ELECTRICAL UNION NEWS
May 29, 1947
Shop | Committeemen Take Oath of Office at Union Hall
George Walker, guide, with back to camera, swears in a
group of Local 301 shop stewards. Left to right, John Brack-
and Lanson L. Cole, Bldg. 53.
en, Bldg. 66; A. F. Aussicker, Bldg. 95; Woodrow Griffith,
Bldg. 53; Harold A. Ferro, Bldg. 69; Sydney Lupe, Bldg. 89,
Timing Rate Case
Sent to Howell
~ Loeal 301 this week sent to Works
Manager J. M. Howell its demand that.
the company enforce, with back pay, the
contract provision under which the step
rate plan raised some piece work .tim-
ing rates from % cent to 444 cents an
hour. It applied to prices set after April
30, 1946.
The provision reads:
“New incentive prices will be set on
the basis of the established step rate
plan for incentive workers,”
A committee of representatives who
found that in their departments the old
timing rates, from 2 to 4 cents below the
correct ones, had been applied, met with
A. C. Stevens, assistant to the general
superintendent, to discuss the casé last
Thursday. The complaints were | from
Bldgs. 14, “49,. and 60.
Stevens contended that “the inums
means where new figuring or new time
studies are. required,” the new rates
should apply, and that he did not recog-
nize it as applying to prices set by com-
parison, estimate, or by tables.
Where the lower rate was used in time
‘studies, it would be corrected, Stevens
said... The cases discussed involved main-
_ ly comparison, estimate, and PR tables. _
In such cases, Stevens argued, the change-
in timing rate did not apply. If the
workers were generally able to make
their AER on such prices, the company
considered that. the clause:had been com-
plied with. He'cldimed that comparisons
and‘ estimates: ‘wéré not: accurate enough
to be affected by the change - in timing
base rate.
The committemen insisted that the
contract clause meant what it said, and
762 New Members |
William Stewart, chairman of
the Organizing Committee, report-
ed 762 new members enrolled in
Local 801 as of Tuesday, since the
start of the organizing drive.
A. dollar will be paid to each 801
member for every application card
turned in through Monday, June 2,
that where the timing rate basis for
either a table or an estimate. price had
been raised by 2 to 4 percent, and the
new prices were not adjusted according-
ly, the prices were necessarily off by
those percentages.
Representing the union in the case
were Board Members William Stewart
and Michael Tediseo, and Committeemen
George Weighiman of Bldg. 14; Leland
Bellinger,-William-Spellman, James. Hayy
Frank’M. Marcley and Charles Wood. of
49; and Roy Lash, Emmett Brennan, R.
H. Reisinger and Robert Schulenburg of
60. They were assisted by the -uni
grievance committee of President:
drew Peterson, Recording Secretary
Helen Quirini, Chief Steward William
Mastriani, and Victor Pasche, GRsiRtia,
to the business agent.
Denounces Anti-Labor Bil
The Rev. Robert S. Hoagland, minister
of .All Souls Unitarian Church, has an-
nounced that as an individual he de-
nounces the Omnibus Labor Bill “as a
“savage instrument for “depitiving Ameri-
ean citizens of hard-won advantages,”
NO MORE FREE RIDERS
TEETER een HE PP TET VR RE
: , : . ty Mee e fe af
Third Shift Group
Asks Quick Action.
A group of over 100 third shift Tur-
bine workers at a meeting in 801 Hall
Tuesday called for speedy settlement of
their grievances about working hours.
They directed union officers to tell
local GE management they are tired of
delay and demand immediate adjust-
ment. The workers said they are on the
third shift as a matter of convenience to
the company, not to themselves.
There are two major complaints.
The group works 6% hours a day for
five days and then has to work until
noon Saturday to complete a 40-hour
week. They want a straight eight hour
day, five days a week,
At present they get only time and a
half, instead ‘of.double time, for working
the seventh da:
Third shift workers point out that the
eight hour day is possible by letting
shifts overlap. There are enough idle
machines to make this plan feasible.
Business Agent Leo Jandreau and Wil-
liam Kelly, assistant to the business
agent, met with the group Tuesday.
