Ta ae coe
UNLON- NEWS
f)
; Friday, January II, 1952
* ELECTRICAL.
¢
ers Hit
iolence -
-A special assistant Federal at-
torney showld be sent to Florida to
prosecute and bring -to justice
those Klan-minded elements. re-
sponsible for the recent racial and
. ‘yeligious violence in the state of
Florida and the, murder of Harry
T, Moore, Florida state-wide co-
ordinator for the National Assoc-
iation for the Advancement, of
Colored People.
That was the unanimous demand
of the UE Local 301 membership
meeting, held January 7 in the
Union Hall, j
Protest. Bombing
Local 801
following
Introdueed by the
FEPC Committee, . the
resolution was adopted:
“UE Local’ 301 ‘condemns the
action of the Klan-minded elements
of Florida for the 18 bombing at-
tuuks in the last three months
against Catholic churches, Jewish
Synagogues and the Negro people
of Morida, ‘
“The most recent oulrage, the
bombing. of the. home.of Harry...
Moore, state coordinator of the
NAAGP, resulted in the murder of
Mr. Moore and his wile., These
actions have aroused resentment .
from liberal and labor ‘organiza-
tions throughout the country.
“The whole world is questioning
the kind of democracy that can
-permit such outrages to go une
“ punished, ,
“We call upon President. Tyu-
man and Attorney-General Me-
Grath to appoint a. special assist-
ant federal attorney to go to Flor-
ida and prosecute and bring ‘to
justice” those responsible for these
actions,”
ELECT CONFERENCE
BOARD DELEGATES
‘UE Local 301’s three dele-
gates to the UE General Elec-
trie National Conference. Board
for the coming year will be Leo
Jandreau, business agent, James
Cognetta, president and Fred
Pacelli. They were elected. at
meetings held January 7. -
- The National Board coordin-
ates national GE bargaining’ |’
policy and strategy and nego- [|
. tiates the GE master contract.
~~ membership meeting.
| Unemployment Insurance Changes
Jisqualify Many Thousands in State’
The changes which’ were made
last year in the Unemployment In-
surance Laws of New’ York State -
so radically affect the fundament-
als of the State’s Unemployment
Insurance system as to raise the
suspicion that there was an or-
ganizéd effort to: keep the proposed ;
changes a seerct inorder to ward
off the certain opposition of indig-
nant organized workers in.—-the
State.
Need 20 Weeks
Wtihout going into detail as to
the changes which have been
brought about by the last State
Legislature, some of which were
covered by me in.previous articles
appearing in this paper; it is clear
that the following ‘results have
been brought about by the Hughes-
‘Breds amendments: : “
The change in the qualifying
wage earning formula, which -now
bases. an unemployed worker’s
»weekly benefits on his ‘average
earnings during the year’ before
his unemployment if he has’ work-
ed at, least 20 weeks during the
preceding’ year has the effect of
disqualifying tens of thousands of
unemployed workers entirely from
any benefits whatsoever.
New York State, the richest State
inthe United States insofar as
employer income is concerned, now
has the dubious distinction of hav-
ing the strictest qualifying re-
quirements in the country! 3
ro New Kiek-backs -
Moreover, the new merit rating
system with its provisions of re-'
bates to employers not only en-
courages employers vigorously to
“oppose the payment of unemploy-
ment insurance .benefits to the
workers whom they themselves lay
off or discharge but it does no
even have. the virtue of giving r
bates to small employers.’ The
law, as written, will give bigger
rebates to linge corporations and.
will likely’-inerease the cost to
small employers.
More Taxes
_In addition, the confusion which
is raised for unemployed workers
by the°creation of individual “ben-
efit and basé years” instead of a -
single benefit and base year for all
unemployed is likely to increase
the cost of administering the new
laws, The Federal Bureau of Em-
ployment Security has already
found it ‘necessary -to warn the
State that the Federal Government
which furnishes the funds to ad-
minister the system.could net obli-
wate itself to provide all of the
costs of an unnecessarily costly
revision. If the Federal Govern-
ment were lo carry out this threat,
the workers of this State might
find themselves in the position of .
paying, through. additional taxes,’
the cost of the new system which
hurts them, . .
