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CHARLOTTE LABOR JOURNAL
Oldest
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AFL
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North Carolina
VOL. XVIII; NO. 43
CHARLOTTE. N. C„ THURSDAY, MARCH 10, 1049
Subscription Price 32.00 Year
LABOR ADVISED TO SEEK INCREASED WAGES
T-H Law Inconastent On Commies; Unions Can't Demand Their Discharge
Dan Tobin Says Labor
Law Doubly Confusing
By Daniel J. Tobin
Endeavoring to prove to our people how absolutely un
reasonable the Taft—Hartley Act is as it is written, let me
call your attention to one section of that law as interpreted
to us by our attorneys from all over the country.
First they ask us (and we have complied) to sign affi
davits that none of our board members are members of
the Communist party, then in another part of the act they
tell us we cannot refuse to work with Communists.
In other word*, we can refuse
to admit a Communist into our
union under our constitution and
under the law. 1 am not sure
we qjm expel him after he gets in.
I tffink we can and that is the
opinion of our attorneys. But
after we expel him and he is
working on a job with our union
men under a union contract, we
cannot tell the employer that we
do not want to work with this
Communist.
I don’t know why Republican
leaders and many Democrats in
Congress say out of one side of
their mouths, “We don’t want
Communists in your union” and
then, out of the other side of
their mouths they say, “but you
must work every day with a
Communist if he pays his dues or
even if you expel him for that or
My other reason, yot cannot ask
the employer to discharge him.”
A Communist works every day
on his political beliefs. He id
constantly mouthing around
amongst the other employes. Ho
never gets irritated if a non
Communist into whom he is
pumping his poison walks away
from him. That does not dis
courage him. He comes bacck
the next day. backs into a few
fellows eating their lunch and
opens up the subject again in a
clever manner.
As long as he is working he Is
continuously spreading his propa
ganda. He tells of the great
things the Soviet government is
doing for its people and attempts
to arouse hatred of the so-called
capitalistic form of government
in the United States.
He will tell you of every mem
ber of the government who la
connected with Wall street and
of all the other crooks and grafts
(Continued On Pag* 4) *
SOL BLOOM, LOYAL
FRIEND OF LABOR,
PASSES IN CAPITAL
I WASHINGTON. — Organised
i labor joined the nation in moum
, in* the death of Congressman
, SqJ Bloom of New York, chairman
of the House Foreign Affairs
. committee.
A member of the House since
1923, Congressman Bloom had
\ stood solidly with labor through
out his long career. His voting
record over the years was a per
fect one from the standpoint of
laobr.
Sol Bloom sold newspapers as
a child in Peoria, 111., and later,
when his family moved to San
Francisco, he found a job In a
, brush factory, working the treadle
on a lathe for $1.25 a week. On
(Continued On Page 4)
UNION IS DENIED
FREE SPEECH UNDER
THE T-H LABOR LAW
WASHINGTON.—Right in the
midst of the Senate Labor Com
mittee hearings on Taft-Hartlev
i »vr>eal. the National Labor Re
, lations Board ruled that the T-H
I Act guaranteed “free speech” to
employers but not to workers.
At issue was the action of a
Carpenters’ local in peacefully
picketing a Kansas builder who
used materials made by sweat
shop, non-union labor. Also, the
builder was placed on a "We Do
Not Patronise” list.
The union argued it was mere
ly exercising the right of “free
speech.” but the board very re
luctantly—in fact, with “anguish”
—held that the plain language of
the act gave it no alternative but
to find the union guilty of violat
ing the law. The “free speech”
clause of the act does “not give
immunity” to the union, it said.
Gradual Price Declines
Needed, Survey Shows
Washington, D. C.—The American Federation of Labor
Monthly Survey declared that “a gradual and orderly de
cline in high prices is greatly needed now to increase buy
ng power of workers and other consumers and brng them
back into the market.”
The danger of inflation is gradually disappearing, the
survey said.
“The need at present,” it said, is rather to make up the
serious'lag in workers’ buying power so that business can
reach a normal peacetime balance without sliding off into
a recession.’
