THE VOICE OF LOCAL 301 - - - - UER&M.WA,
“-) Vol. 8, No. 9
SCHENECTADY, NEW YORK
MARCH 17, 1950
GE Retuses to Ask for E
Collection of Dues
For April Starts
Shop stewards have distributed
UE-801 membership books to their
groups. The books, in which dues
stamps will he pasted, have been
received with enthusiasm, stew-
ards vepert. Anyone who hasn’t
given his book yet
‘t his steward at once, ;
Collection of April dues hag al-
ready started in some parts of the
plant, A big majority of the mem-
bership has pledged that it will
pay during March and stewards
are planning a concentrated collec-
tion the last week of the month,
Dues are payable the first of each
month but the union is asking ad-
vance payment to assure success-
ful and efficient operation of the
“™yect collection method.
The membership voted for dir-
ect collection after four months’
check-off funds were handed over
to Federal Court by teamwork of
the General Electrie Company and
the “Imitation UE”.
In receiving their membership
books, many members told stew-
ards they were glad 301 is hand-
ling its own dues money “so it
can’t be stolen from the union.”
Lynn IUE Meeting
A Colossal Flop
On of the biggest flops yet was
the meeting which the “Imitation
UE” group of the Lynn GE plant
called for Monday night, with a
featured out-of-town — speaker.
Newspaper stories helped ballyhoa
the meeting in advance, IUE hired
a hall which would seat 1,500
people, “But ‘by actual count only
G3 people showed up.
Lynn is constantly referred to
in newspapers as a Carey strong-
hold, because the former UE busi-
ness agent, Fred Kelley, is on the
IUE governing committee.
Meeting Mar. 28
Because of the series of section
membership meetings last week
and this week the Executive Board
has- postponed the monthly 301
membership meeting from next
‘Tuesday to Tuesday, Mar, 28,
GE Profit Statement Reflects Speedup, Lay-offs —
GE made its 1949 record pr
ts on less sales and fewer workers.
The company’s financial statement last week included the usual
meaningless talk by Charles E, Wilson about percentage of profits to
sales dollars, But here are the important facts in Wilson’s annual report:
Net profits after taxes for 1949,
~— $125,639,000, almost $2,000,000
above the previous all-time record
for 1948.
Sales down 1.2 per cent.
Average number of employees
down 8.9 per cent from 19-18,
This means that GE made more
money on a smaller market, by
laying off 17,000 workers and
speeding up those not laid off,
This points up the key import-
ance of the UE’s contract propo-
sal for a shorter work week with
40 hours’ pay, That is the most
effective answer to speed-up and
lay-offs.
that and all of UE’s proposals.
The annual report also points up
the reason for GI’s speed-up and
wage-cutting drive, its encourage-
GE can easily -pay for. -
Mp he ee at hte beter
ment of the company union IUE,
and its announcement, also made
‘last Friday that, it will not extend
the contract after April-t-pending
the Labor Board election, as pro-
posed by UE, :
GE management wants to keep
up its extraordinary rate of profit,
in order to keep up the price of GR
stock on the stock market, With
the people’s purchasing power go-
ing down and orders dropping, the
“only way GE can keep up its earn-
ing rate is by a higher return per
worker—by speed-up, rate-cutting,
down grading and more lay-offs.
The “Imitation UE’ is GE’s an-
swer to the growing signs of de-
pression, It would make possible
higher profits while more GE
workers lose their jobs.
lection by Apr.1
301 Members
Urge Speed
In T-H Vote
Large numbers of Schenectady
evsthis—-weele-backed=up ea
ve for a National Labor
Relations Board election before
Apr. 1 by telegrams letters, and
postcards, They send the messages
to Paul Herzog, NLRB chairman,
at Washington.
In Induction Motors every group
sent its own telegram, paid for by
dimes given by the workers. In ad-
dition many of the workers in that
division wrote their own post-
cards. Punch, Press was also one
of the first divisions to take action.
