Electrical Union News, 1951 September 28

BY AN OVERWHELMING MAJORITY, the Wworkeis of Schenectady GE have dhosen the

Union they built; UE Local 301, to continue to represent. them, in collective : ‘bargaining with GE.
The vote was: a 7

UE Wn 222-2 -- ==

IUE- Clo ______
Neither sierra
Challenged od saree aire
Void a

0

After three wecks of noise- making, name-calling and disruption, the IUE-CIO: has pulled out
of town.

the General Electric Co. ae oo

_ UE Natichal Negotiations with GE open Wednesday, on the UE’s demands fora sihersitial,

vtictal wage increase, for additional incr cases for the skilled trades, for women, and for i improved
“hsion and insurance plans: . ; .

‘The compan hopes to profit by IUE’s disruption — to attempt’ to impose on Schenectady
wotletes the miserable package they handed the company union IUE.’ It is up to all of us here—

- wihoutwegend for past. affiliation—to show the company that Schenectady GE workers are united
». behind their demands,

, : 7 ae a

The “first big’step oward winning a wage increase,: day w wor ker’? raises, , fair rates on women’s

- jobs, higher rates for the skilled trades and a-better pension Is to MAKE SCHE
100. PERCENT U I 0 NECTADY GE

‘The membership. of UE Local 301 has no quarrel with those who may — been misled ‘into
honest support of TUE in the election. We urge all such workers to unite with. the majority for
better protection and advancement of our interests as GE employees.

i

All GE alk crs have reason to resent the foul campaign of mud-slinging. conducted here by
TUE’s imported goon squads. All of us have reason to resent the unscrupulous meddling of politic: °
“dans in elections... We can all recognize it for what it is, a cheap political payor to CIO officials:
for their subservience to partis san machine politics.

We can: expect the meddling politicians and’ disrupters to continue their sniping from a dis-
tance, in an effort: to steal from GE. workers the ftuits et their victory. FE ee of

By sticking together in UE Local 301 we can win our ¢-demands, improve our condition and
win. new protection and necniity for ourselves and our. families.

Schenectady GE workcrs now, face their main task—-the winning of their demands-from -

‘

) LECTRICAL |

> a THE VOICE OF THE UNITED ELECTRICA, RADIO & MACHINE WORKERS OF AMERICA — LOCAL 301,.U.E.

Vol. 9 — No. 19

SCHENECTADY, NEW YORK:

932 Join UE.
In September

_ The Union office sent. down 932 hew
members and vreinstatements to the

Company, to be added. to the October _

check-off>

This makes a total of 3860 new mem-
bers ‘added to the. membership of U.E,
Local 801 since January 1st of this year,

a period of 9,months. The shop stews“

ards *are instructed to canvass their

groups again and sign up those .people

who are not members.

The .members themselves can assist
the shop steward by checking. with their
fellow workers and make sure: they are
members of the Union.

“Union members in good standing will

be’able to prove their standing next Fri-«

day by: showing their pay stub as being
checked off, with the exception of a few
who pay cash at the Union office, Con-
firmation on a cash payer can be ‘con-
firmed by your steward. There -is no
legitimate excuse for any 'G.E, worker,

who is eligible today, not to join the:

ULE. and support the Union's program
for a higher standard of living.

GE Tries to Leave Day, Skilled, Women Rates

“Friday Sept. 28, 1951

Out of Wage Talks; UE Says Nothing Doing

The UE. National Negotiations Com-
mittee met with the G.E. Company's

_ representatives ‘Wednesday, September,
19th, in New York City, and Sia ted

the Union’s demands.

The Company claimed , they were “not
prepared to-give the Union any final
position on any of the demands at this
meeting. However, they would mect on
Thursday, September 27th, to give their
position.

" 'The Company’s Figures

The Union committee pointed. out that,
while all the demands. presented to the
Company were very important, an in-

‘ergase for the day workers must be dis-

posed’ of: satisfactorily. The Company

presented some figures on wages paid to-

G.E. workers in the form of take-home

” pay, including overtime. The break-

down ‘of these figures confirmed, the im-
portance of the Union’s position on day

workers’ rates. Over 67 percent of the »

hourly rated employees are day workers.

Likewise, the day workers ure receiving

Monday, ‘Oct.

* Report of Convention .
“* Report ‘of Wage Negotiations”

Joint Meeting Members and Stewards

oes 2nd” SHIFT
Monday, Oct. I, 1951 — 1:30 P.M.

; {before work)
Ast, ms 3rd SHIFTS.

lL, 1951 — 7:30 P.M.
' LOCAL 301'HALL
Erie Blvd. and Liberty St.