The present business situation was characterized as “pre
carious. Unemployment could increase or inflationary
policies “might check the normal downward adjustment
of prices,” the survey said.
“Much depends on the wisdom of union leaders, business
executives, government officials,” it added.
Suggesting that buying power of workers must increase
each year in order to absorb the country’s output of goods,
the AFL said it could be accompanied “by continued
downward adjustment of prices" or by raising wages with
out increasing prices as productivity rises.’
AFL research workers made public a study of an east
ern metal-working plant. They found that three-fourths
of the workers were exhausting savings to keep abreast
of living costs. The items these workers had hoped to
buy with their war bonds and savings, such as refriger
ators, radios, furniture, houses and automobiles, now were
beyound their reach.
Funeral For Senator Broughton
Held In Raleigh; State Mourns
I
RALEIGH, March 8.—Last
respects were offered by sev
eral thousand Tar Heels who
gathered in Raleigh Tuesday
for the funeral of Senator J.
Melville Broughton who died
suddenly in Washington last
Sunday morning. The serv
ice was held in Tabernacle
Baptist church for North
Carolina’s wartime Governor
whose career as a U. S.
Senator was cut short by his
untimely death after two
months’ service in the na
tion’s law-making body.
The services were conducted by
Dr. F. O. Mixon, pastor of the
Tabernacle church, where Senator
Broughton labored for years as
a lay leader, and Dr. Edward
Hughes Pruden. pastor of the
First Baptist church in Washing
ton, of which Mr. Broughton was
an honorary member and where
he already had built up a large
Bible class.
Senator Broughton is survived
by his widow, Mrs. Alice Willson
Broughton, three sons, J. Mefville
Broughton, Jr., Woodson H.
Broughton, Advert Bala
Broughton; one daughter. Alice
Willson Broughton.
Survivors, besides the widow
and two brothers: Mrs. G. L.
Vinson and Mrs. Willard L. Me.
Dowell of Raleigh, Dr. Ernest H.
Broughton of Raleigh, and James
T. Broughton of New York City.
Senator Broughton was admit
ted to the Naval hospital at Be
thesda, Md., last Sunday mornin#
about 7 o’clock after a restless
night in his apartment in Ward
man park. He had suffered from
a cough, having recently had a
severe cold. Only the day before
he consulted Dr. Caiver, the offi
cial physician for members of
Congress.
Death came to the North Caro
linian less than two hours after
he entered the hospital. All that
medical science and skill could do
was unable to stay the weakened
heart. Mrs. Broughton was at
his bedside when the end came.
The Senator remained conscious
to the end and bis last words
(Continued On Page 4)
J. MELVILLE BROUGHTON
PRINTERS SCORE GAINS
IN PITTSBURGH DEAL
PITTSBURGH. — Five-dollar
weekly wage raise* and increased
vacation benefits go to typograph- (
ical workers on three daily news
papers here in a new one-year.
contract.
Members of Local 7, Interna
tional Typographical Union, vot
ed 207 to 32 to accept the pay
increase and a three-week vaca
tion clause for men with five or
more years’ service.
Printers will draw $95 for day
work on a 37 1-2 hour week, and
$99 for night Joba. The weekly
increase on the one-year contract
is retroactive to January 1.
BRICKLAYING CONTEST AT
UNION INDUSTRIES SHOW
Finals for a nation-wide brick
laying contest for apprentice
brickmasons is scheduled for the
Union Industries Show to he held
May 18-22 in Cleveland Ohio.
The national competition, first
of its kind ever to be held, is
being sponsored by the Bricklay
ers. Masons and Plasterers Inter
national Union which will seek to
name the champion brickmason
apprentice from a field of about
5,000 younr aspirants from every
State in the Union. The final con.
test will see 80 fledgling brick
layers competing in a suss exhi
bition of masonry skills.
Mri»4 the F«bef«wi
fCOTj
f i
Consumer Buying Power
Must Be High-Key serling
NEW YORK.—Leon H. Keyserling, vice chairman of the
President’s Council of Economic Advisers, told representa
tives of 100,000 trade unionists that labor should work
“militantly” for higher wages and a better standard of
living.