The UE-301 Exceutive Board
was to send a committee Wednes-
day night (after this week’s UB
News went to press) to the City
The UE-301 membership has
seryed notice on GE that all
contract conditions must be ob-
served after Apr. 1 and that the
company must continue to
recognize UE+-301 shop stew-
ards and offfcers, and no one
else. An Executive Board
statement this “week pointed
out that pending an election
UE-301 remains the only legal
bargaining agency here,
The Board declared that’ GE's
refusal to extend the contract
as requested by: UE means. that
the company wants a free hand
to ent pay, to speed-up and
downgrade, to violate seniority
and wants’ to encourage i
company union, the “Imitation
UE.”
Xv eee)
Council caucus to ask that the city
call on the Taft-Hartley Board for
a speedy election.
The General Electric Company
has refused the national UE re-
quest to sign a joint petition to the
Taft-Hartley Board asking for an
election before Apr, 1, .
As its excuse for rejecting the
request, GI said that the Labor
Board needs time to study the
(Continued on page 2)
2
ELECTRICAL
UNION: NEWS
March 17, 1950
GE Refuses to Ask
Election by Apr. 1
(Continued from jage’ 1)
4000-page record of the hearings
involving claims of 11 unions, GE
also offered several other excuses
for delays by the Labor Board.
“General Electric will not be
party to any aetion which. might
create the false and unfair im-
pression that the Board has been
dilatory in these proceedings,”
G. H. Pfeif of GE wrote to Joseph
Dermody, secretary of the GE
‘Conference Board of UE locals
last Friday.
The “Imitation UE” signed the
stipulation which UE sent it,
agreeing to join in asking for the
election before Apr. 1,
The Carey outfit can’t afford to
the stipulation with complete
safety knowing that GE would re-
fuse. .
This is another example of GE-
IUE team-work, Every time UE
has suggested a move to speed the
election, either GE says “Yes” and
IUE says “No” or GE says “No”
and IUE says “Yes.”
There cculd still be tricks left
in their bag to hold up the elec-
tion at the Schenectady plant
where they know IUE will be de-
feated. They might trump up
phony unfair labor practice
charges with the Taft-Hartley
Labor Board, or a Congressional
investigation, or interference by
the Department of Justice.
The whole 801 Executive Board
met Tuesday with A. C, Stevens,
assistant to the works manager,
and called on the Schenectady GE
management to ask the Lahor
Board for an election by Apr. 1.
Stevens said he didn’t see what
good such action would do, Busi-
ness Agent Leo Jandreau pointed
out that GE was able to bring the
Kersten committee here and to get
the Atomic Energy Commission
to give GE an order against recog-
nition of UE. Therefore, he said,
the company should easily be able
to get a prompt election out of the
Labor Board. ~ ~
Stevens said he would take the
matter up with Pfeif,
ELECTRICAL UNION NEWS |
UNITHD NLECTRICAL, RADIO AND
MACHIND WORKERS OF AMBRICA
SCHENECTADY GH LOCAL 801
a
Published .by Eidltorin! Committee
Mary McCartln, Chairman
Adam Kolaslonaki, Secretary
Robort Armstrong Frank D'Amico
Victor Pasoha George: Quick
George Reode ‘Troy Snipes
Haltorlal Oftico
QLEACTRICAL UNION NWS
301 Liberty St., Schenectady, N. Y¥.
‘ Telophono 8-15886
OTD
How About Money
IUE Flings Around?
Now that the “Imitation UE”
is using a court order to poke
around the UE 301 books which
are open anyway to members at all
times, how about an accounting o
the IJUE* money being spi
around Schenectady ? Ds
What are the salaries being paid
to R. J. Thomas, defeated Auto
Worker president, and the rest of
his CIO disorganizing crew from
various points on the map? How
much in expenses?
How much is being paid in sal-
aries (and expenses) to Frank
Fiorillo, and miscellaneous ex-UE
members for trying to destroy the
union of their fellow-workers ?
Hoo show: that-it-is-hopeful-the eleetini = hat-about payments: out-of
will be delayed, But it could sign
Fiorillo’s “personal” account?
How much in bribes and’ “lost
time” to buy a handful of shaky
shop stewards?
How much in liquor and beer?
Every cent of UE money is ac-
counted for regularly to the mem-
bership, and not a cent spent by
UE needs an apology. ‘It is spent
«serving the members, handling
grievances and legal claims, and
protecting the contract.
