U. S. Steel Corporation
Starts Talks With The
CIO Steel Workers
PITTSBURG. PA. — The CIO
United Steelworkers today de
manded a general wage increase
•—plus pensions and insurance
benefits—in the opening contract
session with the U. S. Steel cor
poration.
The specific wage hike sought
and the amount of pensions and
insurance desired were not dis
closed. No comapny reaction
was forthcoming after a twe
*hour, shirt-sleeve conference.
Vice President John A. Steph
ens of “Big Steel” made a joint
company-union announcement of
the union’s demands. They were:
“1—A general (wage) increase
for the entire membership.
“2 — Adequate pensions upon
retirement or disability for each
member of the union, to be paid
for entirely by the employer.
Compulsory retirement shall not
be permitted.
“3—Decent social insurance bene
fits for members of the United
Steelworkers of America and
their families, to be paid for by
the employer. These shall ih
clude life, accident, health, medi
cal and hospital benefits.”
The corporation told the union
previously it would not discuss
pensions this year.
“UNION INDUSTRIES SHOW"
WILL TAKE “TO THE ROAD”
CLEVELAND. — or<arrzed la
bor’s bis annual exposition—"the
“Union Industry Show,’*' sponsor
ed by the A. F. of L. Union Label
Trades Department — wound up
here after playing to an audience
of several hundred thousand
Clevelanders.
Many more saw the big. ani
mated array of the products and
services of union labor over tele
vision hookups, and great num
bers heard about it in a coast-to
coast radio broadcast.
The exposition is going to be
put to a unique purpose. Secre
tary-Treasurer I. M. Ornbvrn of
the Label Trades Department re
vealed. Movies were taken af
the show, and these are to be
equipped with German sound
track, then sent to Germany to
illustrate achievements made pos
sible by labor-management co
operation, Ornburn said.
Also, similar movies are being
made available for showing dur
ing the coming months at union
meetings, public gatherings and
local theaters, Ornburn added.
VASSAR COLLEGE GIRLS
TO “HAVE AS MANY
CHILDREN AS YOU CAN!”
POUGHKEEPSIE, N. Y. — A
class of 269 young women was
awarded degrees at Vassar col
lege today and told to “have as
many children as you can.” Also
have them “as close together as
possible.” Dean Rustin McIntosh
of Barnard college told the grad
uates in an address prepared for
delivery at Vassar’s 85th annual
commencement.
Polio Precautions
A good health rule for parents to
Improaa upon children In Infantile
paralysis epidemic areas ie to avoid
crowds and places where close con
tact with other persons Is likely.
HTHE RATIONAL F0UIATI1I
FOR INFANTILE PARALYSIS
VICTOR REUTHER. A
BROTHER OF WALTER,
SHOT IN DETROIT
DETROIT—Surgeons today re
moved the right eye of Victor
R*htt*T, 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 assailane.
Reuther’s general condition was
reported as “satisfactory” at
Hepry 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 Reuthers’ union leadership in
the past.
Others to ask • FBI -help were
Senator Homer Ferguson < R
Mich.) and Michigan Governor
G. Mennen Williams.
f --
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
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.”
LABOR VOTES WILL BEAT
SENATOR TAFT IN 1950
Every vote counts.
Whenever a Trade Unionist
starts thinking that his lone vote
is unimportant, he should remem
ber the election of Senator Rob
ert A. Taft <R., Ohio) in 1944.
If only 3.1 voters in each pre
cinct in Ohio had switched their
votes from Taft to his Democratic
opponent, the Labor-Hating Ohio
an would have been defeated.
In 1944, Tart received 1,500,
609 votes. His Democratic op
ponent, William G. Pickrel. got
1,482,610 votes, only 17,999 less
than Taft.
And there are 5.710 precincts
in Ohio. It’s as simple as that!
Every Unionist in every state
should vote against Labor’s En
emies!
^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 buildiag
was ready to topple over apd 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.
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JUST AS OUR FOREFATHERS, IN 1776, WON POLITICAL IN
DEPENDENCE, AMERICAN WORKERS CAN WIN ECONOMIC
FREEDOM, TODAY. THE SHORTEST ROUTE TO THAT
GREAT GOAL OF SECURITY IS TO JOIN A LABOR UNION,
BUY UNION LABEL GOODS AND USE UNION SERVICES.
.. UNION UUL TRADES DEPT. AMERICAN PEDEEATION OP LABOR
L M. ORNBURN. S«r.Urr-Ti
U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Equals N.A.M. As A Foe
To Organized Labor
Organized business, as repre
sented by the United States
Chamber of Commerce, put 'itself
solidly in the camp of reaction
this month.
On almost an assembly-line ba
sis. 60 policy resolutions de
nouncing nearly all phases of
President ^Truman’s “fair deal’*
program were given a rubber
stamp “okay” by 1,700 delegates
at the Chamber’s annual con
vention in Washington.