” EXECUTIVE BOARD OF LOCAL 30! UE.

* Report of Committees
* Regular Order of Business

approximately | $.28 per hour in the aver-

age less than ‘incentive workers.

Must Raise Day Rates

- The Company pointed out that they
thought the wage question..should be
confined to a general increase only, and

that discussing the day workers’ and

craft rates and women’s,rates was not
properly before these negotiations. The

Union committee immediately “infoxmed:.

the Company that wages were'discussed
in the fullest detail over a period of
many years during contract negotia-

tions, we expect the discussions this

year to be conducted ina similar 1 man-
ner, Boe 1

“The Schenectady plant has over 12,000

day workers employed and the day"

workers’ rates are of major importance
to Schenectady, ° 4
Let’s Speak Up

The Executive Board of Local 301 has’

-been instructed to report the details of
the first meeting with the Company to
the shop stewards and the members, in
_order to keep, the membership complete-
ly informed:-on the day-to-day develop-
‘ments on “the negotiations.” Likewise,
“the: ‘Union is.requesting the members to
voice: their feelings to-their shop repre-
sentatives, which will -be relayed to* the
Company. officials. °....

We should remember this — that the
‘issues ‘in these negotiations are very.

simple — first, the G.E. ,aorkers need

‘mareqmoney to. ‘meet with the ever-in-
creasing, cost’. of living: problems, ‘and

seconds the Company is in the best posi-
tion that it has ever been. to pay. The
Company was persuaded by ‘the Union
to pay. an 18 '%4-cent per hour ineease in
1946, when it made a profit of approxi-
mately 70 million. This year.the Com-
pany will ‘make “3 ‘timés as ‘thueh profit,
and with some persuasion, the Company
should not find it difficult to grant*the
G.E. workers their modest demands,

1

RENE

Uzz%i

TATE)

2

ELECTRICAL UNION NEWS

Workmen’ S Compensation
Benefits for Injured ‘Workers

(This isthe “15th in a series of articles an Work-
men's Compensation written aby Leon Novak, the Union's
- -lawyor.) .

The Procedure in a Compensation Case

Many workers have been puzzled by
“what hapjiens in a compensation court
after they have been injured. In the
next few articles I am going to explain
what takes place both in and out of the _
court room after a’ worker has been hurt.
The course which a:case takes differs: in
accordance with the nature of the in-..
jury’ ox the occupational disease. I will, *
therefore, begin by’ describing the sim-
plest type of,case and I will follow. it,
through from the time when the acci-
dent happens to the time when the case
is-closed,

Case #1. On June’ 16) 1950, while
John is sawing some pieces of copper on
a circular saw, he suffers an accident in
which the 4th: and 5th. fingers ‘of his
hand are cut by the blade. He immed-
jately reports to the GE. hospital for
emergency treatment, ‘There he . tells
them about the accident and is seen’ “by
a doctor, “After this treatment John has
the right to, go to his own’ doctor for
further treatment and in doing so it is
not necessary for him to ask for per-
mission from anyone at the plant. At
the same time, his injury is temporarily
disabling, that is to Say that heewill not
be able .to continue his work for a few
weeks. > . : :

Claiming Compensation '

Shortly after™ the accident the Com-
pany, as is requireds:by: law, files a re
port with the Workmen’s | Compensation
Board. deseribing the nature of the acci- ”
dent. ‘The worker*then receives a print-
ed ‘form.from.the Workmen’s Compen-
sation Board which he is asked to fill
out and file with the Board. This is'a
claim for compensation, Normally a
membet..of UE Local. 301 comes up to
the -Union’s attorney where -this claim*
form is filled out and filed for him. .

If there is no question about how the
accident happened and that the. worker
is losing. time from work as a result of
the acciderit, the company will begin to
make compensation benefit payments to
the worker within’ the’ first 18 days aft-
er the’accident, Of course, the company
is nob-obligated to pay for the first ©
week's lost time since this is a waiting.
period which is not paid for unless the
workerloses a total of 36 days. from
work, & :

_. Since _ compensation _ payments: are
based upon the average weekly, earnings ~
for the year before the accident, the,

Company, will very often begin to make .

payments’ at the rate of $80. ‘per week

yy

VWUST DOES THE
SIGN SAY,SAM ?