The
Unemployment | Insurg
, Law needs a thorough revision.
In fact, ie
The lawe should be extended to
coyer all gainfully employed in the
State. °
It Should provide for allowances
for dependents,
Meri€ rating should be repealed. __,,
The highest quarterly earnings
as~the basis for computing bene-
fits should be restored. E
EDITOR'S NOTE: The UE 301
Membership. Meeting on Monday,
January 7, unanimously voted op-
position fo the Hughes-Brees
amendment described above, .
Executive Board Election
Postponed To
The election of a new UE 380.
Executive Board scheduled for to-
day has’ been postponed as a re-
sult of a decision by the member-
ship meeting on: January 7 to al-
‘low more time for the study of
revisions of the board, Recom-
mendations: for streamlining ‘the
local board which has become larg-
ver than most national boards will’
be «submitted . at the
Originally set up as a ld-mem-
ber board with one for each 1000
February _
Permit Study
union members, the board grew in
the course of meeting temporary
situations. The present size has
been found unwieldy and costly by
the current board and preceding
boards, © O
Changes | under — consideratheti
wotild provide a board: member for
every 500. Involved in the plans.
for streamlining the locals top
policy. group is the strengthening...
of the stewards’ system and the
improvement ol» serviee to the
membership,
LECTRIC
o
‘THE VOICE OF THE UNITED ELECTRICAL, RADIO & MACHINE WORKERS OF AMERICA .— LOCAL 301, UE
Vol. 10 — No. 2
Tahe It
. From Above “ms
Sidney,. Ohio—Mayor | Clarence
I, Harp declared December 13,
“Eliminate the Wage Freeze Day.”
The wage freeze board is denying
wage increases that employers had
agreed to pay, the proclamation
declared.“ The situation, said the
mayor, can only be corrected by
“allowing. the companies and em-
- ployees to determine wage rates
'- through collective bargaining with-
out restrictions.”
x kK
Detroit, Mich—A new wage in-
crease for over 1,700 workers at
‘Viekers, Inc., raises wages 14 cents
“an hour, Won by UE Local 907, it
biings the average straight time
vate at. Vickers to $215 an hour,
The increase topseany won by the
TAM-AFL and IUE-CIO at Vickers
plants, by a nickel to a dime.
kok kw
‘San: Francisco—-The Internation-
Longshoremen's &, Warehouse-
en's Union executive board’ has
recommended | strike aétion, «if
Necessary, to break through the
wage freeze and secure benefits
won in its agreements. ILWU. also
pledged to work with other unions
on a national or loeal level to re-
sist the freeze, :
ww wk
Cincinnati—UE: Local 766 mem-
bers working at. the “Americait
Steel Foundries have won a 12
cent wage increase, with the night
shift premium boosted from 10 to
12 vents an hour,
kk
San. Francisco-—Unless the Wage
Stabilization Board approves pay-
ment of full wages for a. shorter
work week, members of the Mar-
ine Cooks & Stewards might. re-
(fuse to sign on, ships after Janu-
ary 18, national officers of the un-
ion warned this week.
; kok oO
St. Louis, Mo—UE Loeal 1128
members climaxed a wage cam-
paigh at the Benjamin, Air Rifle
shop with a 10 cent package,
x ke oO wo
C Prockvite Ontario (Canada)-=
An eight te..13 cent an hour Jin-
ereasé has been won by UE mem-
hers working at the Phillips. Elee-
trical Works, Ltd. The increases
..Will_also . be. eff ective. in. thecom-.
pany’s plant in Montreal. Phillips’
workers previously won nine to 15
cents in April, 1951 negotiations.
SCHENECTADY, NEW YORK
Friday, January 18, 1952
UE Delegation Goes to Washington, “
Demands Unfreezing of Pay increase
_ _ A bus-load of UE members from the
ington, D.C; and the: Wage Stabilization
to urge prompt approval of the 3.58 percent wage increase.