But will the [UE offer to give
Judge Alexander a detailed report
of the money spent here?
GE workers have a right to
know,
Strictly Phony
What imitation “pension plan’?
will the “Tmitation UE” boys be
peddling next?
The paper put out nationally by
the IUE boasted Feb. 20 about the
wonderful pension plan negotiated
by the CIO Oil Workers with two
Sinclair of leompanies. But here’s
what the Oil Workers’ own paper
reveals:
The pension paln will exist only
if Congress passes the pending bill
to increase social security pay-
ment by not. less than 70 percent.
And the plan, if it does. go into
- effect at all, will start only July
1, 1960.
NICB Means NAM
Newspapers van a story this
week about the National Industrial
Conference Board saying that IUB
has. more members than UE.
The National Industrial Confer-
ence Board is.a research and pro-
paganda outfit of the’ big’ employ-
ers. For all practical purposes it
is a branch of the National Asso-
ciation of Manufacturers.. Enough
said!
Meet Your Union Leaders
The first organizing job done by James J. Matles, UE director of
organization, was at the Nash factory branch, in New York City where
he went to work as a machinist in 1982.
when workers took wage cuts because there were long lines of jobl
outside and no unions inside.
But when Nash ordered a 10 per
‘cent wage cut, work stopped at
Matles’ shop. The 180 employees
elected him to a committee to meet
with the management. As a re-
sult of the negotiations the wage
cut was restored,
“That was the shop from which
we got the start for UE Local
475”, Matles says. He still holds
membership in 475,
There are still hundreds of ma-
chinists in that local who remem-
ber working with Matles to get
little groups togeth ifferent
ships, Much of their o
had to be under-cover because
workers would be fired if the boss
found out.
These shops first organized the
Metal Workers Industrial Union
because the American Federation
of Labor was refusing to organize
the unorganized. In 19385 Matles
‘worked with other independents
throughout the country to set up
the Federation of Metal and Allied
Unions. The federation included
Lynn Local 201 and Schenectady
301. Matles was elected secretary
of.the federation.
Later the machine and foundry
“locals of the federation voted to
affiliate with the AFL Machinists
Union, and Matles was appointed
a grand lodge representative, The
radio and electrical locals tried un-
successfully to get an AFL char-
ter. The old AFL leaders just
didn‘t want to be bothered with
them. —
As CIO began developing inside
It was during the depression
Ser
' JAMES J. MATLES
the AIL, Matles urged the IAM to
join the new movement for organ-
izing the unorganized and for get-
ting away from craft unionism.
When TAM leaders turned thun &
down on CIO, Matles led the wa
_out of the machine locals which
had joined IAM. They became part
of the new UERMWA.
Maties was elected UE director
of organization in 1937. ;
Born in Rumania, Matles served
his — machinist’s apprenticeship
there and canve to the. United
United States in 1929 at the age
of 19. He is an American citizen,
and ‘served several years in the
army during World War 2.
UE Wins Strike
UE has won the 17 week strike
at the Gould Storage Battery Com-
pany at Trenton N. J. The settle-
ment includes flat wage increases
and other improvements totaling
10% cents an hour,
19% Cent Package
UE Local 475 has signed a con-
tyact with Johnson Machine Com-
pany, New York City, with 19%
cents more an hour for workers in
pay raises, insurance and paid hol-
idays,
a oe
‘Taking Oath as 301 Shop Stewards
Floyd Warner, 301 guide, at extreme
left, administering the oath of of-
fice to shop stewards at the union hall; left to right, Ralph Lasher, and
William Miller, both of Building 109; Robert E, Lott, Bldg. 227; Charles
J, Chambers and Anthony Tama, both of Bldg. 109 3 Ben Rocher,: Bldg.
85, and Fred Danberg, Bldg. 369,
6
MARCH 17, 1950
ELECTRICAL UNION NEWS
Emspak Discusses Why
Enemies Red-Bait UE -
Opposition to big business’ poli-
cies which cause unemployment in
‘e: his country and in Europe is the
ighest form of Americanism,
Julius Emspak, general secretary-
treasurer of UE, told the section
membership meetings this’ ;
Emspak, a charter member of
Local 301, said that the IUE and
GE will try to make people. believe
that the issue in the present’ fight
is “Communism,” because that is
the easiest ery with which to con-
fuse and divide people.
