Newspapers / The Charlotte Labor Journal … / May 12, 1949, edition 1 / Page 1
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Give Your Loyal Support to Your Labor Publications CHARLOTTE LABOR JOURNAL Oldest Bona Fide AFL Newspaper in North Carolina VOL. XIV; NO. 1 CHARLOTTE. N. C„ THURSDAY, MAY 12, ,1949 Subscription Price $2.00 Year NINETEENTH ANNIVERSARY EDITION Why Organized Labor Hates Injunctions By GEORGE MEANY Secretary-treasurer of the American Federation of Labor The following excerpts from an article appearing in the current issue of the American Federation ist sum up labor’s stand against the iniquitous procedure of gov ernment by injunction: There are many features em bodied in the Taft-Hartiey Act which are obnoxious and which have caused millions of fair-mind ed citizens, apart from the mem bers of organized labor, to decide that this statute must be eliminat ed as quickly as possible. Of all the distasteful provisions of the Taft-Hartley Act, there is one which stands forth as partic ularly vicious. This is the provision under which government by in junction, one of the foremost evils recorded in American history of the late 19th and early 20th Cen turies, has been brought back to life. Why is it that labor hates the injunction process? Is labor's at titude toward injunctions the result of some inexplicable emotion? Or is there a good reason—or many good reasons—for labors resent ment of the injunction? Why does labor feel the way it does? In order to understand why American labor will never accept the employment of judicial injunc tions in labor-management contro versies, it is necessary to dip back into history. The most fundamental principle of our American governmental process is that the laws are written solely by the legislative represen tatives of the people—in other words, by men and women sitting in Congress and the state legisla tures who have beep elected by ^ the people. As a corollary of ftiis principle, there (s the rule Chat the law-making prerogative^nust never be usurped—not even- to an infinitesimal degree—by the courts. It is also important to recall | that the Constitution under which 1 we live guarantees to each one of us certain rights—rights which are most precious and which are not to be set aside or nullified either by Congress or by a judge or by any other person or institu tion. These rights are freedom of speech, freedom of assemblage, freedom of the press and freedom of religion. Nowhere does the Constitution speak of any right to issue in junctions to throttle the afore mentioned freedoms and to crush the lawful associations which wage earners form to protect themselves against the arbitrary, brutal acts of greedy and ruthless employers. There is no such right under the Constitution—but in the latter part of the 19th Century and for the first 3 decades of the present century a flood of antilabor in junctions, compelling workers to desist from the exercise of freedom of speech, freedom of assemblage and freedom of the press, poured from th courts of the nation. Equal justice under law is a concept which- may be regarded as the very cornerstone of our de mocracy. But in the half century of the antilabor injunction’s heyday this principle was constantly flout ed by the courts themselves. In stead of equal justice under law. the judges’ writs of injunction represented unequal justice under an absence of law. It takes little imagination to appreciate the jubilation of the mighty antiunion barons when they discovered that their dirty work was gladly performed for them by lawless judges. The Fricks and the Pullmans, whose aim was to j block any betterment of the work- j ers’ conditions but to smash and destroy the workers’ unions, slash ed wages, fired union members, did everything imaginable to provoke their employes to strike action and then they sent their lawyers into court. The corporation’s attorney would pull out of his pocket a sweeping injunction against the workers. The document would be all ready for the judge. Usually the judge would affix his signature without the change of a comma. The in junction would go into effect. Im mediately the news would be (Continued on Page S) Charlotte's Family Income Was $6,882 For the Year 1948 Charlotte’s per family income in 1948 was estimated at $6,882 as compared with the national family average of $5,531, according to “Sale) Management” magaiine’s Survey of Buying Power out today. Among the 200 largest cities in the country, Charlotte ranks sixth in per family buying income. Net buying income includes all income payments to individuals after the deduction of Federal income taxes The per family income for this city is $318 higher than it was in 1947. The survey shows that Char lotte’s population