Electrical Union News, 1951 May 11

ELECTRICAL UNION /NEWS

Tuesday, May |,

- Cost of Living Figures Misleading

Charging that use of, Department of Labor price

* index figures constitutes a fraud against labor, the
United Electrical, Radio & Machine Workers of Am-
erica (UE) announced today that it is demanding a

. formal investigation by the Senate Coriimittee on ~

o

Education and Labor. ‘
2 “Although figures issued by other government
departments and industrial sources prove that the.
cost of living of the average American worker has in-
creased at least 162 percent since 1939, mobilization:
agencies use the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ false fi-
gures to claim an increase of only 83 percent,” UE
charges. « eg a oe ,
~ ‘The Union is demanding that Sabilization Direc-
, .tor Eric Johnston and all stabilization. boards or
agencies be restrained from using the misleading
Department of Labor figures as a basis for wage
regulation. ee ee ee . ;
., Announcement of the demand for an investiga-
tion of the BLS Consumer Price Index and the use
“ that is made of it was. made by UE.-Director of Or-
ganization James J. Matles at a press, conference’ in
Washington last Tuesday.: a .

_ He revealed that the UE Research Department,
after a study extending over several month, has pre--
pared a cost of living index, “The Facts about High
Living Costs.” The UE index, largely based upon of-_

ficial government data ignored by the Department,” ,

7 -“of Labor, overcomes the distortions of the BES in-
dex to give a:more realistic measure of changes in
living costs. The UE study supplements and brings
up to date the CIO-AFL ‘report prepared -in 1944 ,
with the active participation of UE. - - ‘

_ The following table compares living costs as cal-.
culated: in the U.B. study, with figures issued by.
INDEX OF PRICES AND LIVING COSTS ~
* (BLS Consumers’ Price Index and UE Cost'of Living: Index): -
: 1989 — 10000 2m

~All Items
: o BLS UE.
1939 100.0. 100.0
1945 129.2. 181,
1950° (1st Quarter) 167.8 230.7
. 1951, (January) 182.7 262.5

‘i ° ms : ,

Between January 1950 and January 1951, the
UE index shows an-‘increase in living costs of 14’ per-
cent, while'the BLS reported 9 percent. ~~

Mr. Matles revealed that UE statisticians had’

calculated that the disparity between BLS figures -
and the real increase in the cost of living since Jan-
uary 1951, would be even greater. « *

He called attention.to the fact that Stabilization
Director Eric Johnston has announced that his: of-
fice will revise its 10 percent wage freeze order on
the basis of.cost of living figures ‘for. April. -

Past and contemplated use of BLS’ false mea-

- sure of cost of living increases in calculating wage
_ » freeze regulations constitutes a fraud upon labor,
_. Mr. Matles charged. _ pote

St ~Upon this point the UE study declares:

‘A correct index of cost of living changes is to-
day. perhaps the most important of all statistical
measures..Cost.

iving. changes.are.of. vital. impors....«.

‘ tance in both collective bargaining and public policy
decisions dealing with wages and prices, taxes and.
social legislation. Cost of living developments are of
particular importance in collective bargaining nego-
tiations setting wage rates and in determining the
wage reopening clauses of ‘contracts. . :

Mr. Matles made it clear that the UE has always

-opposed tieing wages.to any~cost of living’ index.

Employers have always used BLS figures against

‘unions in resisting wage increases, he declared. In
normal times unions who.are unwilling to freeze

". their members’ standard ‘of living are able in col- .
lective bargaining. to defeat these efforts. ~~
Today, however, he said, the Government’ has
joined the employers in seeking :to freeze wages to
the fraudulent BLS calculations-and both have been

_joined by some labor leaders ‘who’ should know
better...’ 3 8a pene eS

* Wages shoult not be tied down to an index, even
can honest one, the UE contends.:To accept BLS fig-

_ures, long. exposed as fraudulent, is inexcusable.

