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Orista! Seal- VoL VIII » Ho * 12
Directors Announce Promotions,
Appointments, $1
New Duties Given To
Officers of Company
At Dec. 12 Meeting
At a meeting of the Board of
Directors on December 12, Carl R.
Harris was elected to the newly
created office of Executive 'Vice-
President and Ralph T. Marshall,
formerly of Utiea, N. Y., who has
recently joined our Company, was
named Vice-President, Treasurer,
and a member of the Board of Di
rectors.
Additional officers named were
Dr. Frank T. deVyver, Vice-Presi
dent; E. W. Dunham, Secretary;
N. A. Gregory, Assistant Treas
urer; L. C. Thomas, Assistant
Secretary; and John McArthur,
Controller.
Loan Negotiated
President Baffin announced that
a $10,000,000 15-year loan has been
negotiated with the Company's
banks and two insurance companies,
the New York lifie and Connecti
cut General Life Insurance Com
pany, the earlier maturities with the
banks, and the later ones with the
insurance companies. The average
rate of interest for the loan is 3.8
per cent. Proceeds of the loan will
be used to pay current notes and
increase working capital, a need
which arises from larger and higher
priced inventories, and other fac
tors reflecting the inflationary status
of today's dollar value.
Dividend to Be Paid
A dividend of 15 cents per share
on Erwin MilTs stock was declared
payable Janaary 2 to stockholders
of record at the close of business
on December 23. The Company's
annual report will be mailed to
stockholders and employees in De
cember.
"Our Company's nine plants in
North Carolina and one in Missis
sippi are operating full time," said
President Baffin, "bat prospects
are for only awdeat profits, reflect
ing still the lack full recovery
from the depreaaian which beset
the textile industry early in 1951."
C. R. Harris
C. R. Harris, oar sew Executive
Vice-President, is a graduate of
North Carolina State College and
became associated with Erwin Mills
in 1928 after having gained hi a
textile apprenticeship with F. W.
Foe Manufacturing Company,
Greeneville, S. C., the Lancaster
Cotton Mills, Lancaster, S. C., and
laman Mills, Inman, S. C. He left
the Company briefly to beooaae gen
eral superintendent of Anagon-
Baldwin Mills, Chester, S. C-, and
(See PROMOTIONS, Page 2)
Santa Clans brought 7500 color
ful towel sots to employees of Er
win Mills, a Merry Christmas gift
from the Company. This is the
seventh year that Erwin Mills has
THE ERWIN CHATTER
RALPH T. MARSHALL, new Vice
President and Treasurer of Erwin
Mills and member of the Board of
Directors.
E. H. BOST and FRANK T. DeVYVER present service piaa to new Twenty
live Year Clab members in Erwin. SEE PAGE 6 FOR MORE BANQUET
PICTURES.
Fifty Years W
Robert W. Wilkcrson and Gra
ham Wilson this year became mem
bers of the Erwin Mills' exclusive
fewA
ROBERT WILKERSON
■
GRAHAM WILSON
given presents to its employees.
The custom started in 1945 whan the
gift was a turkey. Since then the
gifts have been turkeys, hama,
blankets and Erwin Percale sheets.
DECEMBER, 1952
TWI A-CIO Wins
Neuse Election
The Textile Workers Union of
America (CIO) won an election
conducted by the National Labor
Relations Board at our Neuse mill
December 3.
Of the 104 eligible voters at
Neuse, 52 vote* were cast for the
CIO, 21 for the United Textile
Workers (AFL), 15 votes for
neither union and one vote chal
lenged.
The present contract between the
TWUA-CIO local at Neuse and the
Erwin Mills will expire on March
31, 1953.
th Erwin Mills
and most honored Fifty Year Club.
At the Twenty-five Year Club Ban
quets they received gold watches
and well-deserved praise for their
faithful and loyal service to the
Company.
Although Mr. Wilkerson is now
employed at Erwin in No. 5 Spin
ning Boom, he began his career
with Erwin Mills as a Doffer in No.
1 Spinning, Durham. The first
plant in Erwin was not bnilt until
1903. No. 5 Mill where he now
works began operations in 1926.
