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Agreement Signed With AFL And CIO
No Major Differences in Two
Contracts; Expire
Revocable Check-off Includ
ed; 3rd Shift Starts Monday
P. M. On 5-Day Week
There are no major differences
between the new Company-Union
agreements with the TWUA (CIO)
and the UTW (AFL). The CIO
agreement for workers in Erwin
was effective January 26, 1953, and
will expire on January 26, 1955.
Employees at Durham and Coolee
mee are working under a Company-
AFL agreement effective February
5, 1953. through April 1, 1955.
Both of these new agreements are
essentially the same as the previous
CIO contract which they replace.
Revocable Check-Off
Under the AFL and the CIO
agreements, an employee can re
voke membership in the Union at
any time by notifying the Company
and the Union of his desire. Pre
viously there was an escape period
only once a year. This change was
made in accordance with a ruling
by the Attorney General which
makes an irrevocable check-off il
legal under North Carolina law.
3rd Shift Change
Both contracts state that for a
five-day operation, the third shift
will start work on Monday night
instead of Sunday night as was
previously done. This enables
third shift workers to enjoy a com
plete weekend with their families
when mills run five days.
The new agreement with the CIO
defines Easter Monday as the sixth
holiday. The other five holidays re
main the same —New Year's Day,
July 4, Labor Day, Thanksgiving
and Christmas.
Layoff and Recall
Certain changes were made in
both contracts in Article XI con
cerning layoff and recall. layoff
and recall are still based on se
niority and qualification but the
worker is given more choice as to
what he may be allowed to do in
cases of layoff and recall.
Absenteeism
Steps made to try to control the
absentee problem were included in
both contracts. In the AFL con
tract there is a detailed procedure
for handling the question; in the
CIO contract, the absentee clause
is considerably strengthened.
Other Changes
A modification in the section
dealing with temporary transfers
was made in both contracts. The
procedure of handling certain types
of changes in work assignments
was clarified and a supplementary
SAFTY AWARD PRESENTED TO NO. 3 MILL
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Carl R. Harris, Executive Vice-President of Erwin Mills, presents the
1952 Inter-Plant Safety Award plaque to J. L. James, Manager of the
Cooleemee plants, and C. W. Howell, Superintendent of Mill No. 3. In
making the presentation, Mr. Harris said, "This plaque represents a
fine safety record and I am proud for you and the employees of Plant
3." Employees in No. 3 Mill worked 1,430,221 man hours in 1952 and
had two lost time injuries for a frequency rate of 1.39.
THE ERWIN CHATTER
VoL IX, No. 13
AFL NEGOTIATING COMMITTEES
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Top —Dl RHAM—Frank T. deVvver signs the Company-Union
agreement reached between the I*TW (AFL) and Erwin Mills, effec
tive February 5, 1953. Seated, left to right: Edgar Maynard, Busi
ness Agent for Local 257; Frank T. deVvver and Louise Horner,
representing the Company. Back row: Albert Pearee, Herman May
nard, McCaulev Fields, Johnnie Burns and Alton Brown, committee
members. Lewis Conn, Acting Director for the AFL had charge
of the negotiations but was not present when this picture was taken.
Bottom —COOLEEMEE—The negotiating committee for Local 251,
Cooleemee. included J. W. Ridenhour, Bennett Faglier, Raymond
Pierce and Harold Foster. Paul Hoffman, another committee member,
was absent when this picture was taken.
CIO CONTRACT SIGNED IN ERWIN
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Julius Fry, Area Director for the TWUA-CIO signs the new two
year contract for employees in Erwin effective January 26, 1953.
{Seated, left to right: W. H. Miley, Jr., Louise Horner and Frank T.
deVvver, representing Erwin Mills; Julius Fry and Scott Hovman
of the CIO. Back row: Oscar Temple, Hardy Johnson. J. L. Smith
and Lacy Dawkins, committee members for the Local 250, TWI'A.
agreement covering allowances for
limited assignments was made part
of both contracts.
In Article X a change in the
strike clause provides that for par
ticipation in an unauthorized strike,
FEBRUARY, 1953
X-2 Loom Installation
Complete At Cooleemee
the penalties may be varied in ac
cordance with the degree of par
ticipation.
Time limits were added to both
contracts for certain steps in the
grievance procedure.
Company Offices
To (,'et Teletypes
In order to cut down office ex
penses on long distance telephone
calls and to provide faster and
better communications, a teletype
system is being installed in all of
our cotton manufacturing plants.