Many of the resolutions raised
the scare that the Truman pro
posals paved the road to “so
cialism.” One denounced all
forms of “government-controlled
economy.”
By contrast, however, the con
vention called for retention Of
practically all of the most vicious
provisions of the Taft-Hartley
Act.
In other words, the Chamber
put itself on record as wanting
a free hand for business, shackles
for labor and no social welfare
legislation for the people.
Same Old isogey
Before the convention ground
out the swarm of resolutions, the
delegates also heard a lot of in
dustrialists, Tory congressmen
and other speakers, who brand
ished the bogey of “socialism”
against the Administration’s do
mestic program.
There was one significant ex
ception. At a session devoted to
the "dangers" of the “welfare
state,” the Chamber made a ges
ture toward hearing the “other
side” by inviting Nelson H.
Cruikshank, A. F. of L. director
of social insurance activities, to
speak.
He was'pitted, however, against
three other speakers who sought
to tar the Truman program as
“socialistic.’ One applied the
label to government housing, an
ther to Federal aid to educa
tion, and a third to health in
surance.
Cites The Constitution
Cruikshank answered in a man
ner unexpected to the delegates.
He read from the Constitution,
adopted way back in 1789. to
show that nothing in the Truman
program conflicted with that great
charter.
No one, he said can brand the
Constitution a “socialist” docu
ment. yet its preamble committed
this nation to “promote the gen
eral welfare” through the power
of the government
This aim it reinforced, he add
ed. by Article 7, Section 8 of the
Constitution which gives Con
gress power <to " “collect taxes'*
duties, imposts and excises” for
the “general welfare of the
United States."
Furthermore, Alexander Hamil
ton was one of the first to “de
fend the broad power of Congress
to act for the general welfare”
when he argted that the Con
stitution gave Congress authority
to establish a national bank,
Cruikshank said. Was Hamilton
a “socialist?”
Is Tariff Socialistic?
“Since that date there have
been a host of enactments spon
sored by every political party to
implement the welfare activities
of our government,” the A. F.
of L. speaker declared. “Every
time Congress has passed a tariff
act we have engaged in an ac
tivity of the welfare state.” he
said.
Cruikshank cited other exam
ples: The establishment of a
system of public school over a
century ago; the Homestead act
of 1862 which turned over large
sections of the public domain to
the plain people for settlement;
the grant of huge amounts of
public land to the railroads.
“Servants Of The People”
“When the frontier was ex
hausted and the public lands were
all settled or given sway, we
found ourselves still faced with
the insecurity of old age and un
employment,” he said. "So the
government simply continued its
basic policy of dedicating its re
sources and instrumentalities to
the aid of the people through a
system of social insurance.
“That is how our social secur
ity system came into effect as on
activity of the welfare state . . .
At the bottom of it all is the
idea that the state can be the
servant of the people.”—Union
Reporter.
LEWIS’ WEEK STOPPAGE
CAUSES PA. R. R. TO LAY
OFF 15,000 EMPLOYEES
PHILADELPHIA. — The Penn
sylvania railroad announced today
that 15,000 men will be laid off
next Monday as a result of the
work stoppage of John.L. Lewis’
coal miners. A statement by the
nation’s largest railroad said that
as a result of Lewis’ directive
with consequent decreased de
mand for rail transportation as
well as the general current de
cline in the railroad's traffic, it
will be necessary to curtail opera
tions.
988 ILGWU Members Get
Fast Pension Payments
By Arnold Bcictiman. New York
Correspondent for AFL News
Service
NEW YORK.—The employer
financed old age pension system
of this city’s largest industry,
dress manufacturing, went into
effect last week with the retire
ment of 088 aged dressmakers.
Henceforth,' the 86.000 mem
bers of the Dressmakers Joint
Board of the International Ladies
Garment Workers Union will be
assured of a lifetime pension of
$60 a month supplementing the
Federal old age phh'sion.
At special v ceremonies here,
ILGWU President Dubinsky
pointed out that "'if you look back
upon the befits, won through
collective bargaining in our In
dustry, what appeared first as
an additional cost has turned out
shortly thereafterto be a. factor
u be a
5J«t*."
is admin
istered. under a collective bar
gaining agreement with employer
association, by a joint union-in
dustry committee, the head of
which is the dress industry's im
partial chairman,...Harry Uviller.
who is empowered to break any
deadlock.
The financing of the retire
ment fuiyHJs through a 1 per
cent tax <Ai payioltu and as of
May 1, a sum of $3,368,830 had
been accumulated.
