DAD lAlTDfJ^;
CHARLOTTE, N. C., THURSDAY, JUNE 8, 1950 Sobotriptian Price $2.00 Yw
’
. m . . .. ...
WASHINGTON. — Labor’s
League for Political Education
needs $2 from every AFL mem
ber in the next 60 days if the
country is to elect in November
a Congress responsive to the
peoples’ needs.
Business interests have spent a
fortune in a merciless attack to
defeat liberals in primary elec
tions.
Partly for a lack of sufficient
funds, Sen. Claude Pepper was
defeated in Florida. And Sena
tor Pepper was one of labor’s
stauachest friends.
For a lack of strident funds,
Sen. Frank P. Graham, another
of the Fair Deal’s strongest sup
porters; failed to win a clear
majority in his state's primary
- and faces a run-off election on
June 24 against a reactionary
foe.
In desperate need of funds to
advertise their records and their
progressive views or Sens. Olin
D. Johnston of South Carolina,
Charles W. Tobey of New Hamp
shire, Francis J. Myers of
Pennsylvania, and others running
for ro-election, and Rep. Helen
Gahagan Douglas seeking the
senatorial nomination in Cali
’ forma.
These friends of labor need
funds now to hold billbomrd space
aad radio time when the cam
paign gets hot. - If Ummm con
tracts aren’t signed now, the
space and time go to their op
ponents who are vastly better
heeled than organized labor and
other liberals.
So get that 92 on the line at
the next union meeting.
The AFL Executive Council
and administrative committee of
Labor’s League authorized an in
Jsnsive campaign in June and
uly to raise 92 a member to
help labcr’s friends get elected
in November. The Taft-Hartley
law prohibits the use of union
funds for this purpose.
The league revealed, in letters
to international unions, state
federations and central labor
unions, • that contributions have
lagged "far below the minimum”
necessary to do the 1950 educa
tional and political job.
Although every member U
asked for a 92 voluntary contri
bution, the league budgeted iti
year's job on the basis of get
ting only 91.500,000.
PRESSMEN IN NEW OFFICE
Atlanta, Ga.—The Internationa]
Printing Pressman’s and Assist
ants’ Union of North America
, has changed its Atlanta address
and is now located in 203 Con
nally Building, Atlanta, Georgia
Representative George O. Bak
er is in charge of the South
^ eastern District office.
T-H = Slump
nHfi|» flrrrrtTT of Labor Maarico J. Tobia (aecoad Croat
left) told Chicago’* Labor League for Political Bdacatioa that aaleaa
the Taft-Hartloy act ia repealed, it will lead to iraaaajic eollapae. L.
to r_ Bari C. Qaian. excretive aoerotary-traaaarer of Cook Coaaty
LU>%; Secretary Tobia; Director Joeeph b. Keeaaaof Labor . Le«fM
for Political Bdacatioa. aad Jmmmm M. Koaaody. rice chair»aa of Cook
Coaaty LLPK.
* *A Great Show-!*
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Truman Says Safety
On Jobs Stops Waste
WASHINGTON. — President
Truman says each worker doing
his job safely is being thrifty.
“Every worker should under
stand clearly the loss of wages
and the human suffering that re
sult from injuries," he said in
opening the second annual meet
ing of his Conference on Indus
trial Safety.
AFL President William Green
headed a large delegation of AFL
officials who joined with othdf
leaders of organized labor, in
dustry and government in the
3-day conference.
The conference set a goal to
reduce on-the-job accidents by 50
per cent by the end of 1952.
These mishaps were cut only 7
per cent since the 1949 meeting.
“That is good progress but is
not good enough," Mr. Tru
man said.
“The number of work injuries
suffered in the United States
each year is inexcusable.”
Mr. Truman urged concentra
tion on smaller Arms which have
no organised safety programs and
where 70 per cent of the acci
dents occur.
He said management must bd
persuaded to design safety into
their plants, machinery and
equipment and establish safety
organizations.
Workers and their unions, Mr.
Truman said, must co-operate
fully in developing safety pro
grams and observing safe work
practices.
He said accidents waste our
national strength which is needed
in full vigor to preserve free
dom and establish peace in the
world threatened by Russian ag
gression and totalitarianism.
Brownlow Succeeds Frey w
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AFL Unions Win Thousands From CIO
As Wage And Welfare Gams Pie Up
WASHINGTON. — AFL unions
won thousands of members awns
from CIO and former CIO unions
ip recent National Labor Rela
tions Board elections.
The record of AFL unions in
wage, wetfasa and pensions gains
for thelit members, In »erv
ices rendered affiliates, ia the
force building AFL membership.
Among the striking victorias
recorded in May were:
1. The International Federa
tion of Technical Engineers.
Architects and Draftsmen’s Un
ions won bargaining rights for
1,500 designers and draftsmen in
five General Electric Co. plants,
taking the units away from the
CIO Intemtional Electrical Work
ers and United Electrical Work
ers, unaffiliated.
2. The International Brother
hood of Boilermakers won bar
gaining rights for more than 4.
000 employes of New York Ship
building Corp., Camden, N. J.,
taking thorn away from CIO Ma
rino and Shipbuilding Worker*.
The Boilermakers previously had
won. 5,000 employe* represented
by this CIO amon at the Sun
Shipbuilding afrf Dry Dock Co.,
Chester, Pa.
S. The APL United Auto
Workers took the big General
Electric Co. plant at Danville,
111., away front the CIO Inter
national" Electrical Workers and
unaffiliated United Electrical
Workers.
