Devoted to
the Intereeto
of the
A. F. ef L.
Mi the
VOL XIX: NO. 41
Statewide Labor Weeklyf Presenting Labor News and Views Without Fear and Without Favor
. .-O CHARLOTTE, N. C„ THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 1»50 * ——
Dedicated
to the
Continued
Industrial
Growth ef
North Carolina
Suhecriptien Price I2.M Y«
Ceremony at Washington Monymcnt Marks Gompcts Birthday
■mMMKNfgmMtmw—i—————w————mm*: nm .^anwwww——ww—ro
lSM-lMT*
at the atataa to
ml Mr. Ciawn' birth, Jul
toil .
ricrs (lefts
P. Delaney
Hn ef
William Green (right center) lays a wreath
founder and tret preeident ef the APL. on the IMth
_,_r. DM. Behind Mr. Green ie a delegation of Went German sMriats -
AFL Vice-President W. C. Doherty, preaident ef the National Aeaeeiation ef Letter Car
). watches Mr. Green. Behind Mr. Doherty are AFL International
E. Walker ef the International Aeeeciatien ef
Representative George
ef Machinists; Archie
British Embassy; Legsa KimmeL AFL chief clerk; W. C. Rushing. AFL legislative
Lee George ef the AFL National Association ef PeetoSce Clerks.
Farm Union Donates Dues
To Qualified Voter Members
♦ im
Washington.—President H. L.
Mitchell of the AFL National Farm
Labor Union instructed 275 locals
to put into immediate offset a plan
to exonerate every member quali
fied to vote in 1259 from payment
qf one month’s membership dues.
' annual convention inPfwfr, Calif,
la January, M one of the
hr on AFL union
the 1950 Compere Con*
Tear campaign to elect a
The union constitution as
od at Fresno provides:
“All members who present evi
that they are qualified to
in local, state aad national
elections, and otherwise exercise
their duties as citisens, shall bo
exooersted from the payment of
one month’s membership doss each
year.”
Mr. Mitchell also announced the
calling of a southern organising
conference to be held in Memphis,
Tenn., Feb. 25 to lay plans to bring
into the ranks of the American
Federation of Labor thousands of
cotton field workers.
The union convention adopted a
program to organisa 100,000 farm
workers throughout tbs country as
*\ pert of the American Federation
of Labor’s drive for 1,000,000 new
members as a memorial to the late
Samuel Gompers whose 100th birth
d«v is now being celebrated.
jditchell said that the organising
~p«ign among farm workers was
already in full swing on the west
coast, and that the drive was be
inf fully supported by the Ameri
can Federation of Labor and a
number of international unions af
filiated with the AFL. Among them
are the International Ladies Gar
ment Workers Union; Hotel, Res
taurant and Bartenders Employes
S Hut
taker Workmen, and Palp,
t and Faker Makers Union.
Mitchell, who has returned from
the treat coast, said his convention
endorsed the Brennan Farm Plan;
arged the placement of European
persons in areas other
depressed agricultural areas
where native workers are unem
ployed. Ike convention endorsed
Helen Gahagan Douglas for the U.
8. Senate and James Roosevelt for
governor of the state.
A statement adopted by the con
vention on *71111 Employment in
Agriculture" set forth the union's
demand for wages of $1 per hour
for an S-hour day and overtime
rates for farm workers. It also sug
gested a goal of a national mini
mum of 93 per hour for operators
of machine driven equipment on
large scale farms and a 6-hour
day.
The convention elected the fol
lowing officers for a 2-year term:
H. L. Mitchell, president; Doro
thy Dow, secretary-treasurer; F.
R. Betton, 1st vice president;
George Stith, 2d vice president;
Geofge F. Weber, Sd vice presi
dent; H. E. Hasiwar, 4th vice
president; Ernesto Galarza, 5th
vice president.
Truman Program At Glanca
Washington.—President Truman asked major legislation to achieve
many goals favored by the AFL in his annual state of th* union
message. Following are highlights:
REPEAL THE TAFT-HARTLEY LAW—Replace it with a fair
law. Establish a labor extension service.
SOCIAL SECURITY—Expand the program to provide higher
benefits and greater coverage.
HEALTH—Establish a system of medical insurance which will
enable all Americans to afford good medical care.
EDUCATION—Provide federal assistance to states for educa
tional purposes. *
HOUSING—Extend rent controls another year. Assist coopera
tives and other nonprofit groups to build dwellings which middle
income families can afford.
RESOURCES—Approve St. Lawrence seaway and power project
and the Columbia Valley Administration.
MILITARY—Continue selective service in this country. Support
Atlantic defense plans. • y
ECONOMIC—Keep the European Recovery Program going with
o«t “crippling” cuts in funds. Pass pending masures to pot into
mttmrt the Point Four program of American .technical and financial
did to underdeveloped nations. Approve United States membership
in international trade organisation.