“It is a manufactured issue,”
he declared. og
Pointing out red-baiting “has
continued “since the officers filed
‘non-Communist affidavits unde
the Taft-Hartley law, Emspak said
the members had found out that
“yapping about our virtue” will
not stop the red-baiting. As long
as we insist on democratic trade
unionism in the interest of the
people, Emspak said, we shall be
red-baited.
What Happened in 1919
After the 1919 strike at GE,
which was defeated, some men
were blacklisted and had to leave
Cp to find jobs, Emspak said. At
hat time the ery against honest
trade unionists was nut “Com-
munist,” but “IWW” and “So-
cialist.” The cry was used against
leaders of the strike by employers
and politicians, and by the na-
tional leaders of some of the very
unions ‘whose locals were on strike
at GE. °
When people read red-baiting
propaganda against the union in
“the newspapers, they should ask
themselves, “Did the Gazette ever
fight for higher wages or for legis-
lation that helps the people?”
Emspak continued.
Test UE’s Record
He said the answer to those who
call UE “Red” is to apply the
simple test, “where did the union
ever do anything contrary to the
interests of the people?” By that
test what UE has done is good
for America, and for that very
reason will be attacked by the
politicians.
“Americanism is not the prop-
erty of the Wilsons and Boulwares,
s in the hearts and minds of the
merican people,” the national
officer declared.
He added that GE workers
formed their union because of the
bitter problems of the depression,
and not in order to have Philip
Murray order them to line up be-
hind one political party or get out.
os
a,
a aa
WANT To GIVE THis Quy 8 J08..P HE CLAIMS To BE aal Extent
“ow Reogarngh
(ea
UE NEWS SERVICE
e2mrbe
National Cid Strike-Breaking in Fulton County
The national CIO is now engaged in active strikebreaking and
scab-herding against the tannery strike in Gloversville and Johnstown.
Last Saturday's local daily, the
“Leader - Republican,” carried a
three-column photograph of John
J. Maurillo, CIO sub-regional di-
rector, presenting a charter for
a new “Right-Wing CIO group,”
formed by scabs in the strike, The
CIO is actively sponsoring the em-
ployers’ back to work movement,
in which tannery employers have
the help of police and 250 “special
deputy sheriffs.”
In the newspaper picture with
Maurillo,was one Peter Aversa, CIO
field representative. This man was
much in the newspaper headlines
last October, when as head of
Farm.Equipment District 6 he an-
nounced he was leading the Farm
Equipment workers in Auburn in-
to the United Auto Workers. The
Auburn workers today are solidly
in UE, and Aversa has been ex-
pelled by his own local union.
The Gloversville strike is con-
ducted by the Independent Leather
Workers’. Union, and is backed by
the CIO International Fur and Lea-
ther Workers. This union has been:
under attack by the top CIO lead-
ership, but is still part of CIO.
The Gloversville strikers defeat-
ed earlier strikebreaking raid by.
What Teachers!
So the “Imitation UE” in Sche-
nectady is going to run classes in
processing grievances and in par-
Hamentary law.
We suppose the class in griev-
ances will be taught by Frank Fio-
rillo, who never handled a griev-
ance’ case.
And Frank Kriss can give some
pointers to the parliamentary law
class. He has some Carey rules,
including “Don’t let anyone speak
who doesn’t agree with you” and
“If a vote goes against you, de-
clare the meeting~is-out of-hand -
and adjourn it.”
Election Victory
UE won « representation elec-
tion at the Eagle Signal Corpora-_
tion, at Moline, TIL, by a vote of.
98 to 68 for IUE.
voting down both the CIO Textile
Union and the AIL Glove Work-
ers by an overwhelming vote in the
Taft-Hartley election, Then the
employers got the national CIO to ~-
organize the strikebreakers.
