Editorial
TIE CIAUWTC LABOR JOURNAL
AND DIXIE FARM NEWS
OLDEST LABOR PUBLICATION IN THE TWO CAROLINA*
Published at Charlotte, North Carolina
H. A. Stalls, Editor and Publisher ' W. M. Witter, Associate EMter
R. G. Thomas, Greensboro — ——. Field Representative
Entered as second-class mail matter September 11, 1931, at the I
Post Office at Charlotte, N. C., under the Act of Congress of
March 3, 1879.
Oldest Bona Fide AFL Newspaper in North Carolina, conssftently
serving the American Federation of Labor and its members since it
was founded, May 12, 1931. Approved by the American Federation
of Labor in 1931.
Endorsed by Charlotte Typographical Union, Number S38, An Af
filiate of Charlotte Central Labor Union and the North Carolina Fed
eration of Labor.
News Services: American Federation of Labor, U. S. and North
Carolina Departments of Labor, and Southern Labor Press Associa
tion.
The Labor Journal will not be responsible for the opinions of cor
respondents, but any erroneous reflection upon the character, stand
ing or reputation of any person. Arm or corporation which may ap
pear in the columns of The Labor Journal will be corrected when
called to the attention of the publisher. Correspondence and Open
Forum opinions solicited, but The Journal reserves the right to reject
objectionable reading matter and advertising at all times.
MEMBER SOUTHERN LABOR PRESS ASSOCIATION
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* WEEKLY BIBLE THOUGHT
MCome unto Me, all ye that labor and kre heavy
laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke
upon you, and learn of Me: for 1 am meek and
lowly In heart: and ye shall find rest unto your
soufe. For My yoke Is easy, and my burden is
light.”—Matthew 11:28-30.
WBT REFUSES ARBITRATION
For years the American Federation of Labor has pro
moted concilation and arbitration in the settlement of dis
putes involving its members and this idea has been gener
ally accepted by employers and workers alike when contract
negotiations and other matters reach the point where some
plan has to be resorted to to break an existing deadlock.
The refusal of the Jefferson Standard Broadcasting Com
pany, operators of Radio Station WBT, to arbitrate a dis
agreement which arose in contract negotiations several
weeks ago, no doubt brought about the discharge by the
radio station management of 10 radio broadcast technicians,
who are members of Local 1229 of the International Bro
therhood of Electric Workers, stands condemned by all
members of American Federation of Labor Unions in Char
lotte.
AFL unionists, of which the Radio Technicians are a vi
tal parcel and part, have watched with interest the negoti
tions that have been under way between the Technicians
and WBT, as all unions are desirous of and many do have
agreements with employers which provide for arbitration
in all matters at dispute, and especially the matter of hir
ing and firing of workers.
vnanoue union members have been told that several
weeks ago an empasse had been reached,between WBT and
Technician negotiators over a clause in’ the proposed new
contact governing the hiring and discharging of union work
ers, and that this matter was provided for satisfactorily in
the expiring agreement. However, for reasons best known
to it WBT was said to have refused to recognize such a stip
ulation in the new agreement.being negotiated this year.
In negotiations of this nature, naturally some differences
arise which cannot be readily agreed to by either or both
parties, but vital points are usually either submitted to ar
bitration or compromised before they reach that stage. The
local technicians claim that they endeavored to get WBT
to submit the point at issue regarding discharging mem
bers covered under the new contract to an impartial abs
tractor to be named by Governor Scott, but that the station
refused. This refusal on the part of WBT resulted in the
union protesting W'BTs stand when it began peacefully
picketing the Wilder building studios eight weeks ago.
If Charlotte Labor is to judge the radio station by this
action in refusing to arbitrate in the matter then local La
bor must feel that the Jefferson Standard Broadcasting Com
pany has acted very unjustly to a group of workers who
have stood watch over the responsible positions entrusted
to them over the years—day and night, Sundays and holi
days, in order that newscasts, commercial and entertain
ment programs could be sent out over the ether waves to
listeners throughout the nation and, paricularly, throughout
the South, over the South s oldest and one of the most
profitable broadcasting stations in the nation.
Internationa) Representative John A. Thompson and the
members of his IBEW certainly do and will continue to
have the sympathetic support of their brother members in
condemning’ the discharge of 10 union technicians Saturday,
September 3.
AFL members throughout North Carolina and the South
who have, along with other citizens, enjoyed the superb
programs dispensed through the skill of IBEW technicians,
join in protesting the refusal of WBT to arbitrate the dis
pute and also the station’s sudden and high-handed methods
in turning its workers adrift after, in many instances, years
of faithful performance.