Putting Heat on the Freeze
SCHENECTADY
UE
GF AER:
ou
OF THE:
SES
Some of Local 301s
Executive Board Members are sho
above turning in petitions ‘for the Wage Stabilization, Board from
their ‘buildings... Calling for swift approval of the last GE pay
increase, these petitions were takén .to Washington. by the Union's
delegation. .
‘State Unemployment
UB 301s Exeeutive Board has
mapped an all-out fight against -
crippling amendments to the stute
unemployment insurance. law and
for.improvements in aid to the job-
less. ‘ r
With New_York expected to have
one-quarter: of: the nation’s joh---
less by mid-yeur, according to the:
Industrial Comnitssioner’s office,.
the fight for better unemployment
Law Needs Changing
“protection takes on key impart-
aimee.
The Hughes-Brees amendments
~-which were pushed by ‘General
Eleetric—cut thousands off from
unemployment ‘benefits, raised to
20 the number of weeks required
to. qualify-and: enormously: increas:
ed ‘kick-baclis ‘to corporations.
_ The Executive Board called for
(Continued on ‘Page 4)
Wil
Schenectady Works. left for Wash-
Board Wednesday night, 10:00 P:M.
The ClO-supported Wage:
Freeze Board, at press time).
had not acted-on any of the
60 GE agreementd on wages _,
“and: holidays.
The UE Local 301 dele-
gates rode all night, banners
advertising their mission-as
“Washington-Bound ..: . To
Get Our Wage Increase Out
of the Deep Freeze!"
To Discuss Rates:
On the delegation were
toolmakers who’ plan to ques-
tion WSB members about the
scuttled recommendations for
higher rates for tool makers. _
A WSB sub-committee had
surveyed rates and said they.
should be raised. The report. -
was thrown out by the board
whose members include CIO
and AFL officials. meee
The shop-elected delégdtes
were to be met by UE’s
Washington representatives.
and led to WSB headquarters
which is conducting a_ sit-
down strike on. 15,000 agree-
ments for higher. wages ‘and
fringe benefits. » ;
UE Leads Fight —
UE is leading the fight. na- °
tionally.to break the log jar
holding up needed money due
millions of working men and,
women. In below freezing
weather, UE pickets, joined
by AFL and CIO. unionists,
recently marched before
WSB officials in Philadelphia,
Detroit, Cleveland, New York,
Buffalo, Erie, Chicago in na:
tion-wide demonstrations:
“against the wage freeze.
In other communities; WSB
officials. were visited and.pre-
(Continued on Page 4)» ;
ELECTRICAL
‘UNLON,NEWS:
Friday, January 18, 1952
GE Doesn't Need a Fighting Fund «
.... WEDO
“How about it, brothers and sisters? let's
make our union strong by filling out those
* pledge cards and getting in our five bucks.
now for our UE Local 301
Fighting: Fund,
See your steward today." .
a ‘Oth wis
«Pledge. i.
A Fighting Fund for
Fighting Union!
Open Drive to Build |
UE 301 Defense Fund.
have not done a job dep their. own
“members,”
‘The drive will be conducted by
authorized stewards or members
“with proper credentials, with “the
member receiving a receipt from
the collector after. making his do-
nation, Each member on making
his full contribitior, of $5 will re-
ceive a special button to wear, ~
Tn addition to Local 801’s month-
With- big sivinales. shaping for
* GE workers in. the months “ahead,
wage negotiations ‘in March. ‘and
contract renewal in September, UE
Local 801 this week launched a
drive to build a local Fighting
Fund to meet any eieigens _
Target of the campaign ‘is to nls
leet $5 from: each member, with
the funds’ to be kept by the local,
to: be ‘deposited in a: separate ac-
count’ and: all expenditures to ba
authorized by Local 301’s. member-
ship.