First that it is not a cost of living index at all,*
in that it does not even attempt to measure changes ~.
in the necessary: expenses. of.a.worker and his fam-
ily. The BLS index was formally entitled a ‘Cost

_.of Living Index.’’ When the fraud was exposed. -
by labor in 1944, the BLS,. instead of correct
ing its fraudulent statistics, changed the name of the

. index, but did ‘not in any way change or attempt to
“change its use‘as an official governmnemental mea- ,
sure of changes in.the cost of living. es:
Second, the UE. charges that the BLS index is
not.even.an honest index of prices, but is manipula- __,
ted, loaded and biased by a great Variety of means O
to give a dishonest reflection of the real trend of ~”

_ prices. a ae,
‘ The UE study points out that the U, 8. Gove-
ernment, although applying the fraudulent BLS fi-
gures to the wages of labor, does not use them in cal-:
culating parity for farm price supports. _ a

For this purpose the Department of Agriculture
prepares its own index, the BAE index. .

A comparison of 76 identical items on which
both BLS and BAE publish price figures reveals that
the BAE reports a ‘higher price increase than BLS |
on 56items..The BAE price figures run higher than:
BLS by as much as 101 percent. . -

": ‘The UE study reports:: . : ~
_\ “The BAE index of prices paid. by farmers for
commodities used in family living in January 1951.
(1935-39—100), stood. at 210, as compared with 181.
for the BLS Consumers’ Price Index.”
The UE study further states: “
“The discrepancy is not due to technical ignor-
ance, but due to the different fwictions of the in-
-dexes. The BAH index is used: to put a floor under
the prices received by farmers. ;
“The BLS index_is used to put a ceiling on,
wages The lower the BLS index stays, the higher go *

the profits.of the big corporation. ...--_-__-_-_._.. ..

“We in the UB believe it is proper that, the De-
partment of Agriculture should be pro-agriculture.
-What we condemn is the fact that the Depa

% : : «*

- Etec

rtment ;
of Labor. is.anti-labor.! 0/0. gecanl (a) coal!

c

TricaL U

e

NION News :

THE VOICE OF THE UNITED ELECTRICAL, RADIO & MACHINE WORKERS. OF AMERICA — LOCAL 301, ULE.

Vol.'9 —-No. ?

-* SCHENECTADY, NEW YORK -

Friday, May 11, 19510

ULE. Forgery Exposed

A recent. leaflet issued by the .LU.E.

featuring an alleged leaflet distributed’

by the U.E. in Canada was exposed as.a

forgery upon‘receiving information from

the Canadian _]
The LUE, ran an article printed in
the. Evening. Tribune of Welland, On-
tarios.on-March 17, Two days later the
yame paper, oft March 19th, ran the fol-
lowing retraction: 1 .
“Representations made this morning by.
members. of the exeeutive of U.E, Local
528 have assured The Tribune that. the
pamphlet announcing the Peace meeting,-
on which editorial comment was based
on Saturday, was not published by U.E.
Local 523 and that organization had no
responsibility. for its issue, ‘This Being .
so, Wwe are prepared to state frankly that
the comments made in. the. editorial re-
ferred to were ‘not. justified since” they”
“wie not based on fact. The Tribune re-,
grets it was Jed lo accept the pamphlet
as bona: fide’ when, to the best_of” our:

die. —Editor of The Tribune.”

- Wage Meetings to Resume:

Joseph Dermody, Secretary of the UE- ~~

GE Conference Board and member of the

-ugotiations Committee, sent the follow.

GE-UE to Resume Nego lations

ft BEYZAS

_ knowlédge now it was.entirely unautlien-

House Committee ‘to

The joint Stewards-Membership meet. °
ing went on record last Monday to in-

AWEUCO

In response to ‘a ‘formal request by
U.E., the House Labor Committee is go-
ing to investigate the U.S. Dept. of La-
bor's cost of living index. The ULE, in
a recent expose of, fraudulent, B.S.
‘cost of living index figures, released the
startling news that the cost: éf living

had ‘inereased 1625% ‘since 1950, rather ;
‘than’ 8896 as claimed bythe Dept, of |

‘Labor, «1

Although this thoroughly documented
news story was: released sto all news serv-
ices ab a press conterenée on April 24,7
it was deliberately left out of all big
business controlled papers, —
“Major Shortcomings: ofethe Bus. In-
dex Tare: failure to. take account of
changing living requirements, which in-
creases ost,
und choice, of commodities not represen-
tative- of those used by wage carners;
falure to take in aceount quality, deteri-
oration; Various types of statistical man-
ipulatic which almost always lower