\
1949 Convention Call
To AH Affiliated Unions Greetings:
You are hereby notified that, in pursuance of the Consti
tution of the American Federation of Labor, the 68th Con
vention of the American Federation of Labor, will be held
in the Civic Auditorium, St. Paul, Minn., beginning at 10
o’clock Monday mornng, October 8, 1949, and will continue
in session from day to day until the business of the Con
vention shall have been completed.
Once again we convene in annual convention—four years
after the termination of World War II—moved by feelings
of uncertainty and increasing disappointment. Workers
everywhere are asking why, following such a long period
of time, no substantial progress has been made in the nego
tiation of an international agreement providing for inter
national peace and security. The facts seem to make it
clear that failure to arrive at an international agreement
is due to the negative, antagonistic and selfish policy of
Soviet Russia. Apparently the Russian government seeks
to extend and expand Communist control over certain na
tions of Europe, Asia and elsewhere throughout the world.
The fight, therefore, for international peace and security
is supplemented by a fight against the aggression of Rus
sia and its Communist philosophy.
We want world peace, but we want It to be based upon
the principles of freedom, democracy and liberty. This is
sue must be faced courageously and ia a spirit of determi
nation that the free people of no nation shall be forced to
accept communism and Communist control against their
will.
As we meet in this historic convention, labor throughout
the nation is conscious of the fact that our enemies are
seeking to destroy, weaken, and if possible wipe out our
trade union movement through the enactment of vicious,
reprehensible antilabor legislation. As a result, the ngnt
ing spirit of the workers has been aroused as never before.
That fact was reflected in the election which was held last
November. The record shows that unity of thought and
action was developed to a high degree among working men
and women and their friends everywhere. This ftght against
anti-labor legislation is still on. For that reason those
in attendance at this convention will formulate policies de
signed to win victories for labor both on the political and
economic field. Social security and health insurance legisla
tion, federal aid for education, minimum wage legislation
and other social justice and security legislation will and
must command the attention of the officers and delegates
in attendance at this convention.
Our purpose is to bring about the realization of the hopes
and aspirations of labor, to seek to establish a standard of
living commensurate with the requirements of American
citizenship. We cherish the principles of freedom, liberty,
democracy and justice as a common heritage to be pre
served at any cost and transmitted to future generations.
In conformity with the record made by previous conven
tions, those in attendance at this 68th Annual Convention
of the American Federation of Labor will make a genuine
contribution toward the realization of this great objective.
WILLIAM GREEN, GEORGE MEANY,
President. Secretary-Treasurer
AS WE SEE IT
The following is excerpted
from a radio interview by James
G. Crowley, news commentator,
with Senator John J. Sparkman
of Alabama, the sponsor of
housing legislation to provide de
cent homes for the nation’s mid
dle-income families. The inter
view was heard on “As We See
It,” the AFL radio program
broadcast each Tuesday evening
by the American Broadcasting
Company:
By JOHN J. SPARKMAN,
United States Senator from ..
Alabama
There are six different titles In
the middle-income housing bill.
Briefly, they are:
1- The first title extends* what
we know as FHA insurance of
home mortgage loans.
2. The second title provides
for the disposal of permanent and
temporary war and veteran hous
ing.
3. The third title provides for
loans to non-profit co-operative1
for building housing.
4. The fourth title liberalizes
the present GI Homes Loan Pro
gram.
5. The fifth title makes avail
able to educational institutions i
of higher learning loans for the
purpose of building housing for
faculty and studenvs.
6. The sixth title contains mis
cellaneous provisions, one of
which makes $25 million avail
able fur the handling or the mass
distribution of prefabricated hous
ing.
Where a group of people, pri
mhrily veterans, band themselves
together in a nonprofit organiza
tion and agree to set up a plan
for building their own housing,
the bill provides that the govern
ment make loans to that co
operative, very much like the
government now makes to farm
ers’- co-operatives for different
purposes, rural electric co-opera
tives and co-operatives of many
different kinds.
| People opposed to the direct
loan system talk about it being
' something new, anout our chang
| ing our method of doing business,
when, as a matter of fact,
I throughout the years the govern
ment has made direct loans.
I suppose one of the most pop
ular programs in this country is
the rural electrification co-opera
tive program. That program has
been built up on direct loans
from the government to nonprof
it co-operatives of farmers and
other people who wanted to hand
themselves together for the pur
pose of obtaining electric current.
We lend the money to those
farm co-operatives for electric
purposes at 2 per cent interest. In
the housing bill we propose to
charge co-operatives 3 per cent
interest.
I want to make two points
clear; the plan is self-liquidating
and involves no subsidy whatso
ever from the government.
Many of the papers in the
country have editorialized against
the plan and referred to it as
“socialized credit,” but I don't
remember any such attack as
that on farm co-operatives of
RFC loans to business.