To lie eligible for the the pen
sion, a member must have been
in good standing for II years
since 1D33 and consecutively for
the last 5 years. To continue re
ceiving the allotment, the work
er is barred from working in the
dress industry or If he takes em
ployment in another industry his
earnings may pot exceed ths
amount prescribed under the So
cial Security Act pension eligi
bility rules.
Julius Hochman. Dress > Joist
Board manager and treasurer of
the retirement fund of the dress
industry, pointed out that the
outstanding fact thus far is the
unwillingness of most eligible
workers to retire not because sf
the sire of the pension but be
cause of a desire to remain ac
tive.
The first pension check went to
Ike Simon, 70, a cutter and mem
ber in good standing for the past
48 years. He was one of 607 men
and 381 women who will now.
that they are 66 years or over,
receive pension checks each
month.
AFL SENDS FOOD
TO BERLIN TO AID
THE RAIL WORKERS
NEW YORK — Matthew Woll,
chairman of the AFL’s interna
tional labor relations committee,
announced that the AFL has ar
ranged to send $6,000 worth of
CAE food parcels to striking
Berlin railroad workers.
This action is the latest ges
ture on the part of the American
Federation of Labor which,
through its relief arm, the Labor
League for Human Rights, dis
tributed during and since the war
thousands of dollars worth of
relief packages to free trade un
ionists ia Europe who are bat
tling against the infiltration tac
tics of Soviet Russia.
Announcing this action. Mr.
Woll released the text of a cable
sent to the U. G. O., the anti
communists federation of labor
ia Berlin, which reads as follows:
“Please convey Berlin striking
railroad workers our warmest
iolidarity, their courageous fight
tgainst Russian totalitarian op
pressors and Moscow’s menial
German stooges, the Communist
scabs, is vital phase of interna
tional labor struggle for social
justice and human freedom. In
token of our moral and material
support we have arranged imme
diate shipment of $6,000 worth
of food in CARE parcels for
strikers and thsir families. Long
live free trade unionism through
out Germany and the world."
Operators Fear
A "Czar”
WASHINGTON.—The plan by
some big coal interests to set up
a super-duper bargainer to deal
with John L. Lewis brought on a
congressional investigation today.
The Senate banking committee
voted unanimously for its small
business group to start a probe
next Monday.
Senator Robertson (D-Va.),
sponsoring the investigation, said
its aim is to find out if the plan
being considered by a large seg
ment 'of the aoft coal industry
violates {he anti-trust laws.
Robertson said small and in
dependent coal operators fear
“(-sar,” as he called it, would
lead mine management to “the
same type of monopolistic control
now exercised, and apparently by
authority of law, over the min
ers.”
“Many of the operators do not
believe our anti-trust laws per
mit them to go into such an
agreement, the end result of
which would be to fix prices," he
told reporters.
The committee acted in the
midst of a week-long strike or
dered by Lewis in both soft (bi
j tuminous and hard (anthracite)
coal fields to reduce the abundant
i stocks of already-mined coal.
The way the 480,000 miners,
members of the United Mine
W'orkers union which Lewis heads,
i responded to the walkout order
dequpnstratod that Um workers,
at least, are rallied behind a
■ingle spokesman.
Lewis kept silent about the
i Senate committee action and the
plan to set up a powerful man
agement bargainer as his pro
tagonist.
However.Lewis is reported fa
voring the co-ordinator idea. Fre
quently he has taunted the mine
owners for “dismal lack of lead
ership” and squabble among them
selves.
nuwcvir, i^ewis ior years has
taken advantage of the situation,
dealing with one group of oper
ators and another, and winding
up by making the entire indus
try, both soft and hard coal, ac
cept the best contract terms ob
tained from any one of them.
Right now, he seems ih the
process of .doing that again. Hia
present industry - wide contract
expires in two weeks, June 30. He
has started separate negotiations
with southern producers and the
U. S. Steel corporation’s mines.
And he has asked for other sep
arate sets of negotiations with
northern and western soft coal
producers and eastern Pennsyl
vania’s anthracite owners.
That was the setting when
George Love, president of the big
Pittsburg Consolidation Coal com
pany announced the co-ordinator
plan. He said a number of major
coal operators in Pennsylvania,
northern West Virginia. Ohio,
Indiana and Illnois are consider
ing Harry M. Moses as their
joint bargainer against Lewis.
Moses heads the H. C. Frick
company, coal producing subsid
iary of U. S. Steel. For a "long
time Moses has had a big say in
management strategy against
Lewis.
Love denied the co-ordinator
would be an industry “csar" to
fix production policies.
In Washington today for busi
ness meetings at the Commerce
and Interior Departments, Love
told a reporter the Senate inves
tigation of the co-ordinator plan
is “silly.’’
“That is something that is far
off,” he,said. “It is away in the
future and has no bearing on
this year's negotiations.”
Further, Love s§id he had ne
idea whether the industry would
accept the plan or whether Mosee
would accept the job.