VOL. XXI: NO. IS
CHARLOTTE, N. C- THURSDAY, AUGUST 2, 1S51
Subscription Price tlN Per Yew
*
Lew Rhodes Attends
Meeting In Mexico
ACCOMPANIES TEXAS LABOR DELEGATION SOUTH
OF THE BORDER TO NEGOTIATE BETTER UNDER
STANDING BETWEEN LABOR IN TWO COUNTRIES.
Mexico City, Mexico, July 27.—
While in Mexico City, J. L.
Rhodes, Southern Regional Direc
tor, American Federation of La
bor, chanced to meet it. O. Bob
Creasy, assistant Secretary of La
bor, and others her* negotiating
itinerant labor agreement for im
portation of farm workers in the
United States. They report they
expect consummation of agree
ment tomorrow.' Accompanying
Director Rhodes is a committee
from the Texas Federation of
Labor, composed of Secretary
Paul Sparks, Jose Rivera, A. C.
McLellan. His delegation is vis
iting the Mexican labor movement
on a good will tour conferences
of four other State Federations
of Labor and the American Side
of the border will soon announce
meetings which are to cement
friendly relations with the labor
movement on both sides of the
border to the end that illegal en
trees may be stopped or materi
ally reduced. V '"•w~
N, ‘ ...
SEAFARERS WIN RIGHTS
i Nev» Orleans, La.—The Ma
rine Allied Workers of the Atlan
tic and Gulf Seafarers Interna
tional Union, AFL, won bargain
htg rights' in A National Labor
Relations Board election among
the employes of the Jahncke Serv
ice company. The company is en
gaged in towing operations. The
workers voting were cooks, deck
bands and miscellaneous employes
of the company’s tug boats.
: N. C. UNION CERTIFIED
Asheville, N. C.—The Upholster- i
ers Intetrnational Union of North;
America, AFL, was recently cer- j
tilled as the bargaining agent for]
the employes of the Rugcrafters \
of Asheville, Inc. The National
Labor Relations Board election j
resulted in an overwhelming ma- j
jority of votes being cast for the
Upholsterers.
LOJLfISVILLE TRANSIT UNION
Louisville, Ky.—After a long
and drawn-out organizing cam
paign, the Amalgamated Associa
tion of Street Electric Railway
and Motor Coach Employes of
America, AFL, Division No. 1447,
which is composed of the em
ployes of the Louisville Transit
company, won an election conduct
ed by the National Labor Rela
tions Board. The contesting Un
ion was the Brotherhood of Rail
road Trainmen. Results of the
election was for the Amalgamated
492, againat 330 for the Train
men.
BOILERMAKERS WIN
St. Petersburg, FIs.—The fab
ricating shop employes of the
White Construction and Engin
eering company recently voted in
a National Labor Relations Board
election to ask the International
Brotherhood of Boilermakers,
Shipbuilders and Helpers of
America, AFL Local No. 433, to
represent them.
DRUG STORE VOTES UNION
Louisville, Ky. — The Walgreen
Drug Store employes will be rej>
resented by the Hotel 6 Restau
rant Employes A Bartenders In
ternational Union, Local No. 181,
AFL, according to results at a
recent election of the National
Labor Relations Board which
which showed a choice among the
employes of a three-to-one for the
AFL anion.
Unction day this year in see
states and cities will be
J. L. RHODES. f
Southern AFL Director
RECOMMENDS NEW
BOOK ON UNION
LEADERSHIP TRAINING
Milwaukee, Wis.—A new book
authored by Professor A. A. Liv
eright of Chicago University,
“Union Leadership Training — A
Handbook of Tools and Tech
niques* has «kNa reviewed and
recommended 'by the Educational
Department j»f the United Auto
mobile Workers of America, AFL.
The review declares in part,
“This is a book which could
change America and the world
in the next ten years if its tech
niques were put into practice by
even one-half of the 500,000 union
offirers, grievance men, and stew
ards who operate our unions in
the United States, It easily
ranks as one of the best works
on the subject yet published and
should be in the library of every
local union,”
Copies of the book may be
ordered from the publishers,
Harper A Brothers, or if desired,
from the UAW-AFL Educational
Depatment. The clothbound edi
tion is $3.50 and the paper-bound
edition is $2.50. In quantities of
26 or more, the paper-bound edi
tion may be had at $1.30.