TAXES—“Make soma changes la ear tax system which will
Mince present inequities, stimulate busiaes secttvttf and yield a
Moderate amount of additional revenue.” Specific suggestions will
be made shortly.
antitrust laws so as
* to - -
sources w isiwi iso
of _
_ for prodncta
not ftdcQmtfl? c
TO DISBAND LAND ARMY.
London.—The Women’s Land
Army created by Great Britain to
meet * wartime need is to be die*
banded Nov. 30, 1950.
Tim# How tc Holt
Incroos# in Jobless
Washington.—Now is the time
te take preventive action to holt
the increase in unemployed work
er*. the Aft, ttf%:
8* far the plea has fallen on
deaf earn in government and in
dustry.
The accompanying chart show*
the dark black pool of unemploy
ed. which had apreed widest in the
30s, again expanding after the
wartime “full employment.” The
AFL Labor’s Monthly Survey fore
casts that this pool will remain at
its present width at th eright of
the chart, representing an average
of 51,100,000 unemployed for the
whole year of 1950.
“During industrial dull. seasons,
unemployment would rise consider
ably above 5,000,000, the figure
Excise Taxes Seen
Threat To Jobs
Miami, Fla.—Advocating im
mediate repeal of the wartime ex
cise taxes, the AFL executive coun
cil said:
"Large sections of the member
ship of the American Federation
of Labor have registered protests
with the executive council against
the continuation of- the federal ex
cise taxes imposed during the war
on amusements, transportation,
communications, cosmetics, leather
gopds. Jewelry and many other
products.
"When enacted. Congress refer
red to these excise taxes as temp
orary war emergency measures.
Failure to repeal them since the
end Of the war constitutes a breach
of faith with the American people.
•Today the government stands
to tax revenues through the con
tinuation of these excise taxes be
cause of their strangling affect on
business.
"The executive council desires to
go on record as emphatically as
possible for immediate action by
Congress to repeal the excise taxes
so that this unnecessary threat to
business and employment can be
removed."
They Sing of Pensions And Bosses
N«* Twk—Pr.riJ-1 A. 1. Bm <kft> #C tte l»t«raaUMal
AiMcitliN of Micklaiiti lian mb* of Um m* mn frta “to*
■ Later Bwf’ ky GmM Marks (at aiaaa) ate MiMaa Pteeal
(ri«teL .Maawte eMt^rmatete
„ HINES NAM BO.
New York.—Levis G. Hines,
AFL special representative, vu
appointed by American Lepton
Commander Georpe N. Craip to
tfee permanent committee of a new
orpanisation to combat communism
ia the United Sttaes. The AFL is
•no of the orpanisationa with •
combined membership of 50,000,
000 members which joined the new
Edwards On 8 Labor Stations
Washington.—Eight labor-owned
radio stations an carrjrinf the
news commentary of Frank Ed
wards, aponaored by the American
Federation of Labor, Monday
through Friday.
The call letters of < Mutual sta
tion man incorrectly listed in the
news service ef Dec. <3. Their
carnet listing la:
WIDE, Biddlaford, Maine, 10 p.
m., M-W-F; WILH, Lowell-Law
rence. Mass, 10 p. m., M-W-F;
WREX, Duluth, Minn., » p. m.. M
W-F; WEBR, Buffalo, N. Y., 10
p. m.. M-Th-F; WBPZ, Lock Hav
cn. Pa.. 10 p. m.. M-W-F; KPDN,
Pam pa, Texas, t p. m, M-W-F.
Labor paper editors are again
orged to run the list of stations
and time for Mr. Edwards’ broad
cast as,a standing feature to serve
AFL members and readers.''
Miami, ful—ine ArL executive council pledged to "re
double our efforts’' to build world labor solidarity and took
steps to make the AFL stronger in the fight for a more
abundant life here at home.
As the council neared adjournment of its midwinter meet*
ing, the members:
Oppose U. S. Mod
For Franco Spain
Miami, Fib.—The AFL exequtive
council called on the y. S. govern
ment “to adhere firmly to non
recognition” of France Spain.
The council said in part:
“The executive council of the
American Federation of Labor haa
again considered the question of
our government according full
diplomatic recognition to the Fas
cist dictatorship in Spain headed
by Generalissimo Franco.
“We reaffirm our opposition to
such recognition and call upon the
State Department to adhere firm
ly to the policy of nonrecognition.
We urge the President of the United
States, the Senate Foreign Rela
tions and the House Foreign Af
fairs committees to do everything
in their power to assure a continu
ation of the policy of *honrecogni
tion of the Falangist regime in
Spain.
"We are convinced that the reas
oning underlying the proposal to
extend full recognition would in
evitably lead our goveAunent from
one fatal blunder to another. We
cannot accept as a promise that in
the present explosive International
situation—in which Communist to
talitarianism is the main danger of
war—diplomatic recognition by the
world’s leading democracy has no
moral implications uRntasini.