Loeal 801s. Biteciitiie Board de-
clared this: fund. is needed “to pro-
tect our members s. against, any out-
side forces seeking to. undermine
our living ‘standards, send prices
“and taxes: higher, freeze wages and
endanger the security of all of us,
Wee must “be: “prepared: for any ac."
tidn to win ou just demands and
ward off raids. by other unions who
issued each month on the Fighting
Fund's status.
Local ‘leaders pointed ‘out this
‘last. week the great -value of such
«a fund in the past two years. At
. one time, Local 301 had $100,000 in
such a fund, which was -needed
and used to ,beat off attempts by
IUE-CIO
.of GE workers in a Schenectady
Woks... : peg
«
-the A
ly financial report, a report will be:
raiders. ‘in the past. two",
years to split ‘and disrupt the unity >
‘Women Get Runaround
Personnel has been sending long
service ;women, caught in current
layoffs, to Aeronautics’ Bench As-
sembly and Fabricate Lighthouse
Tubes. » The catch: is that if the
women cannot, for one or another _
reason, fit in, they are offered sec-
ond shift jobs or shown the gate.
Three women with.seven. to nine
years’ service were unable to, do
the fine work required:in Bench.
SIGNS ’EM UP,
SAYS IT’S EASY
Jimmy DeMasseo, , executive
board) member from’ Building
49, when asked last week how
he was able to. sign up 50 new
members in four days -said:
“Just get some cards and in
your spare.time ask those who
aren't in 10 join. “The union's
done the big job, of convincing
by. fighting’ for’ better condi-
tions, settling grievances, pro-
tecting. job “rights.”
‘SEEK UPGRADING
FOR MILLWRIGHTS
“The Union ‘is vigorously pressing
a grievance in Bldg. 60 ‘for a group
of class. B millwrights Who re-
quested Uperading to A,
the request. was first raised, the
foreman. penalized them by taking
away their helpers and assigning
them to jobs which require less re-
sponsibility, .
These millwrights also charge
that the foreman has for six
months been pursuing’ a policy of
favoritism on upgradings, instead
of selecting the best qualified jour-
neymen for, upgrading to. A’ mill-
wright The foreman ignores sen-
iovity, it is charged. ;
The gtievance will be argued
with Lewis J. Male; Works man-
“ager, with Local 301. insisting. that
the millwrights be given their old
jobs back at the A rate, or piven
rate for the jobs to which
they were transferred,
Aluminum Workers
Vote To Strike
Massena, N, Y.—Employees. of
Aluminum Oorporation ‘of, Ameni-
“ea, last. week voted 2,605 to 27. in
favor of strike action. Members
of the Aluminum Workers Union,
ARL; they “are in’ process’ of nego- -
‘ tiating a new contract,
The strike
vote was over seniority violations.
WHER a Pittsburgh
Assembly and although the hos-
pital upheld them, they were told,
sorry no work.
number of
Manager Lewis J. Male yesterday
Also scheduled for the discussions ~
was the conduct of certain foremen
in Lighthouse Tubes who try to
discourage long-seniority women
‘from taking jobs.
| (UE CAN'T GET
QUORUM IN
WESTINGHOUSE.
Things have gotten so bad for
1UE in the East Pittsburgh plant
of Westinghouse that the local js
complaining in public that it can’t
get 50 out of 15,000 to attend
membership «meetings. Says
Chatles® Copeland, JUE local pres-
ident, i in the January 8 issue of the
; union’ S paper | Hey
“We are having-a very poor at-
tendance lately,- in faet, the last
meeting had to, be ealled off for
lack of a quorum, (A quorum is
50 members)
during: working hours.”
UE’ar's there maintain that after
two years of TUE the workers jin
will‘ solve the IUE
meeting. problem-—by voting IUE
out of the-place. =!