“the sipmiticant increase in workers’ liv.

ing letter, to G. H. Pfeit, ‘Manager of

Union Relations. for General Electric:

“Mr, G. Hy Pfeil, Manager
Union Relations
Executive Department.
General Electric Company
570 Lexington Ave. -
New York 22,.N. Y, ; :
orca ae _ May 8, 1951
“Dear Mu Pfeil: - :
“At the last mecting of Union: and

Company: representatives on ‘April 24),

1951 there was, no definite time set for
the next negotiating mecting. *,. .
“fn our telephone conversation this
morning, you, agreed to my suggestion
that the next wage negotiating meeting
take place following the Union’s Con-
ference Board meeting in Erie on Sun-
day, May 18, 1951,. I will call you re-
garding the arrangements. : a
“This “will confirm our understanding.
Very truly yours,
/s/ Joseph Dermody
International Representative”

ing cost, resulting from higher Federal
income and Social Security taxes.

Erie G. E. Acts on

| Company Offer

The GLE. workers in Evie, members of
Locul 506 U.E., rejected the Company’
offer of 9 cents per hour at the last reg-
ular membership -mecting.

In a-resolution; which was unanimous.

ly approved by the membership, it states:

“WHEREAS the Company has not
engaged in real collective. bargaining -
on these demands but has attempted
to avoid negotiations of our just de-
mands and instead attempts to foree
the acceptance: of an inadequate wage
increase based on an’ unjustified wage
freeze, phony cost of living figures and
a sell-out TUB escalator clause; and
“RESOLVED that UE LOCAL 500

recommend to the National UE Con. ©

and failure to allow at all for> |

tee to continue negotiations for a more
adequate offer front the Company,
“Joseph Dermody, Secretary of the UE-
General Eleetrie Conference Board, made
a report to the meeting on the negotia-
tions; pointing” out that the present offer
of.9 cents and a refusal by the Company +
to climinate the present inequalities on
day work rates and women’s rates was-
not satisfactory and did not meet the
needs of the péople. Dermody said that
the present 10% W.S.B. formula would

undoubtedly be: revised upwards beeaiise

of the increased cost of livi

tremendous record profits being made
by companies in the face of frozen
wages, He pointed out thatu number of
settlements already negotiated and pend-

ner.weighing._ing—befaré the board would exceed the
10% formula. ‘ ° red

The War Stabilization. Board has 1200
cases. “before them now. The Secretary
of. the Conference Board explained that
a meeting of the G.E. Conference Board
would be held in Hrie, Pa., on Sunday,

- ‘May 18th, to consider the opinions of. all

the UE-GE ‘Locals, which would result
into certain recommendations to the na+
tional negotiations committee and the
G.E. “Locals, He explained that he had-
contacted the Company and arranged
for the negotiations committee. to meet
and resume wage’ talks. .
Local: 801 will call a special member-
ship meeting following the , meetings
with the Company to ‘consider the status
of the wage negotiations at that time.
"A ‘¥eport was made to the membership
by the House Committee. Also, a finane-
ial statement for the month of April was
distributed, acted upon and accepted,

-A trial committee of nine members was

elected; two from the second shift and
seven from the first and third shifts.

ferenceBoard of GE workers that. the
UE National Negotiating Committee
be instructéd to gontinue negotiations
for an more adequate wage increase
which will more nearly mect the needs
and demands of all GE, workers.”

IE

“itor
Pied e

ws,

Which lected) Union leadership is. re-
-quired to conform, in:order to use the

ELECTRICAL UNION NEWS

IUE Lies to Cover Up

Lying, name-calling, and fear have

“heen and still are the tools used by the

LU.E. to cover up. their, sellouts and-dis-
ruption progrim. during, their existence
since 1949. The results of their wark
cost every GE. worker, in the form of
lesser carnings, impaired working con-,
ditions: and less job security, Let's louk
at the record—

Wages

Refore LUE. After LUE.

_ per hour 1949 —0
1H4T—11 ee ‘per hour 1960 — 10¢
: Extra Vacition “a
Holidays ; 1W951L— fe
1948— 84% per hour
~The same fecord: prevails on all issues
affecting working conditions and job >
curity for G.E. workers since the exist-
dice of the LUE, a
Trying to discredit aman and: his fam-

ily. by lying and name-calling cannot

cover up the dishonest record, establish-
ed by the irresponsible leaders of the:
LUE, who. were’ imported from out of

town and whose individual recards-are >
-blank”and-are kept a. mystery.