Only by keeping purchasing power high can this country
sustain full production and forestall a general business re
cession, Dr. Keyserling declared in the Hotel Astor at a
dinner that ended a three-day meeting of Districts 1 and 2
of the Amalgamated Meat Cutters and Butcher Workmen
of North America, AFL. The sessions were attended by
350 delegates from 80 locals in 15 eastern states and
Canada. »
BILLION DOLLARS
ASKED BY AFOFL
FOR EDUCATION
The Administration asked for
300 million dollars aid for our de
teriorating schools. The AFL ex
ecutive council asked for one
billion dollars last week. What
ever the amount Anally voted by
this Congress, the need is just as
great as when the Un-American
80th Congress voted the magniA
cent sum of sis million last year.
WALL STREET SEEKS
6000 WILL OF A F OF L
AT LUNCHEON IN N. Y.
NEW YORK CITY.—The chiefs
of the New York Stock, Curb and
Cotton Exchanges are going to
“break bread” with union officials
at a “goodwill luncheon.”
Leaders of the AFL union that
represents employes at the ex
changes, as well as officers of
the Central Trades and Labor
Council, and Matthew Woll, Fed
eration vice president, are among
the trade unionists to be at the
luncheon. And the exchanges
will be represented by all their
top executives.
The union contract with the
exchanges expires in the spring
and it is hoped that a new one
can be negotiated amicably.
DEEP IN THE HARTLEY
OF TEXAS
The House of Representatives
voted 109 to 23 (that's right,
109 to 23) against a resolution
which would have memorialised
Congress to retain the Taft*
Hartley law in full strength.
Insisting that a business reces
sion could in* avoided, Mr. Key
serling said that igfcnt unem
ployment figures ana market con
ditions were only “very small
signs of so-called softening of
business’* that could be reversed
if consumer purchasing power
were kept up.
“Nothing at this time would do
mote to accentuate the begin
nings of a softening-up that wa
have seen in a small way," he
declared, “as to follow up price
adjustments hy wage reductions
which would cancel out the con
sumers' increased buying power.
Softening-up starts because con
l*u»e*s throughout •Uhe country
do not have enough money to
buy goods in amounts that will
keep production and employment
at a maximum.”
Mr. Keyserling said he would
not suggest that the leaders of
unions become “labor statesmen.”
“ ’Labor statesmen’ is a fine
sounding expression,” he ex
plained. "Too often it is used to
mean that labor should make the
sacrifice play first. I don’t ask
you to do that. I ask you to be
good trade unionists, to be mili
tant trade unionists in the best
sense of thst word.”
Mr. Keyserling held that if
“any temporary sacrifice is need
ed” in the national economy, it
should not be made at employ
ment or wage levels. He said
there was “plenty of room for ft
to be made elsewhere, in accru
als of fat earnings of the last
I several years.” .
“We can raise our living stand*
ards and our real wages, which t
believe means raising our money
wages, year after year,” the
speaker declared. «
j Mr. Keyserling said thst recent
; price eats in some foods and oth
(Continued On Page «)
Retail Clerks Secure
$3,000,000 Increases
LAFAYETTE, Ind.—A $3,003,000 wage increase fcf
5,775 food clerks in 1049 has been negotiated in one-year
contracts by six California local unions of the Retail Clerka
International Association, AFL, it was announced by James
A. Suffridge, international secretary-treasurer.
The multi-million-dollar wage boost represents a $10-per
week individual raise in all categories, since it is on an
across-the-board basis. This sets the minimum weekly rate
of journeymen food clerks at $65 and managing clerks at
$85 for a 5-day, 40-hour week, a work pattern which was
established two years ago. Figured on an individual basis,,
the $3,003,000 sum will give each union employe approxi
mately $520 more money this year.
The one-year agreement covers an area roughly from
the middle of California to the Mexican border. The ex
ceptions are San Diego county, where food contracts expire
in April; Los Angeles and San Pedro, where agreements
expire this fall. «*
With the exception of wages, there were but few changes
made in existing agreements. The new pacts were nego
tiated with employer associations on a friendly plane. Hus
labor-management relation is historic wth the RCIA-AFL
which has not had a major strike in a quarter of a cen
tury.