Horney Levy Cites
true IUE Statements
ethents“in. the Sche-
nectady IUB paper.of Mar. 6 about
the inspection "of Local 301
financial records were pointed out
in a letter which Samuel Levy,
. Schenectady attorney, wrote this
week to the national UE News. He
is counsel for UH-301 in the court
proceeding connected with the
order the IUE obtained to inspect
301 books. :
Levy points out that the IUE
untruthfully (said the court ap-
pointed auditors and that those
auditors reported they discovered
irregularities in the 3801 books.
The court appointed no auditors.
The inspection of books, still going
being made by accountants
by UE.
The IUE article also said un-
truthfully that UE-301 “forgot”
to pay some federal taxes.
However, government represen-
tatives have examined the books,
Levy declared, “and found all
taxes due are paid.”
“T have been wondering if other
articles in this IUE newspaper are
as false as this one,” the attorney
commented.
Levy pointed out that he is not
one of the regular staff of UE at-
torneys, but being an attorney who
has practiced in Schenectady for
45 years, was retained as local
counsel in the one proceeding.
“T am not in any way otherwise
connected with any ‘union,” he
wrote. “However, I believe if one
union is trying to induce members
of other unions to join up with
their union, they should in so do-
ing only use honest and truthful
propaganda.”
Overtime Pay Formula
When a worker works overtime
on a shift other than his own, his
overtime pay will be based.on his
own schedule of work. This appli-
cation of the contract was worked
out recently with the company by
the UR-801 grievance committee
with the approval of the union’s
Executive Board. ‘
The question was involved in the
vase of a second shift worker who
worked on third shift on a Sunday
night. By local understanding,
Sunday night work for the third
shift is like Saturday night for
other shifts and gets time-and-a
half pay. But for the other’ shifts _
* Sunday work gets double-time pay.
So under the contraet application
the second shift worker in the case
gets double-time for the Sunday
night third shift work.
4
i
ELECTRICAL UNION NEWS
MARCH 17, 1950
| Here’s the Record
' About Mary Kelly
An attack on UE-301 by Mary
Kelly of Building 28 was featured
with her picture, in the Schenec-
tady IUE paper recently.
The “Imitation UE” paper said
she served as a shop steward for
a year and a half and that “you
won't find any complaints about
how she performed her duty to the
workers in her section.”
That’s certainly interesting news
to the girls in Building 28!
Mary Kelly was elected steward
in December, 1948. Less than eight
months later the girls in her group
were so disgusted with her reeord
in dealing with supervision that
they filed a recall petition against
her and ‘she wz yo an-
whelming’ vote.
The girls in Building 29, where
she used to work hefore her trans-
fer to 28, are indignant over her
attack on UE in the IUE News.
Twenty-cight of the 29 girls in
her former group drew up and
signed a statement condemning her
for ‘the attack and her ungrate-
fulness to the union which did so
much for her personally.
Mrs, Kelly obtained a change of
job within the group through the
efforts of Shop Steward Marky
Brunetti. Later at her request he
also got her a transfer out of the
department. Her husband, ‘Robert
Kelly of Building 77, had seven
years’ service restored through
Shop Steward Joseph Mangino,
now 801 vice-president.
Unemployment
Grows Worse
With growing unemployment,
‘home relief cases in Schenectady
County are inereasing steadily,
County Welfare Commissioner Leo
H. Vosburg said recently. He pre-
dicted the county welfare rolls will
reach a new post-war high unless
people got. jobs soon.
Vosburg said that lists of the
unemployed in the county in Jan-
tiary, 1950, “contiined 4,000 more
names than a year ago January.
There were 8,396 jobless regis-
tered with the Schenectady un-
employment: insurance office as of
Feb, 24. But there are in addition
probably at least 2,000 people who
have. exhausted their unemploy-
ment insurance benefits for the
current. ‘year, And others are cx-
hausting their benefits every day,
Hundreds ‘more have never ‘qua
fied for jobless pay.
Syracuse IVE Drops
Phony Strike Threat
The IUE leadership at the Syra-
cuse GE plant had ‘to drop its
phony strike threat last week when
it became obvious that the workers
wouldn’t fall for their schemes.