Men Without a Union
The United Auto Workers, CIO, has
refused a charter to the former UE Lo-
eal 411 group at the National Pneumatic
Co., Rahway, N. J. The leader of the
secession, Robert Funk, was active in
the “Committee for Democratic.;:Action”
headed by James B.. Carey: and Harry
Block. The. United Steelworkers ‘turned
down Funk before he tried to beg a:
charter from UAW.
THE GOAL—100 PER CENT UE SHOP
3
THE VOICE OF THE UNITED ELECTRICAL, RADIO & MACHINE WORKERS OF AMERICA—LOCAL 301 CIO
Vol, 5—No. 20 ao
SCHENECTADY, NEW YORK
June 6, 1947
Ask Truman Veto Taft-Hartley Bill
Labor Department
Names Conciliator
To UE-GE Dispute
BULLETIN: About 250 workers in
Bldg. 81 left their jobs at-3 p.m. Wed-
nesday (as this week’s issue of EU News
went to press). The stoppage was in
_ protest against GE refusal to arbitrate
grievances, Only, six people stayed in
the shop. They were offered overtime
five minutes before the stoppage.
U. S. Conciliator John A. Rooney has
been assigned: by the federal Depart-
ment of Labor to the Schenectady in-
dustrial dispute over the General Elec-
trie Co. violating its contract with UE
by refusing to arbitrate grievances.
After a series of stoppages at the
plant, Business Agent Leo Jandreau tele-
graphed Lewis Schwellenbach, U. S. Sec-
retary of Labor, May 28 requesting a
conciliator be sent here.
“All grievance steps have been ex-
hausted and company flagrantly violates
arbitration provision”, the wire stated.
“There already have been seven pro-
test stoppages within the past week as
(Continued on Page 3)
‘Money for Strikers
The 4 membership, meeting May 28
voted a $100 donation for the 10,000 CIO
worker's on strike against R. J. Reynolds
Tobacco Go., Winston-Salem, N. C, The
company produces Camel cigarettes and
Prince Albert tobacco, Strikers belong _
to. the Food, Tobacco Agricultural and
Allied Workers Union, CIO.
A donation of $100 was voted for the
telephone workers strike.
Copies of Contract for All
The 801 membership meeting May 28
directed -union officers to buy 5,000
copies of the GE contract, in order to
have a supply available for all. members
who ask their stewards for. copies. If
the supply is-exhausted, officers are an-
thorized to order more.
JO] Queen Contest
Draws New Entries
Bonnie Evans P. Brzezinski
Four more girls have entered the con-
test for queen of the Local 301 field day.
They are Bonnie Evans, Bldg. 16, cap-
tain of the 301 girls basketball team
and a member last
seer year of the. UE
girls’ softball team;
Pauline Brzezinski,
Bldg. 68; Ann Koval,
Bldg, 81, and Rose
De Versa, Bldg. 53.
There are now 12
_in the race, as the
following ~ contest--~
ants were announced
previously: Angie
D’Blisiis, Bldg. 285;.
Helen _ Zielinski,
Bldg. 28; Carmela M. Perrica, Bldg. 60;
Stacia Roicki, Bldg. 269; Mary Bonezyk,
Bldg. 46; Bernice Blusis, Bldg. 58;
Evelyn Haras, Bldg. 29, and Jean Gonia,
Bldg. 66.
Field day will be June 29 at Pete and
Sally’s Grove, Upper Albany St. The
Activities Committee is planning a full
Helen Zielinski
program of sports, dancing, entertain- -
ment, prizes and refreshments.
Reynolds Is Ill
George Reynolds, second shift steward
in Bldg.- 60; was taken ill May 29 at
work. He will be out for a month,
Deadline Nears;
Write Kearney,
Ives and Taylor
Only a few days are left in which to
convince President Truman he must veto
the labor-smashing Taft-Hartley bill.
Every: 301 shop steward should make
sure NOW that every man and woman in
his group sends a postcard to the White
House urging a veto of this bill.
Already thousands of GE workers
have sent messages to President Tru-
man, but thousands more must speak up.