HIRING BEGINS
IN LARGE M & €
This is one of a .
cases: taken up with,
5 s). If-this continues ()
-may be necessary to call meeting
UE Local'301 has been informed ”
by management: that the :working
force in Large Motors and: Gener-
ators (Bldg. 18), scene of recent
layoft's, will be doubled in the:near
future., The union has notified’ the
company" that it expects qualified
lower-rated pedple to be upgraded
to fill the new openings,
has begun, *
ELECTRICAL UNION, NEWS
UNTTRD ELACTRICAL, RADIO &
MACHINE WORKERS OF AMERICA
Schenectady GM Local $01 UE
>
Published .by the Editorial Com:
» Ass't Recording Secrotary....-Fraak D'Amico
Treasurer a... weee Honry Kaminski
Joseph, Mangino
John P, Green
- William Kelly
~ ‘Jamas Cognotta
we.» Leo: Jandreau
SCHENECTADY, N.Y.
Chief Shap Steward
Business Agont -..
401, LieRTY ST.
Hiring '
Friday, January 18, 1952
ELECTRICAL UNLON ew
v
olitical Stooge of Carey nd Co.
Unable to peddle his sell-
out leadership to GE Schenec-
tady: workers, or to tens of
thousands of ‘electrical work-
ers throughout the country,
IUE-CiO president, James B.
Carey, has a plan to end free
collective bargaining — elce-
tions. ;
The plan, in brief, calls for giv- ,
ing collective bargaining status
only’ to those unions
politically and employer approved.
Disapproved unions would ‘be
stripped of bargaining wights, un-
der the plan, even if chosen by a
majority of ‘workers in any given
plant!
It is not an easy plan to sell to
Americans who believe” in. ‘free
elections, a free. labor movement,
without which--no’ free America!
Man With a Grudge
Carey took his subversive propo-
sition to: one anti-labor Congress-
man after another, seeking a spon-
sor. - Finally, he persuaded Senator
(- pert Humphrey (D.° Minn.), a
an with a grudge against UE, to
front for the scheme,
This Sen. Humphrey had gladly
accepted UE support when he ran”
for. niayor of Minnéipolis on oa
» pro-labor platform but when UE
urged his defeat for senator be-
cause of his: ‘anti-labor record as
mayor he, of course, labelled..UE
“Communistic.” Now, he wants
‘any‘union so labelled to be put aut-
side the factory gates on*the say-
so of himself, Carey and their
political and corporation: friends.
Union-Busting
‘GE workers in Schenectady will
not be alone in yesenting and fight. J
Having Babies Sign
Of “Undependability”
According to Foreman
Does having a baby make a
worker “undependable?” Foreman
Sotile, Bldg, 69, thinks ‘so, . .-.
rs. Mae Close, 12 years senior-
fy left her engraving job to have
a baby. , Upon’ her-return, ' Sotile:
placed her: on a-lower-rated de-
assembly job saying she was “not
_ dependable’, The union found
“that her old job hid been piven to -
“a woman with 1960 seniority, Mae
Close is back on engraving, =~
Chal enges Ri
‘ding the smelly scheme,
“the largest loeal in . the
which are’
‘boasted that he has the
ht to Choose
nion
Members,
even officers of ClO, AFL and in-
dependent unions are sure to op-
pose it, For, this, union-busting
weapon can be: used’ against all
unions and against locals within
unions which, because of outstand-
Angly militant policies are already
being red-smeared, as for examplé,
world,
Ford local 600, UAW-CIO.
Sen, Humphrey gave the game
away in, ah’ interview
News & W ofld Report, Dec. 28, 1951,
Any union, he-told the big businegs
magazine, following a line * ‘which
ONE is able to. identify °as the
Communist line... shall not: be
given. bargaining status in terms
of a, collective
tract.” Even. if that union gets a
majority,” he .emphasized..
“-*Communistie”
Note that “one”, meaning, any
one of a stable of anti-labor poli-
ticians, professional - liars can_-do
the “identifying” for corporations
which. have called" the fight for
higher wages, better working con-
ditions, industrial democracy “Com-
munistie? and “Communist-inspir-_
ed” since American unions began,
“You're suggesting depriving
them. of , bargaining rights,” the
interviewer said to, the Senator.
