months’ test period without ac
cident.
During the period from April
1 through, September 30, Ben H.
Self, chairman of the council’s
contest committee said, the cumu
lative frequency covering 181,009,
867 man hours of work was 16.90,
compared with 18.65 a year ago.
The frequency rate is the num
ber of loei-tiae accidents in 1,
000,000-man hours of work.
Commenting; upon the AFL's
decision to participate, Mr. Green
said:
“For many years the American
Federation of Labor has been
interested in developing friend
ship and fraternity between the
free and democratic trade union
movements of this country and
those of our neighbor nations in
North and South America. ‘
“Right now, it is especially
important that such a federation
be formed. Those who sponsor
the democratic way of life must
unite to make their voice heard
and to counteract the dangerous
propaganda of totalitarian agents.
^Before the United Stats en
tered the last war. strenuous ef
forts were made to undermine
the prestige of our country in
Latin America by the foremost
spokesmen for Moscaw in this
hemisphere, Vincente Lombardo
Toledano. He formed an organ
isation known as the Latin-Amer
ican Conferedation of Labor and
through it issued a constant bar
rage of propaganda accusing the
United States of ‘imperialism.’
These damaging activities con
tinued until Hitler attacked Soviet
Russia and then ceased abruptly
"Recently Mr. Toledano and his
so - called confederation have
taken up again where they left
off. They are now businly en
gaged in smearing the United
States throughout South America
ami Central America and they are
also trying to lure the workers
of our neighboring countries into
the Communist camp.
“We believe the new organisa
tion to be established at Lima
will lie able to puncture this prop
aganda effectively and . will suc
ceed in making a much-needed
contribution to the economic bet
terment of the entire hemisphere
by serving as a clearing house
I for information on labor trends
! and by promoting the improve
| ment of labor standards generally.
“We expect that labor organi- .
' /.ations from about 20 American
nations will take part in the Lima
conference and agree on a pro
gram which will constructively
support and implement the good
neighbor policy.”
ITWO railway unions
GET 151/,-CENT PAY HIKE
Chicago.—Two of the five'rail
road operating employes unions
reached agreement with the na
tion’* carriers providing a 15*4
cent hourly pay boost for some
200,000 union members.
The Order of Railway Con
ductors and the Brotherhood of
Railroad Trainmen announced
the satisfactory completion of ne
gotiations which have been in
progress with the carriers.
In addition to the pay increase,
conductors and trainmen on near
ly 98 per cent of the country’s
railroads will receive greater fi
nancial benefits through the re
vision of operating rules govern
ing working conditions and bourn
of work.