Some of the messages in the past men-
tioned anti-labor legislation in general.
Now there is one particular bill to con-
centrate on, the combination Taft-Hart-
ley bill which was agreed on by a Con-
ference Committee of the Senate and
the House of Representatives. The bill
may be on President Truman’s desk by
the time this week’s EU News is printed.
Getting a veto is vital, but it’s only
half the job. The veto must be upheld
in Congress. That means that some Sen-
ators and Representatives who voted for
the Taft-Hartley bill must change their
vote ifthe bill is sent back to Congress.
_.. Write Senator Irving Mi-Ives at once.
demanding that he- change _ his vote.
Workers who live in the Congressional
district of Representative Bernard W.
Kearney should demand that he change
his vote. Representative Dean Taylor
of Troy voted wrong too, so write him
if you live in his district.
These letters, postals or telegrams
should be sent at the same time the mes-
sages are sent to President Truman.
There won’t be time to atart a campaign
after a veto. Congress might over-ride
the veto the very day the bill is sent back
from the White House.
Support for City Mission
A gift of $100 for the City Mission
was voted by the 801 membership meet-
ing May 28, The Mission is.a shelter run
by private charity, not by the city.
peer ar ne crn mm ne mara se ma .
2 tytn RRL re
ELECTRICAL UNION NEWS
‘June 6, 1947
Members Approve Changes in Constitution;
Simplify System of Nominating 301 Officers
Several changes in the Local 301 constitution recommended by the Consti-
tution Committee were. voted by the combined membership and stewards’ meeting
May 28.
Important alterations were made in rules for nominating officers and in sec-
tions concerning shop stewards, in addition to changes in various other parts ‘of
the constitution.
Nominations for officers will be made
from the floor of the November mem-
bership meeting and will not be limited
in number. The old provision was for
nominations to be made at.a committee-
men’s meeting in November and submit-
ted to a membership meeting that month
for approval or change. Nominees will
be: informed by registered mail-of their
nomination and must accept - within
three days in order to appear. on. the
ballot as candidates. An Election Com-
mittee of 25 members will be elected
from the floor at the November general
membership meeting to direct the elec-
tions. 7
These changes to suiplity the election
machinery follow the UE model consti-
tution for locals, the Constitution Com-
‘mittee pointed out. The committee in-
eludes Edward Wallingford, chairman;
Blanchard Mowers, secretary; Frank
Emspak, George Walker and Roy Lash,
acting in conjunction with Leo Jandreau,
business agent.
It’s Officially ‘Shop Steward’ Now
“Shop representative” and “shop com-
mitteeman” are out-of-date terms now.
The constitution has been changed to
make “shop steward” the official title.
The meeting also voted to have new but-
tons made with the label “shop steward”.
The constitution has been changed to
provide that any shop steward who is
absent twice in succession from general
*“Heetitips “of ‘shop “stewards-will be auto-—
matically dropped as a steward, unless
excused by vote of the Executive Board.
(Under the new GE contract stewards
have top seniority in their departments
in event of layoffs.)
"A new sentence is: “A shop steward
must have the approval of the Executive
Board to represent ‘members outside of
ELECTRICAL UNION NEWS
Unitep EuxerricaL, Rapio & MacHIne
Workers or America; CLO
Sournrcrapy GE Locat 301
== oa
Published by the Edttortal Committee
William Templeton, Chairman
Mary McCartin, Secretary
Willard Ruschel Victor Pasche
Leland Sisto
Editorial. Office ~ Electrical. Union News
301 Liberty St. + Schenectady, N. Y.
SCHENECTADY PRINTING GOQ., ING, soememena
Membership Drive Nets
810 New Applications
When the membership drive of-
ficially ended‘June 1, a total. of
810 new members had been en-
rolled in Local 301. ;
William Stewart, chairman of
the Organizing Committee, award-
ed the $100 bond first prize to Ant-
hony Villano, Bldg. 37, at the mem-
bership meeting May 28 for sign-
ing up 81 new members, Richard A.
Neilson, Bldg. 69, won a $50 bond
for 25 members and Frank H.
Hiller, Bldg. 285, a $25 bond for
16 members,
The-name of Fred Pacelli, Bldg.