is 110,900, an in crease of 10,000 people over the last U.S. census in 1940. Total re tail sales for 1948 here were $187, 150.000, food sales $30,319,000, gen eral merchandise sales $34,989,000, drug sales $51,952,000, and furni ture-household-radio sales $17,297, 000. High buying power among the city’s families is reflected by the fact that retail sales per family were $5,086, a figure 62 per cent higher than the national average of $3,131 per family. In 1948 the family units increased in Charlotte by 18 per cent over the 1947 per-, iod. The "Quality at Market Index” in the survey shows that Charlotte is rated 35 per cent above average for its population. This is regarded as important in business circles where the “Sales Management” survey is used by national sales organisations to set sales quotas, apportion advertising dollars and build new plants. — Charlotte Ob server, May 11. Not A Land of Millt And Honey During one of the most prosper ous years in our history, 18 million families in the United States earn ed less than $3,000. This is some 1275 under the figure set by the U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics as the minimum for purchasing the bare necessities to keep a fam ily of four comfortable and in good health. In the Bureau of Census report for the year 1947 it was shown that one million families earned 110,000 or more. This group includ ed manufacturers and other bus iness people who really got into the big profits in 1947. From top to bottom the average was $3,000. \bout one-half was below average. Generally there is only one per son per family receiving income in the upper group, but it was neces sary in one-third of the 18 million families at the bottom for more than one member of the family to ivork in order to bring the average jp to $3,000. Following is the family break iown of incomes announced by the Bureau of Census: 4 million families received under1 11.000. 6 million, $1,000-$2,000. 8 million. $2,000-$3,000. 8 million. $3,000-$4,000. 4 million, $4,000-$5,000. 3 million, $5,000-$6,000. 3 million, $6,000-$10,000. 1 million, $10,000 or more. 1LWGU VICE PRESIDENT RECEIVES ITALIAN REWARD New York.—Edward Molisani. rice president of the International Ladies Garment Workers Union, received an award from the Italian government for hia part in raising 11,000,000 for relief work in Italy. He was presented with the Star of Solidarity, the most prized med al conferred by Italy upon noncit izens, by Italian Ambassador Al berto Tarchiano. Accepting the award, Molisani, who is manager of the Italian Cloak Makers Union, Local 48, pledged his union to continue Italian aid. He said: “The war years have created in us a deep realisation of the fact that each and every one of ns is his brother’s keeper.” Labor Journal Editors Extend Thanks HL A. STALLS. Editor and Publisher Pictured below are two of Charlotte’s modern stream lined business establishments which stand as monuments to the skill of Charlotte Building: Trades Unions. On another page is a picture of the Sears Roebuck Co. new building which was recently completed on North Tryon street. The Sears structure was erected entirely by union building tradesmen. W. M. WITTER, Associate Editor At his desk in the editorial office, busily engaged in pre paring reading material for this issue of The Labcr Journal is W. M. Witter, associate editor. Mr. Witter, together with Henry A. Stalls, upper left, present editor and pub lisher. founded The Journal 19 years ago, and he experi enced many tough battles during his active years as this newspaper’s editor and publisher before retiring to lighter duties a few years ago. Although now 75 years of age Brother Witter’s mind is as alert as it was during the cru sading years gone by. He likes to see and chat with old friends and his office is always open to welcome them. Mr. Witter joins The Journal’s editor and publisher in thanking this newspaper’s friends for their loyal support .throughout the years and especially for their contributions toward making this issue of the Journal the largest in the newspaper’s entire history. Truman, Green Plan Ultimate T-H Repeal WASHINGTON.—President Truman pledged a continu ing fight for repeal of the Taft-Hartley law during all four years of his Administration, if necessary'. The Chief Executive thus backed up AFL President Wil liam Green who praised the action of the House in sending the Wood bill t>ack to the labor committee by the narrow margin of three votes, declaring that such action means “the death of the hypocritical measure.’’ Mr. Truman told reporters at his regular press confer ence that defeat of the Wood bill, termed by organized labor as worse than the Taft-Hartley law, was a victory for the Democratic Administration. He said the House’s action afforded the opportunity for it to start from scratch again and pass legislation which would be acceptable. Election Day Would Be A Noll. Holiday Christmas, Labor Day, New Year’s and Thanksgiving are all National Holidays. The AFL and LLPE have consistently demanded that National Election Days every two years should also be made a National Holiday so that the work ing people of the nation could get to the polls. Representative J Hugh B. Mitchell, pro-labor Democrat from Washington, introduced such a bill at the opening of this Con gress. The Judjciary Committee of the House of Repi esentatives held hearings on Mitchell’s bill last Friday, March Uth. If Representa tives and Senators are interested in continuing and strengthening our Democratic way of life, they will get behind this bill and see that it is passed this session. Representative Mitchell’s case is typical. Here’s what happened in his district: .The majority of workiuf people st. yed on their jobs during the day and than jammed the polling places after working time. Wh#n the polls closed at eight o’clock thousands who were waiting in line were unable to cast their bal lots. Some nations make voting compulsory or hold elections on Sunday. But the American tra dition is to hold national elactioes on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. As a result it is typicpl for less than Itailf of the potential voters to elect our President and Congressmen. For the preservation of truly repre sentative government, election day should be made a holiday so that the majority not the minority will choose our lawmakers. If you worked all day last No vember 2nd, and didn’t get s chance to vote, write your Con gressman urging passage of HR 1554. The President s views on the developments coincided with a statement issued by Mr. Green which said: •‘The vote in the House of Representatives to recommit the Wood bill means the death of the hypocritical measure and affords the House Labor Committee an opportunity to make a new start in drafting legislation to repeal the Taft-Hartley law. “Meanwhile, organized labor awaits action by the Senate on the Thomas bill. “We want Congress to- know that repeal of the Taft-Hartley law is our firm objective and we will continue to fight for it no matter how prolonged or diffi cult the struggle.” Mr. Truman denied that action by the House had convinced him that he would be forced to make concessions on labor legislation. He said he would do whatever ia necessary to get a labor bill through Congress and added that His position of} labor legislation has not rhanged. In repl/ to a reporter** ques tion on whether he war^: sitting on a specific Mil, the President said he wanted the Democrats in Congress to carry out the prom ises they made in the Democratic platform just as he was trying to carry out his. Mr. Truman declined to say what he thought about the Sims bill, the substitute measure of fered by some Democrats in the House when the Lesinski bill was doomed by a coalition of Repub licans and southern Democrats. The Sims measure was defeated by labor foes who rammed through the Wood bill only to have it recommended later by a vote of 212 to 209. This final vote leaves t up to the House Labor Committee to initiate further actoin on labor legisla tion. Representative* John Lesinski of Michigan said he hoped the committee, of which he ia chair man, would start work on a new bill in about a week. He said the bill could be completed in a period of 3 or 4 weeks. Meanwhile, consideration of la bor legislation in the Senate was bogged down in a legislative schedule already running far be hind due to the usual log-jam of appropriations measures. It is expected that action will not be forthcoming for • montn or so. Labor’s foes in the Senate are gathering their forces to keep anti-labor legislation on the books. Senator Robert A. Ml intro duced a bill as a subetftote for the Thoms bill, approved by the Senate Labor Committee, drawn along the lines of the Wood bill which retains most of the ob noxious Taft-Hartley law. UNPREPARED The street musician was tired, and the motorist agreed to give him a lift to the next town. As they were racing along at a terrific speed down a hill, the motorist suddenly shouted above the noise of the car: “What in strument do you play? The musician shouted back: “Violin.” The driver croucned over the steering wheel peering ahead. He yelled: “That’s a pity.” “Why is it a pity?” demanded the musician. “It’s a pity you don’t play the harp", yelled the motorist “The brakes
The Charlotte Labor Journal and Dixie Farm News (Charlotte, N.C.)
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May 12, 1949, edition 1
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