LIBRARY DIRECTOR
RETURNS FROM MEET
HELD IN CHICAGO
In his monthly report to the
board of trustees of the Public
Library, Hoyt R. Galvin, director,
had the following to say regard
ing his attendance at the Con
ference of the American Library
Association, held in Chicago.
July 26, 1951.
Mr. J. A. Mayo, Chairman,
Board of Trustees,
Public Library of Charlotte and
Mecklenburg County,
Charlotte 2, N. C.
Dear Mr. Mayo:
I have just returned to my of
fice following the Conference of
the American Library Associa
tion in Chicago and a visit to the
Louisville Free Public Library.
Librarian Clarence R. “Skip”
Graham is a friend of long-stand
ing and I have been visiting his
Library to watch the interesting
developments for several years.
By coincidence my visit this
year came shortly after the story
about the LouisvHle Free Public
Library appeared in the Saturday
Review of Literature and the
Reader’s Digest. (I hope you
will read the story in the August,
1951, issue of the Readers’ Di
gest on pages'88 to 90.)
We began dreaming about ope
rating an educational radio sta
tion ahead of Louisville. The dif
ference is that Louisville did the
job and this year received the
coveted Peabody Award in radio
broadcasting for the most out
standing job among local radio
stations in the field of public serv
ice.
More important, perhaps, than
the actual broadcasting is the
collection of tape recordings
the Library has captured off the i:
air waves. The Library records J
all of the radio programs on the
air which they consider to be sig
nificant. Some of these record- j
ings are available for rebroadcast |
over the Library’s radio station.
All are available to play through ,
a system of leased telephone
wires connected with the many
public and private schools and to
the branch libraries. A teacher j
may request that a given record- i
ing be played to her school at a
given hour of the day. As many j
as 26 different programs can be j
sent out by the Library at one
time.
For the average citizen or stu
(Continued On Page 4)
180,000 Southern Workers
Share In Wage Increases
Approximately 180,000 workers shared in more than 175
wage settlements which were made in the South during the
past month, according to Brunswick A. Bagdon, Southern
Regional Director of the U. S. Department of Labor's Bu
reau of Labor Statistics. The number of wage changes
levelled off after a continuous decline during the preceding
six months. In July, however, the number increased
about 5 per cent over the low point reached in the preceding
30-day period. ___
Over 80 per cent of these set
tlements involved wage increases
only: less than 15 per cent in
cluded both wage and fringe bene
fits; and about 5 per cent provid
ed for additional fringe benefits
only. Agreement extensions with
no changes in wages or supple
mentary benefits were made in
less than one per cent of the set
tlements.
Wage increases of 5 cents to 10
cents an hour accounted for more
than 45 per cent of the changes.
Increases of over 10 cents to 30
cents an hour acounted for about
36 per ent while increases of less
than 5 cents were granted in 1ms
than 15 per cent of the settle
ments. No attempt has been made
to determine whether these wage
changes are permissible under ex
isting Wage Stabilisation Board
activity dor
ins thi* period occurred in Chem
icals, Construction, Poods, Gov
ernment (non-federal), Metal Pro
ducts, and Public Utilities. There
was no single settlement in the
South, however, which set a pat-'
tern for an industry and-or area.
State, county and municipal em
ployes continued to receive sub
stantial wage increases during the
month. Increases of $10 a month
to $425 a year were granted in
60 settlements affecting more than
46,000 non - federal government
workers.
It is anticipated that there will
be a large number of demands
from labor for additional paid
vacations and shift differentials
*•# that the Wage Stabilisation
Board has announced that each
fringe benefits can be obtained by
workers without being offset
against the permissible 16 per
fcr
Communist Roundup j
FINLAND — Behind the pres
:nce of Finnish labor represen
tatives at the Milan conference
>f ICFTU, was the fact that the
Finnish federation of trade un
ions (SAK) on June 28 suspend
;d its affiliation with the Com
nnunist-dominalW World Federa
tion of Trade Unions by a vote
>f 146 to 83, marking1 another
ierious defeat for Communism.
ITALY — Additional prestige
for the anti-cdmmunist trade un
onists of Italy was gained when
jiulo Pastore was elected to the
governing bodjr of the Interna
tional Labor Office.