In other columns of this paper are ex”
amples of the distortion of fact, which
mbolizes the MULE, and thé deliberate

lying they resort to, relating to

used as. ULE. organizers; and meetings
valled in Canada.

. While pursuing their un-. Aicestieamn ace

tivities of carefullys laid plans of subot-

ave and disruption, they chi ree oth: rs

‘with being traitors to their country, tre-

ine only to distract attention from what
they themselves are doing.

Yoday there is one rule in effect hy
law and enoreed by Government, with

NVLR.G. That rule affects all and car-
vies the same penalties if, there is any
act of misrepresentation or fraud. The
Tatt-Hartley affidavit has been, signed
for the past three’ years by officers of
U.E. Leen] 801 and has been accepted.

<The membership went on. record, on
the recommendation: of the officers, to

support the U, S. Government in the

Korean War. i
«While we have done these things as

ELECTRICAL UNION NEWS

Untren Brrerricat, Ranio & Macuine
Workers or America

Scnunectapy-GE-Loaat 301 UR
= a
Published by the Editorial Committee

Prosident. WILLIAM 2. KR RULY
Vice-President, JOSEP MANGING
Ttrcarding Secretar, JOUN P, GRERN
Axs't Tlecarding Secretary FRANK We aAaMico
Treasurer, HENRY KAMINS]
Chief Shap Stewnre AMES COASET TS
Bualnesa Agent. ... LAO ANDREA

301 LIBERTY ST, SCHENTOTADY, NY

Porm NEIUE tost
(e4ny

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.
NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS BOARD

AFFIDAVIT OF NONCOMMUNIST UNION OFFICER

Gee intuctions on reverse) it

°

The undersigned, being duly sworn, deposes and says:

1. Lam a responsible oflicer of the union named below.

2. Iam not a member of the Communist Party dv afMtliated with such party. ©.

, 8 do not believe in, and Iam.not a wiomber ot; nor do I support, any, organization that believes. in,
or teaches the overthrow of the United States Government by force or by uny illegal.or uncon- ;

stitutional methods,

. w

{SEAL]

local. naan and nut

which it ia mn atl

pie ,
« Signature \Ze af

GIGNATURE)

ALMA DeCESARL ue
Commissioner ot mS
Schenectady NW. ¥

Commission canes 2, ler.

: WARNING. ~The altention of persons filing thia form with the Board is directed to Suction 85 (A) of the criminal code,
which provides that any person willfully making or cauaing to be made any false or fraudulent slatements or representations
in-any matter within the Juriadtetion ‘of the Bourd shall be Aned not more than, $10,000 or Imprisoned got more than 10 -

yeara, or both,

a _tomasono-t

Union men and women and as good loyal
Americans, we have fought anti-unioii
politicians embarked on union-busting
investigations, and, we will still continue
to protect our Union and its. - members
from. these politiciins.

Believe It or-Not!

Do you realize that if G.E. paid you.

just for the increased profit it is making
on you, over and above the profit it made
on you in 1945, which was $940.00 on
each worker, you would receive an in-
crease of, $2,242 per'year or $1.00 per

hour. That makes the 82¢ per hour wage

demand pretty modest,

Even after the 38¢ ineréase per hea
G.E's profit per worker would be $2,542
per year.

No one would ‘expect GE. to pay you
for doing nothing,’ But why should G.E.

" get away with ont paying you for doing

Another I.U.E. Lie

The I.U.E. has ¢luimed in leaflets and
over television that David Greenglass,
convicted spy, Was once a U.E. organizer,

“The officers of U.E. Local 301 made
an investigation into this elaim and

- found that David “Greenglass - never

worked for the U.E. nor did he ever rep-
resent the U.E. in any ¢apacity whatso-
ever.

This lie- has heen repeated time and
again by ILU.E., along with other lying

_ statements,

Their program has*ta be pitched on
untruths and outside issues in order ‘to
cover up their sell-outs on economic is-

sues., The ILU.E. leadership feels that if »

you lie often enough, and. big’ enough,
someone will be gullible enough to he-
lieve it,

* something,

Since 1945 every GE. worker has

upped his production tremendously.-

“who have not yet joined the Communist Party.”