With teletypes, Erwin Mills' offices
will have direct written contact
with each other and with our selling
agents in New York in a matter of
seconds.
The Durham office will be the
central point for the new system.
Teletype wires will be open from
8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., five days a
week beginning about March 1.
Results of Modernization
Program Seen In Durham,
Ertcin & Cooleemee Mills
A total of 323 new X-2 looms
have been erected in No. 3 Weave
Room. This completes part of the
700 thousand dollar modernization
program scheduled for our Coolee
mee plants. New lighting is being
installed in No. 3 Weave Room and
that work is expected to be fin
ished by the end of February.
Five Saco-Lowell high-speed spin
ning frames are operating in No.
3 Spinning Department on an ex
perimental basis. These frames
have a larger package than our
regular machines. Spinners are
running tests on them to see if
they live up to the manufacturer's
claim of being easier to spin on
and easier to clean.
No. 1 Mill Weaving Percale
Percale production is gradually
increasing in Durham as more
equipment is changed over. At pres
ent, some roving frames and spin
ning frames are running combed
yarn and twenty looms in No. 1
Mill are weaving percale sheeting.
New roving frames have been or
dered for No. 1 and should arrive
in early Summer.
Most of the dying equipment for
making colored sheeting has ar
rived. It will be installed as soon
as necessary changes can be made
in the Bleachery to accommodate
this new equipment.
Eight cards to be used in the
combined 4 and 6 Mills, under No.
4, have been received. They are
stored in No. 6 Warehouse where
we have heat to prevent the wire
from rusting.
Erwin Air-changing System
The air-changing system for No.
5 Weave Room has been turned
on. A few last-minute adjustments
are being made and it should be
in complete operation by the end
of this month.
361 of the new X-2 looms in No.
5 Weave Room are now on the
floor and 325 of them are in pro
duction.
Durham Office Expands
Auditorium Building To Be
Remodeled For Offices
Of Durham Plants
To meet the growing need for
office space in Durham, certain de
partments of the Main Office will
be moved into Erwin Auditorium.
The Auditorium building will be
remodeled and the part to be used
as offices air-conditioned. Office
space will take up a portion of the
first floor and all of the second
floor.
The young people's activities at
Erwin Auditorium will be carried
on as usual, including midget foot
ball, baseball and basketball teams.
The swimming pool will still be
open during the summer months
and the basketball court will be
maintained. The library will be dis
continued and books distributed to
libraries in our other plant loca
tions where free public libraries
are not available. The bi-weekly
movies will also be discontinued.
The departments to be located in
Erwin Auditorium will be the of
fices of the Durham plants which
Circulation 6,000
Personnel Office
Slated For Erwin
Robert Barrett To Direct
Training, Employment and
iVetc Counseling Service
IB § I
Robert Barrett
Robert Barrett. Training Direc
tor for Erwin Mills since June
1950. has accepted a position as
Personnel Director with the Com
pany at Erwin. X. C. He will as
sume his new duties on March 2.
Erwin has the greatest number
of employees of any plant location
in the Erwin chain. Since there are
so many personnel activities going
on there, it was considered wise to
set up a local Personnel Office.
Mr. Barrett's activities will in
clude the developing and supervis
ing of all phases of personnel re
lations activities. He will conduct
introduction classes for newly
hired employees and training classes
for employees and members of
supervision.
Counseling
A new service will be started for
employees when the Personnel Of
fice opens in Erwin. Mr. Barrett
will be available to counsel em
ployees who seek advice on per
sonal problems.
The present Erwin Employment
Office is being expanded to include
space for the Personnel Office.
Mr. and Mrs. Barrett and their
eleven-year-old son, Bobby, are
moving to Erwin and will live in
the house previously occupied by
Mr. and Mrs. J. K. Bruton.
Company To Sell
Cooleemee Houses
About 300 to 325 Company
owned houses in Cooleemee will
soon be put up for sale. Time of
sale and further details will bt- an
nounced in the immediate future by
J. L. James, Manager of the Coo
leemee plants.
The sale will be conducted as it
was in Erwin. X. C. in 1951 by
Alester G. Furnian Company of
Greenville, South Carolina.
include W. V. Byers, Durham
Manager; E. G. M elver, Durham
Asst. Manager; Employment, Pay
roll and Standards Departments.
Also located in the Auditorium will
be the directors of Production En
gineering, Research and Develop
ment, Safety, Training and the
editor of the En in Chatter.
It is expected that these offices
will be completely moved within the
next ninety days.
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