“On this basis, our government
usurpers who, with the aid of im
perialist Russia, have overthrown
the legally-constituted government
of China which was the very first
one to ferist totalitarian aggres
sion.
“Nor can we agree with the con
tention that an American ambassa
dor in Madrid could serve to has
ten political and econmic reform in
Spain.
“On the contrary, such recogni
tion only paves the way for exten
sive financial aid to a despicable
despotism now in the threes of a
crisis which, if not alleviated by
outside aid, can lead only to its
doom.
' Especially at this moment, whan
' with Communist China as its
spearhead, Russia is driving at a
furious pace to put all of Asia un
der the yoke of totalitarian Com
munism, will the recognition of
Franco have disastrous repercus
sions throughout the Far East.
“The American trade union dele
gates to the recent London • Con
gress of the International Confed
eration of Free Trade Unions were
united in their vigorous initiative
to have a strong condemnation of
the Franco dictatorship become the
expression and the voice of the in
ternational free labor movement.
Democratic labor can never forget
that in Falangist Spain trade
unions are prohibited, their activ
ities outlawed, and their advocates
imprisoned and even executed.
"We cannot emphasise too
strongly that in Latin America,
United States recognition of Fran
co would only lend more power to
the brutal fists of the dictators
who are dangerous enemies of
democracy in the western hemi
sphere. It is no accident that the
worst dictatorships in Latin Amer
ica—Argentina, the Dominican re
gime, and Peru—are the ones that
maintain diplomatic represents
generally considered the danger
point," the APL said.
"Such a prospect calls for
serious consideration and planning.
Now is the time |o take preventive
action. If unemployment is to be
no more than the 2,100,000 average
in 1047 and 1948, then jobs for
61,000,000 will be needed."
The APL says that the prospec
tive decline of business after mid
1980 Srill test the ability of our
free enterprise system to main
tain ‘full* production and employ
ment."
"Our economy is strong
healthy," the APL says. “We face
in I960 nett a depression bat anoth
er buims readjustment which
need nohd* jbdisruptive if we taka
the right-slots to meat it”
to
1. Voted on invitation to be is
iued in 60 days to the International
Association of Machinists to rsaf
filiate its 600,000 members with
the AFL.
2. Urged aid to help India over
come its Immediate food difficul
ties, develop public education and
improve public health.
3. Gave ful backing to the new
International Confederation of Five
Trades Unions formed in London
last December.
4. Opposed U. S. recognition for
Franco Spain and Common iat
China
5. Urged the U. S. Senate to rati
fy the United Nations convention
outlawing genocide—mass killing
of national, racial and religtoua
groups.
6. Demanded immediate congres
sional action to repeal excise taxes
on transportation, theater tickets
and other consumer items.
7. Agreed to comply with a re
quest of Federal Security Admin- .
istrator Oscar Earing to distribute
among AFL members factual in
formation on what the health in
surance program supported by the
AFL provides.
8. Heard Assistant Secretary of
State Willard L. Thorpe explain the
scope and effects of the Interna
tional Trade agreement pntered into
at Havana tart year.
The council and its affiliated de
partments disposed of s Mg back
fairs, the council made it plaia
that the 8.080,800 members ef the
AFL expect the United States gov
ernment to stand firm in its op
position to communism and fascism
whorovsr H is manifested through
out the world.
The council elaborated its prev
ious approval of President Tru
man’s point 4 program to aid un
derdeveloped areas. It emphasised
the need for labor representation
in the formulation ef plans far
technical aid to these underdevelop
ed nations.
Starr Saat Need
Of Naw InetntivM
Ithaca, N. Y.—Mark Starr, edu
cational director of the AFL Inter
national Ladies Garment Workers
Union, says that “a major prob
lem confronting labor and man
agement is the search for new in
centive*.”
'The old incentives of individual
gain, professional advancement
and interest in work have lost their
previous power,” he writes in the
quarterly "Industrial and Labor
Relations Review” of the New
York State School of Industrial and
Labor Relations at Cornell Uni
versity.
tives in Madrid. Franco is a dan
gerous totalitarian force not only
in Europe and Africa but also in
Latin America where he has inti
mate connections with and serves
as a model for the local dictator
ships which are hostile to our dem
ocratic way of life. Any policy
which weakens democracy in the
New World also gravely under
mines the capacity of our country
to give effective leadership va the *
struggle for the preservation of ^
human liberty throughout the en-'
tin world.
“At the very moment when the
forces of world democracy *nd
free labor are consolidating their
ranks, let our government net di
vide them. At the very moment
when additional millions of the
common people are placing their
faith in our country as the worthy
defender of human freedom, let ns
not disappoint and discourage s
“With all sincerity and strength
at our command, we appeal to the
President of the United States, to
the Senate Foreign Relations and
House Foreign Affairs committees
and the State Department to stand
loyally and firmly by the pfsssal
policy of the United Nations to
wards the Fascist dictatorship in
Spain.