Mr. Wilkerson is a Section Man in
the Spinning Boom. He has run
every Job in Spinning, including
spinning. When he's not working,
his favorite pastime is fishing.
Graham Wilson, like Robert Wil
kerson, went to work in 1902 as a
Doffer in No. 1 Spinning. He has
worked as an oil and bander man,
section man, card tender and also
with the overhaulers crew. Mr. and
Mrs. Wilson have six children, all
of whom have worked for Erwin
Mills at some time. Two daugh
ters, Buth Broadwell and Pauline
Estes now work in the Sewing
Boom. Two sons, Jesse and Bill
Wilson work in No. 4 Card Boom.
The Wilsons have twelve grand
children. Mr. Wilson enjoys work
ing in his garden and yard.
■I Itf «I il '«IM
H H «■ wj^p
SMOKING AND SOFT DRINKS POPULAR IN MlLLS—Clinton Baker,
with Coke, a mi William Hate, No. 4 Carding, use the fireproof —iwtiat
room ia their department. Bmnhing wclwra are metal and glam hoHH
is moat department*. This it necessary becanse of the quantity of lint ia
the air which create* a fire hasard.
Employees Change Over
To Three 8-Hour Shifts
Smoking Enclosures, Soft
Drink, Candy and Crackers
Machines Novc'lnstaUed
A regular schedule of three 8-
hour shifts a day began in our
Durham mills on Monday, Decem
ber 8. In Cooleemee, the change
over was effective beginning with
the third shift Sunday night, De
cember 14. Erwin changes to three
8-hour shifts on December 22.
The change-over was desired by
Erwin Mills employees in order to
give them more convenient hours
for home life and recreation. At
the same time, the new schedule
helps production in the mills since
less time is taken up with starting
and stopping machinery as em
ployees come and go at lunch
periods.
Eat and Smoke in Mill
Since the change of times does
not allow for a regular lunch
period, soft drink machines, candy
and cracker vending machines have
been installed in each department.
Employees may eat at any time
during working hours. Profits from
these machines will be used for
community work and recreation at
each location.
Smoking areas have also been
established in each department and
smoking is permitted in those areas
only. Because of the fire hazard
created, the rules for using smoking
enclosures must be strictly en
forced.
Employees Vote
Last September, employees were
asked what starting times they
would prefer if and when the mills
(See CHANGE OVER, Page 2)
'
E. Q. MeIVER, JR., new Assistant
Manager of the Durham Erwin
Mills, will begin his duties Decem
ber 29. Mr. Melver has been with
the Company since 1936. He started
here as an apprentice, working in
the Picker Room and Card Room.
He worked with the Overbauiers
when the new spinning frames were
installed in No. 1 Mill and with the
Circulation 6,000 Hiri rtwwr M;
Negotiators Work
On New Contracts
Meeting* Held for Both
CIO and AFL Contract*
During Month of December;
Early Agreement Hoped For
Representatives of the Company
and the United Textile Workers
(AFL) met seven times daring De
cember for contract negotiations
representing Durham and Coolee
mee employees. The CIO negotia
tors for employees at our Erwin
plants met with Company officials
on December 5 and plan to resume
meetings December 19.
As we go to press, no agreement
has been reached between the Com
pany and either of the two onions.
Both the unions and the Company
hope for an early agreement as to
the terms of the contracts as nego
tiations continue. Although specific
information about the contract
meetings is not available, it is
known that negotiations are pro
ceeding in a friendly atmosphere.
The orig nal CIO contract for
Erwin, and Durham
ended October 11. An NLRB elec
tion held October 1 certified the
AFL as official bargaining agent
for employees in Cooleemee and
Durham. A run-off election, neces
sary in Erwin, was held October
17 and won by the CIO. An exten
sion of the old contract through
November 25 was agreed upon by
the Company and the AFL for
Durham and Cooleemee plants. A
second extension of the contract
ended December 15.
loom erectors when new looms were
installed in No. 6 Mill. He was
Asst. Overseer in Xo. 4 Weave
Boom and became Asst. Superin
tendent at Xo. 6 Mill in IML
After two years' service with the
U. S. Navy, he worked in the
Standards Department He hwaw
Manufacturing Assistant m IM7.
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