Joint’ CONGRESS ioWAL COMMITTEE. ON THE ECONOMIC REPORT
SHOWS. TOR MILLION AMERICAN FAMILIES RECEIVE. LESS THAN

4p PERE INCOME

‘temporarily instead of the maximum of

$82 a week, until they have computed
his average earnings after which, if he
has earned enough, they: will pay “him
the difference. During this time the
worker receives treatment from his doc-
tor or from the’ G.E. hospital ‘and is
paid his benefits, He does not hear from
the compensation court until.much later,
In fact, he may: even’ have yeturned to
work before he receives a notice from
the Compensation Board, ,

& Court Hearing

, In ‘this type of injury, usually, Anvolv--
ing either the fingers or hand. an arm

ora leg; the worker will sometimes re-
ceive a. rotice from, the Compensation
Board informing. him that his .case is

taking. the normal course: without any.

objection to the payment of .compensa-

lion and medical bills by the company.

but that'in-a few months he will be call:

ed into court’ for a medical examination «

to determine the extent of his injuries.
Tf the worker has been up to see the

. Union! s lawyer and has signed..the nec- _

essary papers, his. lawyer will also re-

‘ceive notice from the Board to. that ef.
fect. “A few months afterwards, usually
from about 8 months to a yéar after the.

accident, the injured worker receives a
notice from the Board ‘informing him

that he is to appear in court on a certain.

day and hour, The Union’s lawyer re-

eeives a copy of this notice and appears,

to: represent the worker in court on the
day of the hearing.

At this hearing a number of things
take’ “place.. In the first instance, since

the company has already paid out com--

pensation for lost time to the injured
worker, the “referee makes a formal
aw ar for the amount, already ‘paid to.
the worker,
additional payment for’ lost time but
only protects the company by’ a “court

#

This does not mean any:

«order? for what they have already;-paid

waver
‘octane’ Examination

While the worker is in the court ro om,
he is also examined by two doctors, one
of them a doctor on the: payroll of the .
State. The other is a doctor who trepre-
sents the company. The purpose of this |
examination is to“ determine whether the
worker has a permanent injury ‘and it ¢
so how- much of a loss of use he may
have of the limb which was involved. in

the accident, In this. instance, the work- °°
he 4th and 5th -

er, John, has° injured ,
fingers of his hand. The-maximum. com-.
pensation allowable for the 4th} or ring
finger, is 25 | weeks of compensation at
$32 a week, ‘or the sum of $800.

(To Be Continued)

‘on strike Monday, September"

““oecupational seniority
the settlement of” grievances with’ ‘the -
weakened IUE-CIO grievance procedure. :

Friday, Sept. 28, 1951

‘ELECTRICAL UNION NEWS |

...And Now We're Going For A

Woah ULE. Members

Learn the Hard Way

-IUE-CIO Westinghouse sheet

Buffalo are now paying through the nose
by falling for Carey’s lies and ted-bait-
ing of last year, .

Buffalo Westinghouse’. workers went
24th, to
try to get back what they had with U.E.
for years. Last year, when Carey’s IUE-
CIO and* the ° Westinghouse Corporation
worked out a deal'to. split, the “unity of
Westinghouse workers by the’.Company

petitioning for an. election,. ‘the = U.E.
“warned Buffalo Westinghouse workers
that they would Jose theit plant-wide

seniority, weaken: the yrievance’ proced-

“ure: and, lose many of the benefits enjoy- '

ed by them under the U.E. if they voted
for the IUE-CIO. _
Now, after.15 months under IUE-CI0,
these workers are forced strike
against ‘the sellout National IUE-CIO

“Westinghouse Agreement which was ex-

tended until October 1952,
ANY, CHANGES. Westinghotise now
insists that  thigt National) IUE-CIO
Agreement gives them the right ‘to re-
place U.E. plant-wide seniority with 67
units and ‘tie up

‘WITHOUT

Compare this unfortunate position of
IUE-Westinghouse workers with “UE-
Westinghouse people. U.E, has held on
to all its gains in Westinghouse and is

. now, as in the past, engaged in utilizing

the joint strength of its G.E. and West-
inghouse memberships in parallel nego-
tiations for the comimon. good of all of
us. We can congratulate ourselves that

* the. intelligence of the Schenectady G.E.

workers was-such that they were not
stampeded during the -past, two: election
campaigns.. There ‘is. small: reason to

doubt. thas, IUE-CIO workers. Will .soon >,:

be toreed. to fight as Westingohuse | work-

ers are now fighting .— not to “make
gains in their old U.E, agreements ‘but?

to. ‘win back some of the gains lost to
them, by red-baiting I.U.E. misleaders.

