Editorial
CHARLOTTE LABOR JOURN *L & DIXIE FARM NEWS
Published Weekly at Charlotte. N. C._
U A. Stalls. Editor and Publisher W. M. Witter, Associate Editor
Entered as second-class mail matter September 11, 1981, at the Post
Office at Charlotte, N.C., under the Act of Congress of March 3, 1819
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Official Organ of the Charlotte Central Labor Union and Approved by
The American Federation of Labor and the
North Carolina Federation of Labor
Address All Communications to Post Office Boa 1061
Telephones 3-8094 and 4-6502
Office of Publication: 118 East Sixth Street, Charlotte. N. C.
The Labor Journal will not be responsible for opinions of corre
spondents, but any erroneous reflecting upon the character, standing or
reputation of any person, firm or corporation which may appear in
the columns of The Labor Journal will be gladly corrected when called
to the attention of toe publisher. Correspondence ar.d Open Forum
opinions solicited.
SCHWELLENBACH URGES CONGRESS TO RETAIN 40
HOUR WEEK. LIFT HOURLY WAGE TO 75c
Secretary of I abo’r Schwellenbach struck at critics of the
Wage-Hour Act who seek to lengthen the work week
beyond the 40-hour limit set by the law and to repeal the
law’s overtime provisions.
Testifying before a House labor sub-committee holding
hearings on proposed changes in the 9-year-old law, Mr.
Schwellenbach also urged quick action to increase the
hourly minimum w'age from the present 40-cent level to 75
cents.
Noting that the law sought to establish a 40-hour work
week as a “normal schedule” by requiring time and one
half payments for ail time worked after 40 hours. Secre
tary Schwellenbach told the committee: '
“I think that events have proven the wisdom of this
congressional action since the basic work week and over
time provisions were maintained through the war. with the1
highest production in world history, in spite of teh shift
from the civilian work force of millions of our best work
ers. At the beginning of our defense program, there were
arguments similar to these now being advanced, that the
overtime requirements of the Fair Lalnir Standards Act
would hinder production. Events clearly disproved these
assertions.
in tne ngni oi inese iacis proposals now win* nvwp
to eliminate or weaken thd overtime provisions of the act
are unjustified. We have passed through the war and re
conversion period without sacrificing this basic standard of
our labor legislation. With a present labor force over 10
million larger than the wartime force, we certainly can
achieve full production without sacrificing this basic safe
guard.
“Should the time.come when serious unemployment again
threatens our economic structure, we shall be grateful for
having on the statute books a law which will serve to
prevent the anomaly of men walking the streets begging
for work while other workera are being forced to work long
and burdensome hours.”
In calling for a new 75-cent minimum, the Secretary of
Labor said the 40-cpnt minimum was not intended “to be
a final goal” and that, changes in wage and price reltion
ships since 1938 mde made it “clearly obsolete.’’
Contending that the amount of money involved in an in
crease to 75 cents would represent only 1 per cent of the
ation’s wage bill, Mr. Schwellenbach added “the economy
of our country ca nabsorb with ease” such an increase.
CHICAGO FEDERATION ADOPTS PROGRAM,
DESIGNED TO PROMOTE INDUSTRIAL PEACE
Affiliates of the Chicago Federation of Labor adopted a
program designed to eliminatf jurisdictional disputes and
to promote industrial peace in the Chicago area.
The CFL approved a report of its Committee on Judis
dictional Disputes which pledged the federation “to aid in
the voluntary adjustment of jurisdictional disputes” and
“to continue its efforts to settle other difficulties on a fair
basis without resort to strikes or any form of concered
work stoppages.”
Avowing that it is not the intention of the CFL, to inter
fere with any decisions of local or international unions, or
in any way o trespass on the autonomy granted these un
ions by the AFL’s constitution, the report declared the
purpose of the program is to promote the voluntary ad
justment of any disputes which may arise.
Chief points of the program designed to accomplish the
declared purpose of the CFL include the following:
(1) Appointment of an advisory committee on juris
dictional dlsputs on which all contesting unions will have
representation and will have the authority to appoint otie
additional member.
(2) The committee will respond to reuqests made upon
it for, consideration of any dispute, or it may take action
upon its own initiative." Findings and recommendations of
the committee will be reported to the CFL for the guidance
of all its affiliates.
(3) The refusal of any union to co-operate in the for
mationof the xommittee. will be reported to the CFL’s ex
ecutive board. ■-—__
(4) Work stoppages .as a means to enforce Jurisdictional
demans should bet avoided.
(6) Efforts on the part of the CFL to eliminate all
work stoppages that “can and should be adjusted at the
conference table.”
(6) Request to all affiliated unions to report contem
plated or existing strikes to the CFL in order that it may
attempt “to have the parties reach a proper, peaceful and
amicable settlement.
EMPLOYER URGES RISE IN MINIMUM WAGE
J. Spencer Love, president of the Burlington Mills Corpora
tion. urged all progressive manufacturers interested in the
welfare of the nation to support the mow-nu d to increase
the minimum wage level.
In a letter to Representative P. K. McConnell, chairman
of a subcommittee of the House Education and labor Com
mittee, he pointed out it was common practice to cut wages
in order to procurespeoific orders at narrow nv ; Ins. This
was frequently offered to labor as an alternative to idle
ness’, he added, and finally wound up in a de " spiral
which brought the average wage to stub a low level the
ntioa'a economy almost stalled.