101, has been added to the honor.
roll of stewards, with 100 per cenv
union membership in their groups.
his or her group, working under another
foreman.”
Another new provision is: “In all cases -
of temporary appointments of shop stew-
ards, an, election shall take plage within
15 days ‘of such appointment.”
Statements to the Press
In connection with union members dis-
cussing union matters in the press, the
membership .voted: ‘ :
“Tf any member makes statements
through the press affecting union bus-
iness, other, than authorized union, of-
ficials, before exhausting the procedure
within the union, that action shall be con-
sidered to be an offense against the un-
ion, and shall be subject to Article XXII,
Trials and Appeals, in the Constitution.”
A new section on Trials and Appeals
provides that charges against members
be tried under direction of the general
membership, instead of under the Bxecu-
tive Board and the shop stewards.’
Anothér recommendation approved by
the meeting is to have assistants to the
business agent appointed by the business
agent, subject to Executive Board ap-
proval, insteal of being appointed by the
Executive Board. The meeting adopted
a motion from the floor that this new
provision become effective Jan. 1, 1948.
A motion was passed that enough
copies of the constitution be printed to
supply all 801 members.
Scribner Will Speak
At Veto Day Meeting
As part of the state CIO Veto Day ac-
tivities a citywide meeting of CIO stew-
ards will take place at 8 p.m, ‘Tuesday,
Jan 10, at 801 Hall to urge: President
Truman to veto the Taft-Hartley: bill.
Principal speakers will be . David.
Scribner, general counsel of the inter-
national UE, and Lee Pressman, general.
counsel of the national CIO’ and the:
United Steelworkers of America... All
members of 801, as well as the stewards,,
are asked to attend.
Because of the Veto Day stewards’
meeting, the monthly meeting of 301
stewards scheduled for the past Tues-
day was canceled. The citywide meet-
ing is sponsored by the Schenectady CIO
Coordinating Committee and the Capital
District. CIO ‘Council.
A joint CIO-AFL - protest meeting
against the Taft-Hartley bill is sched-
uled for 7 p.m. ‘Tuesday at Barker Park,
Troy.
Community Group to Hear
Facts in Union-GE Dispute
Local 301 has invited a group of Sche-
nectady merchants, professional ‘people,
clergymen and civic leaders to a meet-
ing at 8 p.m. Monday, June 9, at the
Hotel Van Curler to learn the facts about
the refusal of GE to comply with the
arbitration provisions of the UE con-
tract.
Invitations were sent to nearly 200
business men who sponsored the town
meeting last year, during the GE strike,
to demand that the company bargain in
good faith with the union.
“T¢ the General Blectrie Company can
persist in its present attitude,” the let-
ter announcing Monday’s meeting said,
“Gt will’ mean indistrial strife in this
city and a reduction in the purchasing
power of the workers.”
301 Letter to Truman
Local 801 this week ran advertisements
in both Schenectady tewspapers and the
Washington Post printing the letter
which the union sent President Truman
urging him to veto the Taft-Hartley bill.
The letter pointed out that GE. is vio-
lating its contract with UE by refusing
to arbitrate grievances.
“The reason for this brazen stand by
GE is obvious,” the letter stated. “Its
spokesmen in Congress, its employee at
the head of the U. S. Chamber of Com-
merece, i. C. Shreve, have been working
ceaselessly to enact a law. which would
break unions, and they. are. already. count-
ing their chickens.”
June 6, [947
ELECTRICAL UNIOM NEWS
NEW SHOP STEWARDS being sworn in by George Walker,
Local 301 guide, at extreme left. The stewards, left to right,
are: Martin Picozzi, Bldg. 73-A; Clarence H. Rodenmaker, Bldg, 69.
Bldg. 23; Owen B. Phillips, Bldg. 285; Ignatius Derkowski,
Bldg. 5; John Grasso, Bldg. 81, and William F. Gleason,
Labor Department
Names Conciliator
(Continued from Page 1)
a result. Grievances involved have Nee
pending for six months to one year.”