I don't remember that business
men ever objected to those loans
when they needed them. Yet, the
American Bankers Association
came and testified before the Sen
ate committee in objection to these
direct housing loans.
I think it is just easier for
them to say that it is “socialistic’*
than it is to really think it out
on its merits. They said, of
course, we have provided direct
loans for other activities but not
for housing.
As a matter of fact, in 1944
when we passed the GI Bill of
Rights, the Servicemen’s Read
justment Act, we specifically pro
vided that every farm veteran re
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urning from service mrgnt make
application to the federal gov
ernment for a loan airemay, for
the purpose of building a home
on a farm or helping him to ac
quire a farm.
Nobody ever charged that with ,
being socialistic, yet we certainly
were providing direct loans to the
farm veterans for housing pur
poses. But when it is proposed:
“Let's make the same kind of
arrangement for the veteran in
town,” the idea immediately be
comes “socialistic.” It just simply
doesn’t stand up, to my way of
thinking.
All of our government loan
programs have proved successful,
far beyond expectation. For ex
ample, the Borne Owners Corpora
tion, which is liquidating now, is
showing a profit to the United
States Government.
In this bill we are trying to
provide an adequate housing pro
gram for everybody with incomes
above the level that would en
title them to public bousing. That
is, for veterans and non-veterans
alike, with incomes insufficient
to enable them either to rent or
to buy the housing built under
present high cost circumstances.
Our reason for writing in the
Title 3 provision for loans to co
operatives is because about a
third of our people in this coun
try, about a third of our fam
ilies, have incomes between $2,
000 and $3,760.
Families with that income just
simply can’t afford to buy or to
rent a house under present high
cost conditions. So, we are pro
viding this low-rate interest, three
per cent, a long period of amor
tization, not to exceed 50 years.
We are making it possible for
them through co-operative action
to work out some kind of pro
gram of self-maintenance to cut
down the cost and save money
every place possible so we can
cut rent or mortgage payments
down to about $45 to $55 a
month, an amount which they can
afford to pay.
By 1960, we shall need any
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where from 15 to 18 million new
home units in this country; in
»ther words, about a million and
s half units a year. We hope
that this program plus the pro
gram that will be put into effect
under the recently enacted Hous
ing Act of 1949, which provides
for public housing, slum clear
ance, and rural farm housing,
will produce the million and a I
half units a year that we need'
in order to catch up by I960.
I am hopeful that the Senate
will be able to pass the bill which
the committee reported out and
that in conference with the House
we shall be able to work out a
good bill.
AFL PLEDGES HELP
TO EUROPEAN LABOR
Washington. — AFX President
William Green pledged anew that
the American Federation of La
bor will continue its assistance
to the free trade unions of Eu
rope in their great efforts to
further economic recovery and
to defeat attempts of the Com
munists to spread the tenacles of
totalitarianism.
In a special message of greet
ings to European workers on the
occasion of Labor Day, Mr. Green
said:
“In 1894 the Congress of • the
United States passed a law mak
ing Labor Day a national holi
day, thus officially approving a
practice labor had instituted Tn
1882. This is the day on whTch
the people of America pay trib
ute to American labor.
“This year the 8 million mem
bers of the American Federation
of Labor wish to share this trib
ute with you.
“You have fought, as we have,
for freedom. In recent years
your fight was made harder. The
totalitarian ideologies that threat
ened to overrun a continent did
---
not, however, succeed in weaken
ing your will to remain free—to
keep your trade union movement
free.
“We have watched your strug
gle and tried to help you fight
your way out of the ravages of
wanreven while you were threat
ened from within by those who
represent the totalitarian regime'
to the east.
“We wish today to repledge to
you. solemnly and sincerely, our
continued eo-operation.
“We hold for you, and for ns,
the highest hope and the belief
that the new international organ
ization of free trade unions will
unite the world’s free labor move
ment. Once so united, it will b»
impossible to prevent our prog
ress in promoting the welfare of
workers as an integral part of
national world welfare.
“And we wish too to reaffirm
our continued support and co
operation to restore your indus
tries in order that you may re
gain self-dependence.
“We are certain, too, that out
of the Marshall Plan will come a
more united Europe—economical
ly and politically. Then will
come the real peace that we have
all longed for and fought for,
and with that peace, the dignity
of mankind will have been re
stored. Slave labor will have van
ished. The right to work, to live
deeei&ly, to worship freely, will
be a right belonging to all men.
“These are our hopes on this
Labor Day in 1949. These are
j our beliefs. This is a day on
] which we can look forward to a
I future that will be peaceful and
! secure
Boston.—The New England Shoe
and Leather Association reported
that during 1948 the “shoe states”
—Massachusetts, Maine and New
Hampshire—turned out 140,422,000
pairs of shoes.
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