Newspapers / The Charlotte Labor Journal … / June 2, 1949, edition 1 / Page 1
Part of The Charlotte Labor Journal and Dixie Farm News (Charlotte, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
AFL SUPPORTS FOUR REVISIONS OF T-H ACT - -< C - . > j J°bin Telia r , eati*oomToNa* °AKLA\rn - ---- ^ Ol| «o°rklLAm' CAuiZp-, To*» « ^ bor, in, Seem iOSe a w’ar for^h t0 tra,n enoue-h ^ed °f Ub°r ^l^ed aflf frey Rifled, "evmen. trad® <^Wtw!n,.ed a* 857 aur,Ce * The occasion was the second annual mass .graduation of ap prentices from courses operated jointly by labor, management and the public School system. Cali fornia, these in the audience were told, leads the nation in appren ticeship training, and the two counties of Alemeda and Contra Costa, represented in the gradu ation exercises, have 20 per cent of all the apprenticeship commit tees im the state. Secretary Tobin said that the lesson to be drawn from World War 11 was “that we must learn how to apportion our strength between the armed forces and in dustry.” “By putting a toolmaker or patternmaker in an infantry regiment,” he continued, “we might cost the lives of as many as that entire regiment for lack of production from the tools or patterns such as craftsmen could make.” Mr. Tobin asserted that the skilled workers he had in miad could not be turned out on an emergency basis, and that “the training of apprentices for the skilled trade is just J>T important to the security of the nation as in the training of our military forces.” Both Gov. Earl Warren and John F. Shelley, president of the California State Federation of Labor, hailed the success of the state’s apprenticeship program. Mr. Shelley, while in the legis alture was author of the Shelley Maloney apprenticeship act of 1939, which laid the foundation for the system. Mr. Shelley commented that the presence of Secretary Tobin and Gov. Warren at the gradua tion “is proof of the dignity and essentiality of skilled craftsman ship, whether it be manual or nonmanual.” VICTOR REUTHER, A BROTHER OF WALTER, SHOT IN DETROIT DETROIT—Surgeons today re moved the right eye of Victor Reuther, 37-year-old CIO United Auto Workers official and broth er of UAW President Walter Reuther. who was shot and ser iously wounded last night by an unknown assailant. Reuther’s general condition was reported as “satisfactory” at Henry Ford hospital after the operation. Dr. James Olson said he had to “abandon hope of saving the eye” because a great deal of tissue was destroyed. Meanwhile, FBI intervention to solve the attempted slaying of Victor and Walter Reuther was asked by CIO President Philip Murray. Walter was a victim of a would-be-assassin under sim ilar circumstances a year ago. As in the shooting of Walter, there was suspicion that the at tempted slaying of Victor might be part of a Communist plot. Victor is educational director of the UAW. The Communists have attacked .the ^teuthera' 'anion leadership in the past. Others to ask FBI help were Senator Homer Ferguson (R Mich.) and Michigan Governor G. Mennen Williams. QUOTE FROM COA — LOBBIES ARE LOVELY The House Rules Committee this week reported out a bill pro | viding for investigation of Wash ington’s 8 million dollar a year highpressure lobbies. Number one Dixiecrat Eugene Cox of I Georgia proceeded to pass judg ment without waiting for the in vestigation. He said “I have never seen any evidence of lobbying that I thought was detrimental to the public wel fare.” Demand For Coal Miners Safety; 1,259,081 Killed Or Injured In Past Nineteen Years WASHINGTON—John L. Lewis roared a demand today for a Federal safety law to prevent coal miners from being “mained, mangled and killed.” The nation’s coal is stained with blood, he said, citing figures to show that 1,259,081 miners were injured or killed in the Dast 19 years. He spoke before a Senate labor subcommittee in support of a bill (bat would give Federal mine in spectors the right to close mines they think dangerous. At present, the states handle safety enforcement. Lewis con tends they fall down completely on their job. Lewis, referring to a magician in King Arthur's court said: “If I had the power of a Mer lin, I would march that million and a quarter men past the Con gress of the United States—the quick and the dead. “I would have the ambulatory injured drag the dead after them." “I would have the concourse flanked by five weeping members of each man’s family, six and a quarter million people, wailing and lamenting." During the course of the hear ing the leader of the United Mine Workers: 1. Sneered at mfne operators and the men they hire to repre sent them, especially the men they hire, since they have ap peared here to oppose this bill. At one time or another, he re ferred to them as "lobbyists,” "human leeches” and "polecats. 2. Made a 36-minute, extempo raneous speech during which he flowered, roared, whispered, re minisced, banged the table. Part of the time he sat with his legs crossed sideways in his chair and lectured the senators like a college professor talking to a sem inar. 3. Made but one reference— and that was indirect—to con tract talks with operators (Their contract expires June 30.) “They’re fat,” said Lewis of the mine owners. “In 1948 the industry exceeded all other years. And the first quarter of 1949 ex ceeded a similar period of last year—by millions and millions.’’ Mostly, Lewis developed this theme: that the states have failed to enforce safety regulations, and that the operators are not going to pay any heed to safety unless the Federal government forces them to. emus (PRODUCTS VOTE UNION HAINES- CITY, Fla. ■— Em ployees of the Sunny Citrus Pro ducts. Company recently voted in an NLRB election to authorise cit rus workers Local Union, Haines City, to represent them in collective bargaining by a vote of almost 8 to 1. Throngs Attend Union Industries Show Crowds like tkot shove thronged the vest Poblie Auditorium in Cleveland to witneoo the epeetarle presented bp the 1949 version of the Union Indus tries Show, on snnosl event sponsored by the AFL’s Union Label Trades Department to tell the pnblie the story of successful labor-management rela tions. The photo shows the main door of the ex hibit halL Similar scenes were the rale in a larger basement area. ---- BELL TELEPHONE ELECTION IS OF INTEREST TO AFL J. L. Rhodes, Regional Director of the American Federation of Labor has advised the National Labor Relations Board that the AFL has an interest" in the fight over which union will represent the Southern Bell’s employees in collective bargaining, according to a spokesman for the Southern Bell Telephone and Telegraph Company. Recently the Communications Workers of America, which has been the bargaining agent for Bell employees, announced that as a result of an election the Union’s members had voted to affiliate with CIO. The Company challenged this action on grounds that it felt that CIO affiliation was not in accord with the majority wishes of the telephone workers. . Typical of the exhibits which drew the admirinc glances of thou sands of spectators was that of the National Brotherhood of Operative Potters shown above. Union members are demonstrating the skill and techniques required in their trade. Employers Advised By Kiplmger Magazine To Read Labor Papers Employers, be sure to read the labor press; it will be an “aid to better plant management.” That advice comes hot from some circulation - hungry labor editor, but from a magazine for businessmen — Kiplinger Maga zine, sister publication of the “in the-know” Kiplinger Letter. The magazine estimates 'that the 700 to 900 union papers in the country are read t>y about 20,000,000 adults. “One of the Met ways to And out (wliat the unions are think ing) is to read union newspa pers.” Kiplinger says. “They give an accurate reflec tion of labor thought, and often provide a solid t:p-off to possible future issues. They’re far bet ter than any makeshift pipeline to the union’s inner councils.” Kiplinger says that business associations such as the U. < S. Chamber of Commerce “make it a steady habit to read a few key labor sheets: CIO News (circu lation: 160,000), Labor, Mine Workers’ Journal (about 600,000), AFL weekly clip sheet to its member unions, and the CIO’s high-brow Economic Outlook” — Work. PHILADELPHIA — A 4-day strike of more then 7,000 car-* penters in the Philadelphia area ended in agreement on a wage increase of 15 cents an hour. Representatives of the Metro politan District Council of Car penters (AFL), meeting with of ficers of the General Building Contractors Association in the latters headquarters, agreed to send their men back to work at the usual starting time at an hourly rate of 12.40. ITU Demands NLRB Ban Denham’s Injunction Club WASHINGTON—Attorneys for the AFL’s International Typographical Union urged the National Labor Relations Board to withdraW from Robert N. Denham, its general counsel, authority to ask for court injunctions in unfair practice cases brought under the Taft-Hartley law because he had abused his discretion. They criticised the 5-man board too. asserting that it had put the union through a needlessly long and expensive trial. Henry Kaiser, delivering the union’s final arguments in the Taft-Hartley Act case brought by the American Newspaper Publish ers Association, said that Mr. Denham was guilty of “contemp tible, craven, knuckling down to the pressure” of the newspaper industry. The ANPA case was started in the fall of 1947, and the union was enjoined by a federal court in Indianapolis in March, 1948, pending the board’s disposition of the publisher charges. The main accusation against the union is violation of the law’s anti closed shop section. Mr. Denham, who is independ ent of the board, does not concede that his discretionary authority to seek injunctions is a grant from the board. He holds that the authority is conferred by law. Gerhard P. Van Arkel, associ ate of Mr. Kaiser, accused the board of “shoddy treatment” of the union’s motion early in the case to dismiss one of the charges in the complaint. This referred to a charge that the ITU had coerced or restrained employes in their rights by refusing to bar gain or causing local unions to refuse to bargain. When trial of the case started in December. 