The Labor Department took an un-
usually long time in acting. Jandreau
didn’t receive a letter announcing Roon-
ey’s assignment until Tuesday. Rooney
had not contacted him by. the time this
week’s EU News went to press.
. Work Stoppages at Plant
The fifth stoppage at the plant took
‘place May 27 when 86 crane followers
in Bldgs. 49 and 60 left work early and
went to the union hall. They held a
protest meeting over GE refusal to arbi-
trate longstanding grievances,
Several demonstrations occurred at
the ‘shops May 28. All the first floor
workers in Bldg. 69, from 150 to 200 peo-
ple, staged a lunch hour meeting to
discuss deadlocked grievance cases.
There was no work stoppage.
‘The 300 workers in Bldg. 78-A also
held a lunch hour protest meeting which
extended to 12:45 p.m., 15 minutes past
the end of the lunch period. They took
up the same grievances which 15 men
from the building had discussed during a
stoppage that Monday. *
Shop Delegates See Foremen
A 15 minute stoppage occurred ‘at 2
p.m. May 28 in Bldgs. 269 and 278, in-
volving about 800 workers. They sent
delegations to general foremen, assist-
ant general foremen and:foremen.
Just before the stoppage occurred, a
“a foreman scurried around his shop
showing warning notices to stewards.
“This is what people will get if there’s
any stoppage here,” he said.
At 8 p.m. that day the 860 workers in
Bldg. .89, most. of them women, left
their jobs to protest the grievance dead-
How to Kill Unions
Here are a few of the worst features
of the Taft-Hartley bill. «It prohibits
the closed shop. It makes it difficult for
a union to even ask for maintenance of
membership or any form of union secur-
ity. It makes it easy for employers to
brealk up unions during organizing
drives. It lets employers stall indefinite-
ly in contract negotiations. It lets the
attorney general get injunctions to stop
strikes for 75 days.
It allows employers to replace strikers
with strike-breakers, These strike-break-*
ers can vote in a NLRB election and de-
stroy the union’s bargaining rights.
It makes it easy to break industrial
bargaining units up into little craft
units. It deprives workers of the free
choice of their officers and representa-
tives. It protects and promotes company
unions,
John Boyle Suspended © “oo
A motion to suspend John Boyle, Bldg.
78-A, as shop steward was passed un-
animously by the combined membership
and stewards meeting May 28.
The Executive Board recommended the
action because of Boyle's failure to at-
mée nes" -of the: local. during the
past year, ‘as required’ by the constitu-
tion, and because of his failure to appear
before the Board to answer complaints
made by members in ‘his shop.
lock. They sent delegations to all their
assistant general foremen.
The Bldg. 89 stoppage took place while
President Andrew Peterson was“at a
wrievance session in Bldg. 41 with Gen-
eral Superintendent Louis Male. Male
broke off the session, but continued the |
meeting next day.
GE Found Unfair
To UE Strikers
A National Labor Relations Board
trial examiner has found the General
Electric Co. guilty of unfair labor prac-
tices in discriminating against workers
who took part in the 1946 UE strike. A
guarantee against discrimination was
one of the conditions on which the strike
was settled. ;
In spite of this agreement, GE later
deducted the strike period from the serv-
ice records of the returned employes.
This deprived the strikers of full senior-
ity rights and affected pensions, vaca-
tions and other matters. GE employs
about 100,000 workers who were on
strike nine weeks last year.
The decision of Isadore Greenberg,
trial examiner, is subject to approval of
the NLRB.
He recommended that GE restore serv-
ice records of all strikers, reimburse
them for “any loss or dimunition in their
seniority or other rights or privileges
they may have suffered” and post 3800
notices in GE plants announcing com-
pliance with the order.
The Greenberg report said GE was
guilty of “interfering with, restraining
and coercing its employes in the exer-
cise of the rights guaranteed in Section
7 of the (Wagner) Act.”
Under the present NLRB set-up, the
matter may not be finally disposed of
for six months or more. The company
has not yet answered the union's in-
quiry as to whether it intends to comply
with the recommendation.
If the Taft-Hartley bill becomes law,
the chances are that the company will
be permitted to continue manipulation of
service records.