Friday; May, 11, 1951 ELECTRICAL UNISIIN NEWS

(REPRINT. FROM CAN LLAN U.E. NEWS OF MARCH 23, 1951)

Warning -—
On Guard Against |

FORGERIES, |

Intended to Smear the Union
THE WORK GF WELL-KNOWN UNION- BUSTERS

THE FORCES attacking and wadding UE can now be expected to. break ‘out with a>
whole series of forgeries in their attempts to weaken the union and take away the
_workers' protections. They have already stooped to such levels. in the Niagara -

Peninsula where they have had no success in’ 1’ disrupting the organization by any
means.

‘On.Friday of last. week, a crude forgery in ;
the form of avleaflet was -left, in" hotel wash- we ; . . ; a
rooms and strewn around plant gates-in Wel- . : b
land, St. Catharines, and- Niagara Falls.
_ It was intended to appear as a joint UE-com-
munist leaflet, The same stupid trick and.man-
ner of die tnbution has, been used previously by
anonyinous ‘red-smear artists, THE UNITED ELE TRICAL AD
The Welland-Port Colborne TRIBUNE the a ‘ SVORKERS RapIo AND, M *CHINE
next day, Saturday, published an editorial . ‘
based on the forgery, also attacking the union. ‘4 _—~, SWRE SPONSORING A

After a delegation went to, the editor on Mon- P C a L

day a retraction’was printed.
SUNDAY, MARCH t8th, AT 2:00 PLN

The forgery leaflet stated that US was spon.
soring a ‘Peace Rally at whieh “Comrade”
AT THE U.E. HALL a 16 STEEL ST., WELLAND

Endicott of the: Canadian - Peace Conference
would be main speaker. The Rally was actual-
ly sponsored by the Welland Peace Council.
The forgers used alf the rotten, phrases of . :
the red-baiting employer presss “Communist: MAIN SPBAKER:
Poland? — “Tron Curtein” — “Communist Ag- © a ee ‘ ai
gression” — and a special invitation to “people -: _ 4d. G. ENDICOTT, of TORONTO,

Comrade Endicott has just returned fromeCommunist Po-
land, and other countries behind the Iron Curtain.
Comrade Endicott will explain

Just read the crude smear attempt—and ask
yourself if you cannot ‘see the similartiy be-
tween it and those labor renegades of the IUE- ! F
CIO, the CCL, and. the Steelworkers whose *s oo “Why he supports Communist aggression in- Korea

only weapon against’ UE is boss-inspired ‘red- ‘ — Why Soviet Russia needs 214 million men under arms

baiting, thy ; eonserintion i
‘At a meeting on Monday night in ‘Tordnto — Why there should be no conseription in Canada

the IUE produced this forged document as Hl — How much happier people are under Communist tule.
“proof? for their wild charges and: to provide ? .
an excuse for their whole union-wreeking pro- ch OTHER SPE AKERS .
gram, Leading UE. and Communist members in the Niagara
“The forgers picked the Niagara Peninsula 5 District,
for their first target because there UE has es- s :
A SPECIAL INVITATION

tablished the highest rates in Canadian manu-
facturing industry.. These forgers want to People who have not yet joined the Communist Party will
split, the ranks so as to prevent UE workers he particularly weleome at this meeting, where you will
vetting any more ineredses, The GE warkers "i _have a chance to meet and talk with leading Canadian
in ‘Toronto were given the second dosé ofthe” * Communists, ‘The Communist: Party’ seeks the way of

forgery filth precisely because they are now peace under the leadership of the great leader Stalin.
negotiating for more money—which the union-

wretkers are trying to prevent at, all costs, : : COME ONE .- - COME ALLE!
Beware of similar attempts at union-busting > & For further information contact:
in your own Loeal or plant! In their despera- M. Bosnich, ULE. Business Agent, Phone 4340

tion. the frustrated enemies of the UE will . Doug Campbell, Chairman Welland Seetion LPP,
sfoon to any denths to confuse and divide the : ~ Phone'7087

workers asa prelude to the ewplovers? attacks
on your cnntract gains and living standards,