4. APL onions continued to
win the bulk of elections held
by the National Labor Relations
Board.
The victories gave impetus to
the Samuel Gompers Memorial
Organizing Drive to win 1,000,
000 new members in 1950 in hon
or of the 100th anniversary of
the birth of the founder and first
' president of the APL.
To Make Picture
Of Lurye’s Life
New York.—The life of Wil
liam Lurye, AFL International
Ladies Garment Workers Union
organiser stabbed m death a
year age, will be the subject of
a motion picture. Production is
expected to start jm September
by Norma Projections, indepen
dent Hollywood producing firm
headed by producer Harold Hecht
end screen star Burt Lancaster.
Mr. Lurye was stabbed to death
in a phone booth in the heart of
New York’s busy garment dis
trict May 9, 1949. Benedetto
Macri and John Giusto, indicted
for the murder, are still at large,
despite a nation-wide police
search and a $25,000 reward post
ed by the union. The. union has
charged that the killers were in
the hire of open-shop manufac
turers who sought to get Mr.
Lurye out of their way.
WASHINGTON.—AFL President William Green urged
all Central Labor Unions to act immediately “if you want
to prevent large and widespread increases in rents” after
June 30.
Mr. Green said central unions and AFL membership in
every community should write or wire their qbngressmen
to vote for extension of rent controls for another year.
President Directs
Migratory Study
WASHINGTON. — President
Truman ordered a study of the
problems of migrant labor as
requested by the APL and its
affiliated National Farm Labor
Union.
The commission was directed
to make a broad study of con
ditions among migratory workers,
in the United States and of
problems created by the migra
tion of workera into this country.
The following were named mem
bers:
Maurice T. Van • Hecke, pro?
fessor of law, University of North
Carolina, chairman; the Right
Rev. Robert E. Lucey. Roman
Catholic archbishop of San An
tonio, Tex.; Paul Miller, chief of
the University ef Minnesota ex
tension service; William M. Leis
erson. former chairman of the
National Mediation Board, labor
economist and arbitrator, and
Peter H. Odegard, professor of
political science at the Universi
ty of California.
The executive order establish
ing the commlseion directed it to
report by December IS.
The commlseion will study
particularly the Ulvxal immigra
tion of “wet-backs*" from Mexi
ico into the Southwest and Cali
fornia.
The White House statement
acknowledged that thousands of
illegal entrants were deported
each month by the Immigration
ahd Naturalisation Service, “but
no means has yet been found for
completely sealing the border
against further illegal entries.”
The National Farm Labor Un
ion, headed by H. L. Mitchell
has been one of the leading op
ponents of the agreement with
Mexico and said it had inspired,
the creation of the presidential
commission.
He blamed the international
agreement for permitting the
importation of Mexican nationals
and “starting the current inva
sion into the United States of
hordes of poverty-stricken peons
from south of the border.” He
added that other unions were af
fected by „ the influx of “wet
backs,” who have “inflitrated in
to all occupations and have de
pressed the living standards of
American workers in agricul
ture.”
Mr. Mitchell said his union
would submit a documented state
ment to the commission “sub
stantiating its charge that the
beneficiaries of the system of
exploitation of both foreign and
American workers are the huge
factory- in-the-fleld type of farm
enterprises in this country ”
The issue is due to come to
a vote in the House within the*
next two weeks. Mr. Green said
in a letter to central bodies:
“Congress will very shortly be
ssked to decide an issue of di
rect concern to the welfare of
all organized labor. It will be
asked to decide whether or not
federal rent control will be ex
tended after the present law ex
pires on June 30.
“Recent surveys by the Labor
Department of rent increases in
14 communities show what would
happen if rent controls were
lifted.
“In these 14 communities from
one-third to two-thirds of the
tenants found their renta raised
from 16 to 40 per cent after rent
controls were removed. Presum
ably, these communities were de
controlled because there was no
longer supposed to be any bow
ing shortage.
“Obviously, for the many lo
calities throughout the country
where the housing shortage ia
still very acute, the end of fed
eral rent controls would mean
even greater Increases in rente.
“This issue will be presented
to the House of Representatives
within the next two weeks. The
House Banking sad Currency
Committee has reported out a
bill (H. R. 8276) which does not
completely eeaform to the rec
ommendations of the American
Federation of ^ ply . bet which
nevertheless represents a work
able basis for the continuance of
rent controls where they are
needed after June 30 of this year.
“If- you want to prevent large
and widespread increases in rente,
I recommend that you write or
wire to your congressman as
soon as possible, urging him in
behalf of the AFL membership
in your community to vote for
the extension of rent control.
“If your community would be
directly affected, it would be im
portant to let him know exactly
what will happen to renta In your
area if rent controls are re
moved.” »
OFFER SCHOLARSHIPS
New York.—The Denmark and
Sweden labor parties offer two
full scholarships for two-week
courses in Jane, July and August
at the labor schools at Brunns
vick, Sweden, and Roskilde, Den
mark. Details may be obtained
from the American-Scandinavian
Foundation, 127 E. 73rd St., New
York 21, N. Y., or Nelson Cruik
shank, dirsctor AFL social in
surance activities, Washington,
D. C.
APPRENTICESHIP HISTORY
Washington. — A new booklet
on the development of appren
ticeship since colonial days has
just been issued by the U. S.
Labor Department's Bureau of
Apprenticeship.
r _
Receives Show Car
Show. Presentation k uk by Bottle Blowers Praotiewt LooW.
4 Minton (right) while View-President Rsyaond B. Dolton (Wft)
watches.
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