For a long time the Carey group
in Syracuse masqueraded as UE
members to hold recognition under
the contract. Finally they were so
thoroughly exposed by UE that
GE recently announced it wouldn’t
deal with them.
The IUE held a meeting Mar. 3
at which they brought in as speak-
ers R. J. Thomas, defeated Auto
Workers president who is heading
the CIO disorganizing committee
in Schenectady, and Frank Fiorillo,
Less than 60 people turned up for
-—the_mecting._The_ere
call for a strike vote to be taken
at a meeting Mar, 8, to protest
GE’s refusal to recognize the IUE
leaders.
By Mar. 8 it became so apparent
that the workers weren’t going to
(all for the strike idea that a few
hours before the meeting it was
postponed indefinitely “because of
the weather.” The company ruling
still stands.
The IUE leaders were trying to
take the workers out on strike to
establish privileges and authority
for the Carey agents. But they
have refused to take any action to
light the scandalous speed-up and
other bad working conditions they
have allowed to develop,
Last Sunday Dewey Brashear,
301 Executive Board member, ad-
dressed a UE meeting at Syracuse
and contrasted the working condi-
tions in Schenectady with the de-
cidedly bad Syracuse conditions.
Newspapers recently played up
the fact that a court decision void-
ed an injunction UE had obtained
limiting the Syracuse IUD leaders
expenditures, UE didn’t even op-
pose the motion to vaeate this in-
junction. The IUE group had
already spent the union’s funds
and the check-off money is tied up
in court.
wie eect
301 Pays Tribute to Hodges on Retirement
William Hoages, former Ul-dul vice president, center, receiving a hand-
shake and a gift suitease*from 301 Treasurer Henry Kaminski at a
dinner at 301 hall last Saturday. 301 President William J. Kelly, right,
presided. More than 125 union members attended the affair to honor
Hodges, who has retired from the plant after 34 years’ service. Hodges
expressed regret at leaving in the midst of the fight to preserve the
union and declared he would aid UE in every possible way.
Now Carey Admits Ford Pension Plan is Phony
Two weeks ago the “Imitation UE” told GE workers in a leaflet tha
the IUE really worked outa pension agreement with the Phileo Corpor
tion. But on March 9 an official news release was given the papers Bb
Carey’s IUE office. Here is a paragraph from the IUE statement:
“Carey pointed out that such a
delay in working out the exact fin-
aneial details of a complex pension
program is the rule, not the ex-
ception. The CIO Auto Workers
agreement with lord was reached
last September, he recalled, but
details of that pension plan are
still being formulated.”
UE told its members a long time
ago that Ford pension agreement
was a phony and a sell-out, but
we hardly expected Carey to ad-
mit it, ‘
The Carey announcement said
“final arrangements of details”
were being worked out in the Phil-
co pension plan. But when you read
further down you find that all
they’ve been talking about is what
kind of bonds the pension should
be invested in. .
The Westinghouse Airbrake pen-
sion and insurance plan negotiated
by UE is the one important pen-
sion that has really been worked
out in full and acted on by the
membership.. It is vastly better
than’ the Steel, Ford and Philco
plans can possibly be, if and when
they are worked out. The UE mem-
bership at Westinghouse Airbrake ‘
rejected repeatedly attempts by
the company to make them accept:
the Steel plan,
Elmira UE Stewards Ask
GE-Werk Stoppage-- --
The Stewards’ Council of UE
Local 310 at the Elmira GE plant
voted last Friday to ask the GE
Conference Board of UE locals to
eall a national work stoppage in
the GE chain in protest against
GI’s refusal to extend the con-
tract,
It accused GE of “openly invit-
ing the IUE. and every other cle-.
ment to help in its drive to bust,
down our contract conditions.”
Did You Know ?
_According..to..U._S.. government___..
figures, only one out of 20 younger
workers covered by pension plans
can expect to work long enough
for one employer to receive a pen-
sion,
10 Cent Increase
A wage increase of 10 cents an
hour, plus health and life insur-
ance paid. by. the company, has
been won by UE at Newark Gear
Ine, Newark, Nv J,
DEMAND NLRB ELECTION AT GE BEFORE APRIL 1