The surest way to avoid a nrorren.t of th>s suiation,
he emphasized, is a revision upward of mhihm;>o wage lev
el.; "to l*c sci • r*««o.isbh relationship to labor** pres
ent-day living costs.”
TOC WORKER 0 TRVIN6 ’
TO ft* A (OKI *J A 4
mu civfLORMvr n *
SAUMURS. Ml Mlf JUT
QECIVfO AN ANIWIR TO
Mte application.
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VOU HAVE TO WO«V
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wwn, pbobstant ^
AMD VOue ANCIfTOM
WERE BNSUfMi
TOU DON’T SET
THE POINT, MOTHEQ
ITS THE IDEA
OP ASKING
BUCK QUESTIONS.
N
NATIONAL LABOR SOVW «• -e=«B=»
THOM MS AREN'T MW'lEO WITH
S9UIRI4 TUI LACT OlMi WO*
sfOPl! THAT HMD A PUCE TO
UVI. THEY WANT TO AlAKE SAlESflURS
v ah UNAAAUUCAN TOWN. TOO!
f
WHter* TMi UMON
SOT TO 00
WITH
FLINTY! wrVS SOT
EVERV RACE AND
k OJj
RANKS WS CANT
ALLOW OUR MEMBERS
TO M BARRED FROM
FWOiNG a place to
UVE BECAUSE THEV
60 TO A DIFFERENT
CMJRCH.
MILLION MORE WOMEN IN
FACTORY JOBS; NUMBER OF
EMPLOYED UP 30 PER CENT
Washington. D. C. — Women
hold about one-fourth of all fac
tory production jobs, the same
>roportion as in 1939, according
o a recent study released by the
Bureau of Labor Statist'cs.
In actual number*, however,
over 3.1 milion women were
working in factories in 1947 com
pared with about 2.3 m'llion in
1939, the Bureau of Labor Sta
tistics survey disclosed. W’h e the
number of women employed was
38 per cent above the prewar
year, the employment of men in
creased by nearly 40 per cent
during the same period.
The gain in women’s employ
ment was about equally divided
between the durable goods or
“heavy" industries and the non
durable goods industries, which
marufacture largely finished
products for consumers. The ad
dition of 460,000 women Tn the
hard-goods industries indicate*
that many of the gain* made by
women dbring the war have been
retained during the post-war pe
riod.
The greatest increase took
place in radio and phonograph
manufacturing, where over half
of the johs are now held by
women. In the soft-goods in
dustries. which cusomarily hire
large numbers of women, employ
ment ia currently about 510,000
higher than the 1939 level. The
apparel industries alone increased
the'r employment of women by
>ver 180,000, women holding 4
out of every 5 production .toi..t a. j
he time of the 1947 survey.
Other industries that have sub
stantially increased the number
of women employed include iron
and steel, nonelectrical machinery,
non-ferrous metals, furniture,
and chemihals.
31 BOBUS PAYMENTS
EXCEED 1 1-2 BILtlONS
Chicago.—Bonus payments to
GIs aggregat'ng more than 1 1-2
'tilllion dollar* have beer, author
zed by nine states, the Federa
ton of Tax Administrators re
ported.
Six other states have taken in
| itial legislative action toward
j granting the bonuses, the feder
ation Baid. The next step in all
six will be approval or rejection
on bonus bond issued by the vot
ers some time next year.
The nine states in which bon
uses have been approved are Ill
inois, Connecticut, Massachusetts,
Michigan, New Hampshire, New
Vork, Ohio, Rhode Island, and
Vermont.
Bonus referenda will be held
* next year in Indiana, Iowa, Min
nesota, North Dakota. South Da
kota, and Wisconsin.
Approval of a 400 m'llion bonus
bond issue in New York Increases
the state’s gross public debt
more than 70 pee cent, the re
port said. The bonds will be re
tired with revenues from a 10
NORGE
HOME HEATER
I
I
f
per cent increase in the state in
come tax rate and a 1 per cent
per pack boost in the cigarette
tax.
The 300' millions of Ohio bonus
bonis will be paid off with pro
ceeds from increased state prop
erty taxes. The federation esti
mated the average Ohio home
owner will pay an extra tax of
*15 a year for the next decade.«
Vermont in 194? became the
f.rst state to provide a bonus for
Wor'd War II veterans, and so
far is the only state to finance
the grants without borrowing
money.
ADMINISTRATRIX'S NOTICE
Having qualified as Administra
i ‘rix of the Estate of Marvn R
t Be <ttv, Sr., deceased, late of
Mecklenburg County, North Caro
j lina, this is to notify all persons
| having claims against the estate
of s-id deceased to exhibit them
to the undersigned at 214 John
ston Building, Charlotte. North
Carolina, on or before the 27th
'«v of October, 1948, or thh no
tice will he pleaded in bar of
their recovery. All persons in
debted to said estate will please
make immediate payment.
This the 27th day of October,
1947.
ELIZABETH H. PEAlTY,
Administratrix of Estate of
Marvin R. Beatty, Sr.,
214 Johnston Building,
Charlotte, North Carolina.
! (10-30; 11-6,13,20-cJ
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