“That's correct,” said Humphrey.
“Do you think the tinions would
agree to this?” he was then asked,
“T-have not the slightest idea at
this time,” Carey's friend replied.
“Whether anybody agrees with, it
' or not, I think we ought to pro-
ceed, ?
Co. Loves i! 7
Small that: “Humphrey
“whole-
-hearted support of management”
‘for his despicable’ aims;
those he consulted, it-is. known, is
wonder
General Bleetric and’ his immediate .°
which’
evacked the open shop ‘in ‘the elect’
target ‘is UE, ‘the union
trical ‘industry, ‘routed the com-
“pany unions, won higher wages and
“bet! ay working. ‘conuitions for its
members. : :
Sen, Humphrey need not doubt
that the membership will’ rally
around’ the union, The UE 801
Executive Board last Monday’ vot-
ed unanimously -to acquaint the
membership with the danger
- through plant” mages ‘ind liter
ature,
Fantastic as the Humphrey-
with U. 5S...
bargaining con-
- Among:
Striking UE members in oth-
er ‘locals’ were voted aid at the
January 14 meeting of. the Lo-
cal 301 Executive Board:
‘Phe Board voted a $100 con-
| tribution to°UE members atthe
| Markel Electric Co, in Buffalo.
ris is the local's second contri-
bution in this bitter and drawn
Pout fight.
It was also. veted to contri-
bute $50 to WE strikers at the
Harris Bed & Spring Co, in
Scranton, Pennas
Carey, scheme sounds, it is a
threat cand one can expect the Sen-
ator to make his big noise around
the time of ow. March-re-opener
since he is as-much a tool.of Gen-
eral Electric .as his temporarily
silent partner, James Carey. But
his chance of success is abotit. the
sdme as ex-Congressman Kirsten
who. tried to’ bust our union dur-
ing negotiations and who, when he
vas defeated by — Schenectady
‘worker's and his. Wisconsin: constit-
‘uents, went on the GE payroll as a
lobby :
We don’t wish the Senator any
better fate!
‘NO WAGE FIGHT
... NO CONTRACT
ClO Textile Union members, who
have long endured one of the low-,
est wage rates in American indus-
try, got it}in the neck again this
month, ~~ ;
The union’s president, Emil.
Rieve, who has in the past been
editorially praised by the Wall St.
Journal as a “Labor Statesman”
for foregoing wage increases, an-
nounced that the union was pre-
pared to renew its ‘contract. cov-
ering 70,00 woolen workers “as is.”
But the pace: setter.in the wool-
en industry, American Woolen, aft-
er getting such deals. previously,
decided this year that such weak-
ness on the part, of the union lead-
ers should be used to-the hilt.
The company informed Rieve,
who is a CIO vice-president and as
a member of the Wage’ Stabiliza-
‘tion Board voted to set-up the na-
tional wage. freeze, that it will
cancel the contract as of “March
15! “
Textile workers are learning
from hitter experience. that the,
price of having a so-called “Labor:
Statesman” ag Head of their union |
is dwindling pay checks, mass lay-
oils and miserable working condi-
tions.
SET FOR NEW SELL-OUT |
nthe: Steelworkers—as ine
| dicated—-get the 18% cents,
then they, will have received a
total of 344% cents an-hour in
fa. year—-or about a: 218 per
increase, \
cent inc we
* The cost of living rose 2.43
cents in Octdber and: Novem-
‘ber, so if that factor were
added, -our raise” would__be
about 30 per cent close to |
What the. Steelworkcis have
isked.
Yel. 2 ‘Dee. 31, 1981.
——
IUE-CIO national news-
paper plays down wage
demands in preparation
for March sell-out.
UE and similar organizations
are trying to give the impres-
sion that since the Steelwork-
ers are asking for a general
increase of 15 cents an hour
(plus 342 cents for inequities
and other benefits), then the
UE as a result should get 15
cents from GE and Westing-
house, _