BERLIN — SED, Germany’s
;ommunist labour party, has order
id all its members to join DGB,
the free labor party of Western
Germany, and carry on “exem
plary trade union work.” DGB
las issued warnings against this
method of communist infiltration,
a method not unknown in the
United States.
SWITZERLAND — The Swiss
have no illusions about communist
labor unions. A Basle tribunal
recently handed down a judgment
expressly statiSg that the Swiss
Worker’s Party (Communist) Is
in the service of the USSR.
Consequently communist repre
sentatives in current National
Council debates were given short
snd sharp answers to their pro
tests against summary dismissals
of communits from government
jobs and to government bans on
exhibition of posters appealing to
Switzerland’s youth to participate
in the “Berlin Youth and Student
Festival for World Peace” sched
uled to take place on August 19.
1951. This medium of foreign
political propaganda, said Federal
Councillor von Steiger, head of
the Federal Department of Jus
tice and Police Matters, cannot
be tolerated in Switzerland.
NEW ZEALAND — Commun
ists are increasing their efforts
to promote chaos in the Far East.
Main targets are the ports.
Principal troublemakers are the
dock workers affiliated with the
Communist - dominated WFTU.
New Zealand ports were disor
ganised from January 30, 1961,
until June 9, by a communist
opsration of forming a "Trade
Union Congress” and rsjscting
the Nem Zealand Federation of
Labor’s policy of conciliation snd
arbitration. The WFTU (Com
munist) fastis of attacking tbs
labor rovsrnmsat sad forcing H
to dsdaro a stake of emergency
mads it easy, according to tbs
Federation at Laker, for the Tory
ftiTsnmsto to return to power at
MECKLENBURG TOPS
STATE IN TRAFFIC
FATALTIES; 26 KIllEB
North Carolina recorded it*
500th highway fatality last week
when 19 year-old Paul Ernest
Barefoot of Four Oaks lost con
trol of his car and overturned
near Newton Grove. Young
Barefoot died of a broken neck.
The Department of Motor Ve
hicles in evaluating: its highway
death figures through the 500th
fatality, found that speeding and
reckless driving was the principal
cause for the grim total. Motor
Vehicles Commissioner L. C. Ros
ser in commenting on the ’’rec
ord” said, “It looks like we are
going to hit 1,000 before the year
is .out if this trend continues.
With a little over half the year
gone and several holiday periods
coming up, motorists are going
to have to be doubly cautious if
we are to avoid the 1,000 mark.”
The Department reported Meck
! lenburg County topped the state
in traffic fatalities for the first
six months with 28 killed. Wake
County ran second with 22, in
cluding the state's worst single
traffic accident. Seven persons
were killed March 1 when a
speeding automobile on U. S. 84
near Zebulon crashed headon in
to a truck.
i. I ...
Uncle Sam Says
M. i.
Out Of 16 Cities Studied
Some Showing Lower Prices
STATE FEDERATION
CONVENTION CALL
To All North Carolina Local Un
ions and Central Labor Un
ions:
Greetings:
By order of the Executive
Board, you are hereby notified
that the 44th Annual Convention
of the North Carolina State Fed
eration of Labor will convene in
the Langren Hotel, Asheville, N,
C., Monday, August 13, 9 o'clock,
and remain in session until the
business of the convention shall
have been concluded (usually three
days).
Your organisation is urged to
have full representation at this
convention, as matters of great
importance to the labor movement
will be considered. Delegates
should b named as soon as pos
sible and their credentials re
turned at once.
Basis of Representation — Af
filiated local anions are entitled
to representation as follows: Up
to 50 members—2 delegates; 51
to 100 members—3 delegates; 101
to 200 members—4 delegates; 201
to 500 members—5 delegates, and
1 additional delegate for each ad
ditional 1,000 members (member
ship is based upon number of
members upon which per capita
tax has been paid to the State
Federation of Labor); Central
Labor Unions—2 delegates. Del
egates shall be elected immediate
ly upon receipt of call and cre
dentials should reach Secretary
Treasurer by July 20.
Credentials in duplicate are
being mailed to all affiliated un
ions. The original should be filled
out completely, signed by proper
offtiwil, the local seat affixed,
and turned over to the delegate
or delegates. The duplicate should
be filled out identically and mailed
at once to J. W. Lazenby, Secre
tary-Treasurer, Box 1646, Salis
bury, N. C.