1947, the union moved for dismissal of this charge. The board directed that testimony be taken on this point and said it would rule later whether the law intended that a refusal to bargain coerced or re strained employes. Since then the board held in a National Mar itime Union case that this section of the law was aimed at physical and violent coercion. Mr. Van Arkel said the ITU would have been spared many weeks of hearing and thousands of dollars if the board had heard its motion and made a ruling when the ITU first raised the Is sue. CAKPtMTRa WIN UIMIB MILL LAUREL, Miss. — The United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America won a collective bargaining election at the Greene Lumber Company, Laurel, with a vote of about 8 to 1 in favor of the Union. _» Opposed To Any Provisions Authorizing The Issuing Of Court Injunctions In Disputes CLEVELAND—The AFL executive council today agreed unanimously to four amendments in the Truman admini stration’s original bill to repeal the Taft-Hartley act. The concessions were made in conferences with government leaders. President William preen said. The council ratified that action. WITH NIOLATION OF NATURALIZATION LAWS SAN FRANCISCO — Harry Bridges, head of CIO Longshore men, was indicted by the Federal grand jury today. The indictment accused him of conspiracy to obstruct and defeat the naturalization laws, and of perjury. Two other men were indicted with the left-wing longshore leader. They are Henry Schmidt and J. R. Robertson, both officials of the ILWU. Bail was set at $5,000 each. The three were charged in one count with conspiracy to defraud the United States by obstructing and defeating the proper ad ministration of the naturalization laws, between June and October, 1945. A second count chafged Bridges with perjury. It accused him. on September 17, 1945, at his naturalization hearing, of swear ing falsely that he was not a member of the Communist party. A third count charged Schmidt and Robertson with perjury, al leging tf'nt they, as witnesses in the hearing, swore falsely, knowing it to be false, that Bridges was not a member of the Communist party. Schmidt is a member of the Longshore Coast Labor Relations committee. Robertson Is first vice president of the ILWU. NOTICE The reason this issue of The Journal is late is due to an ex tensive job of remodeling which has been going on in our plant since the first of May which put our facilities out of order until it was completed. The back wall on our building was ready to topple over and the landlord was compelled to rebuild the wall at once. The need was so urgent that only little notice could be given us. While this work was underway we asked the landlord to make other improve ments and from now on we will have. The Journal to you on time each week. For this delay we are deeply apologetic and thank our sub scribers and advertisers for their patience. All back issues of The Journal will be coming to you in short order. THE PUBLISHER. Polio Precautions /Children should guard against sudden chilling during the wmmir polio epidemic soaaon. Wot ohooo and clothing ahould bo removed at ones and oxtra blankets and heavier clothing kept handy for sudden weather changes. H IKE Kim f Mil FOR IIFMT11E PARALYSIS une woma allow presidential seizure for 30 days of “any struck plant or industry whose idleness threatens to bring about a na tional emergency.” The AFL also agreed to these amendments: 1. A requirement that em ployers as well as union lead ers sign non-Communist affida vits. 2. A requirement for filing of financial reports by unions. 3. A guarantee of free speech for employers in dealing with their workers, short of intimi dation or coercion. In other respects, the AFL stood pat for the Thomas-Lesin ski bill offered by the administra tion early in the 81st session of Congress. That calls for repeal of the Taft-Hartley act with “.ertain improvements” which Mr. Truman proposer.. The AFL council ended its quarterly meeting with the Taft Hartley statment. It emphati cally declared itself opposed to “any provision authorizing the is suance of court injunctions in Ijsbqr-mamMreroent dispute*.” , The injunction weapon was In serted in a compromise bill in the House, but the whole question was referred back to committee after close roll call votes. Many AFL leaders think the injunction provision was aimed at stopping a possible coal strike this sum mer by John L. Lewis’ coal miners. The recurring question of affil iation of the minera with the AFL came up again. Lewis and Green lunched in Washington laat week. Green said he reported on that conversation to the council. But he expressed the view at a news conference that re-affiliation of Lewis and his 600.000 miner! —who walked out in 1947 for the second time—was not imminent Green said: “There’s nothing that has taken place or statement made to war rant the conclusion that he will become affiliated with the Amer ican Federation of Labor for the present at least. “I might aay ‘no’ and ’yes’ to the question whether he is consid ering affiliation. I don’t think ho has any inclination to become af filiated now, but he is rather in favor of it some time in the future. “There were no condition* at tached. I’m sure that when ha return* it will be unconditionally. The laat convention of the AFL expressed regret that he had grone and hoped that he would re turn. That was expressed by the convention itself.” The council will meet August 15 in Toronto, Canada. FACTORY JOBS ON DECLINE IN NEW YORK, CORSI SAYS NEW YORK CITY — Factory employment in New York State continued it* downward trend in April with an estimated drop of 52,900 workers from March, ac cording to a report by Industrial Commissioner Edward Corsi, pro duction workers’ payrolls de creased 5.4 per cent * Seasonal factors, strikes and lack of orders were mainly re sponsible for the drop and losses occurred in all major industrial groups. Sonconal curtailment in aU branches of the apparel industry caused the heaviest losses in both employment and payrolls.
The Charlotte Labor Journal and Dixie Farm News (Charlotte, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
June 2, 1949, edition 1
1
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75