ELECTRICAL: UNION NEWS
Untren. Rirereinan, Ranto & Maat Inn
Workers or AMERICA
Scurnretapy GE Locan 301 UE
Qe =
“Published ‘by: ‘the® Editorial Commitéee

President... WILLIAM J. RELLY
Vlea:Presidant JOSEPH MANGINO |
Recording Secreta JOHN RY GREEN
Aas't Reconding Seeretary RANK D'AMTICO
PARHUPOD css HENRY KAMINSWKI

Chief Shop Atewar JAMES COONRTTA
Rusiness Agent. » hRO JANDREAT

801 LIBERTY ST. SCHENECTADY, N. ¥

Petition for Union Secur

Asca
members of U.E. Local 301, following
‘the N.L.R.B. election, the Executive
Board voted. unanimously at its last
_meeting to recommend to the October
membership..mecting that we circulate
a petition for a Union Shop Election. —

Under the Taft-Hartley Act, a Union
‘may negotiate with an employer a
Union Security Agreement provided a
majority of employees in a bargaining

‘cunit vote through .a secret ballot, con-

ducted by the N.L.R.Bi, giving the au-

‘thorization ta their Union to negotiate

such an aargement with an employer.

result of demands from ‘the-

Union.

ty to be Circulated -

To have unk; an election conducted by
N.L:RB.B.,. the petitioning Union must

, show at ‘least 30 percent of the employees
eligible to vote requesting such an elec-

tion. The Executive Board, in making
its recommendation, feels confident’ that
the Union Shop! demand is so popular
that a greater percentage of the. em-
ployees will support it, than, was dem-
onstrated in the NLRB.
bargaining rights: °11,542 votes for
ULE. in the last clestion ‘ave mote than
is required to wit the Union. Shop Elec.

“tion.

1. U. E.-C.1.0. Convention Delegates Buffaloed

Dark clouds of despair, hung over the 1.U.E. Convention in- “Buffalo

from the first to the fifth day. ©

Little Boy Carey did not even crack a

-smile until-the afternoon of the fifth day when the Conveition found

time between. speeches by Taft-Hartley
politicians to raise his salary to. $15,000,
“a substantial raise for Jimimie while he
is ‘trying to persuade GE-IUE members
that, 2% per ‘cent raise is enough for,
them,

Such Disappointments!

Of course, the cause for the LU.E.
gloom was the smashing -victory of
Schenectady G.E. workers on September
ldth, when they routed the IU.E. and
officially buried. it at the polls ahd at
the Subway gate. The I.U.E. Conven-
tion wasn’t a dead’loss for sil that, Dele-
gates were given a series’ “of shots*in _th
moral arm by the cefstant parade. of
Taft-Hartley political allies and profes-
sional red- baiters.

we Another disappaintment to Carey and.

“the IUE- clo" wes’ the fact that G.E.’s
Charles . Wilson couldn’t make it
) Charlie sent his able under-

- Freeze board, and: that was some consol
ation, Little Jim was sympathetic to-
»wards Erie. He remarked, “We'shouldn’t

-judge Mr. Johnson too harshly”. Imagine,

a so-called labor leader being sorry for
& man, who, froze wages and allowed
profits “to rise.avith no limits, Guess

maybe Jim was worried about ‘govern-

ment approval of his own salary boost.

‘ Nothing for Membership

~The ° LUE, Convention ran true to, .

GIO policy. No real program for the

‘problems. of women. or minority groups, .

no policy or ‘program for TUE-CIO GE
workers; no rank and. file discussion’ on
thé -few resolutions jammed through in

the last, two hours of the Convention.”

Eric Johnson, head of the wage ©

Tobin Is Disappointed

Secretary of Labor Tobin told the

‘IUE convention in Buffalo last Thurs-

day, Sept. 19, “I feel profound disap-
pointment ..:. that the vital: Schenee-
tady Plant of the General Electric Co.
is Still in the hands of-a union with Un.~
American leadership ey lt Apparently
the ‘Secretary does not believe that the
pe eofile of this country can and are able
to decide for themselves just what kind
“of country they want to live in. He also”
; believes that the leadership in the shops
“should be deterniiiied by ‘the. politicians
“rather than, by ballot. y , an

“Defining “Une Ainericanism”

Of course any one that comes: out’ t :
fight for the workers .in the. shop. and
* any o¥ganization that: ref ses to,sell out
people they represent,” are generally
classified as ‘tin-American by the Carey-
Tobin clique. This is obvioks by the re-
veent, contracts signed: by the UR, where
even their own, delegates kiek in conven-
“tion at the antics of the IUE leadership’ «
and make it very embarrassing for ‘them ;
to explain awhy UE canchave such coh-
“tracts to ‘protect » apely ‘embers,’ while
UE, fails. mn

An example of. thes se ‘sellouts is the
present’ strike iin ‘the Westinghouse
shops to get back the seniority provis-
ions in their present contract which they
had for many years while in UB. Carey
gave up this seniority ‘protection as ou
result of ‘his emotions with the com-
pany a year Bg. ms '

&

election for-’*