Delegates desiring to submit
resolutions, changes in Constitu
tion and By-Laws, etc., are re
minded that all such propositions
iruist be presented in triplicate
(three copies), typewritten on
paper 8 1-2 x 11 inches. Pro
posals may be submitted prior to
or during the convention. . ,
With every good wish for the
continued growth and success of
your organization, we are.
Fraternally yours,
C. A. FINK, President,
J. W. LAZENBY, Sec.-Treas.
(Continued On Page 2)
Retail food prices in
southern cities, with the ex
ception of Jacksonville, Mo
bile, and Savannah, remained’
generally stable during June,
according to Brunswick A.
Bagdon, Regional Director of
the U. S. Department of La
bor’s Bureau of Labor Sta
tistics in the South. Of the
sixteen selected southern,
cities included‘ in the June
survey, . approximately two
thirds reported fractionally
lower prices and the remain
ing cities showed no change
or fractionally higher prices.
Changes during the month
varied from an overall de
cline of 0.8 per cent in Birm
ingham and Houston to an
increase of 0.8 per cent in
Savannah. Retail food prices
showed little or no change
during June in Charleston,
Little Rock and Winston
Salem.
Of the important food items
included in this monthly survey
of retail food prices, fruits and
vegetables, fats and oils, and
chickens led the downward trend
in most cities. Fruits and vege
tables showed the greatest de
cline in Birmingham, down 4.1
per cent, in Houston 8.8 per cent,
and 2.4 per cent in Norfolk. Fats
and oils were down generally, led
by drops of 3.2 per cent in Mo
bile, 2.9 per cent in Jackson, and
2.7 per cent in New Orleans.
Chicken prices were lower in a
majority of southern cities — 4
per cent or move in Atlanta and
Knoxville and substantially high
er in Mobile—8.4 per cent, and
over 6 per eent higher in Binning*
ham and Jacksonville. Although
dairy products were down over 1
per cent in Memphis they re
mained stable during June in
most cities.
Egg prices, however, rose sub
stantially during the month, vary
ing in increase from 0.1 per cent
in New Orleans to 5.4 per cent in
Richmond and 9.8 per cent in
Winston-Salem. Retail prices of
beverages and sugar and sweets
remained firm with higher prices
reported in Dallas, Charleston,
and Knoxville.
Meats, poultry and fish prices
were generally stable during Juna
—lower prices were noted in At
lanta, Little Rock and Richmond,
and fractionally higher prices tn
<ix of the remaining cities.
Cereals and bakery products
were lower in most southern
cities, varying in decline from 2.9
per cent in Jackson to O and 1.1
per cent respectively in Birming
ham and New Orleans.
Charlotte Area Employment
Increases 800 During Jane
FACTORY WORKERS AVERAGE $50.38 PER WEEK
RALEIGH. July 27—Factory employment in the Char
lotte area increased approximately 800 from mid-May to
mid-June, the State Department of Labor reported today.
According to Labor Department statistician C. H. Pritch
ard, the employment increases amounted to 500 in textile
mills, 100 in machinery manufacuring, 100 in metal prod
ucts manufacturing, and 100 in other miscellaneous in
dustries.
Employment in broad woven
fabrics mills increased 400, with
working hours averaging 41.4 per
week, average hourly earnings of
workers $1.36, and weekly earn
ings averaging $66.87.
Knitting mills employed an ad
ditional 100 workers during June
and worked a fractionally longer
workweek than in May.
Total factory employment in
the Charlotte area increased from
21,700 In mid-May to 22,600 in
June, Pritchard said. The Jane
figure was 4.7 per cent above the
employment level of June a year
ago^nd was S.7 per cent above
the level of May 1961.
employment in moet other
manufacturing industries remained
firm, showing little change. Yarn
and thread mills were down 100
due to leu busineaa and the
working of less overtime. The
workweek in yam and! thread
mills, which also decreased 1JI
hoars daring June, canned a cor
responding decline m workers'
earnings.
Average hourly earnings of
workers were op four cents in
food products and increased throe
cents in apparel manufacturing
and chemical products.
The average factory worker in
the Charlotte area srerfcad 40.5
hours during the week aeareet
(Ceatiaoed On Page 4)