oal in
Following the invocation by Rabbi Ber-
nards, Schenectady Mayor Samuel Stratton
was introduced.
After declaring that “I am.also a Union
member—and my dues are paid up,” the Mayor “
congratulated “the entire membership of this
Union on this splendid. event.” The new: Union
Hall, he said, is “a testimony to me and to the
city that Unionism in Schenectady is growing, _
moving ahead, and playing a greater and ;
greater share in the affairs of the community.”
“Unless you have a strong and progressive
Union you. can’t haye a prosperous city,” Strat-
ton declared to the thundering applause of th
niore than 1,000 Union members. in the audi-
ence, ;
Mayor Sam Stratten
“In the name of the city” he conferred the
title of Schenectady Patroon on IUE President
James B, Carey.
The mayor was followed by City Manager
Arthur Blessing. He announced that he wished
“to congratulate all the Officers, and the Mem-
bers. of Local 301 on what you have accom-
plished by building this building.” -
He also congratulated IUE on the Code of
Ethies it adopted at the last Executive Board
meeting, which was followed by strong policy
action along the same line by the entire. AFL-
“CIO Executive Council. .
It was following Msgr. Finn that IUE
’ President Carey was introduced.
The Union President opened his remarks
by saying that “You, the productive citizens of
Schenectady, deserve the commendation of the
entire labor movement for what you have
done.” .
“Here in Schenectady you have,” Carey
"said, “built the West Point of the electrical in-
dustry. You have contributed. to building not
just the largest corporation. in: the industry in -
the world, but also the most profitable corpor-
ation.” . : :
In 1934, Carey noted, GE had 37 plants,
But now GE has 158 plants in 115 cities, with
63 of these plants being added in the last,.10
years, Lo. :
‘58: .
The IUE. President, who is also head of ‘the
IUE General Electric Negotiating Committee, ”
outlined the “tremendous increiise” in produc-
tivity which GE workers have accomplished,
especially here in Schenectady.
_ “And how. did! GE reward us for making
it the richest corporation in the industry?”
he asked. 7 - :
“Did GE put the. proper proportion of its
expansion in Schenectady, in keeping with its
tremendous expansion elsewhere in the coun-
try? Did GE take into consideration its em-
ployes who had bought homies, who are buying
homes, who have established their families in
this community to work for General Electric?”
He declared: '
“Here /in’ Schenectady “you produce the
methods, the machinery and the techniques for
accomplishing ‘the tremendous: production that
GE Wants. Then what happens? GE runs
away—even to San Juan, Puerto Rico, and sets
up these operations in- full-scale manufactur- .
ing, so it can pay its employes-as little as 75c
and 80c an hour. "
' “Mr. Stevens,” the TUE President said,
“gets. paid 52. weeks out of the year.. So does
Mr. Cordiner, And so do all the rest of the top
General Electric officials.” .
“If the company can provide job security
for them,” he asked, “why can’t it do the same
for the.men and women who turn out the
" goods that make GE the richest corporation in
the industry ?” :
The IVE President said that “Instead of
producing foods for sale, all these big GE
officials produce is: anti-union propaganda.”
Curey read the “Responsibility of the
Parties” clause in the IUE ‘Contract with GE.
“What does this: mean?” he“asked. “It
; doesn’t mean that you should keep silent, or
that you should submit to threats by the com-
pany, or the blacklist that if-you don’t knuckle
under you'll lose the work or be disciplined.”
“It means,” he declared, “that we must all
fight together to make GE live up to those
guarantees and protections that we have estab-
lished through long years of negotiations,”
It was then that he advised the member-
ship of the rights and opportunity IUE has in
the 1958 Contract” Reopener. ‘He said “We
should start now “to prepare for those. nego-
tiations and make sure that.in 1958 electrical
RT
ob Security” — Care
‘workers get what the auto workers, steel work- O
w ‘a.
ers, rubber workers,, packing house workers,
and even truckers got in 1955,
Carey said that—the question of winning
job security for GE workers in 1958—"is the
biggest and most important issue. before us.
We should use:all our strength, all our: talénts,
and all the unity we can mobilize to bring
this about.” ;
Following the speeches and ceremonies,.as
the Union got down to its official business, a
motion was made from the floor-to “Give a
rising vote of thanks to the one man who has
made this building possible, and has “given 20
years of leadership: ‘to Local 801*~Business _
Agent Leo Jandreau.” A rising vote of thanks
inte ci
FETTER
City Mgr. Blessing
and confidence was carried. Upon demand
from the floor for a speech, Business Agent
Jandreau pointed out that the success of Local. -..
301 can be credited to the many G.E. workers(
‘members of Local 301 who sacrificed their time”
and efforts carrying out the responsibilities of
their elected offices during the past 20 yeurs,
Likewise, said Jandreau, “we have had the
good fortune in Local 801 to have had unity »
“among the majority of our members and sin-
cere and loyal support of oui Union program.
Our success has beén due greatly to these
factors.” .
NOTICE
Executive Board —
Meeting
FEB. 25th — 7:30 p.m.
STATE CAPITOL - Albany
State St. Entrance
Interview Assemblymen and State
Senators on State: Labor Legislation
Rr 2 ;
Siri
‘.
-mportant C
Vol. 3—No. 5.
Bilis Pending
The Voice of GE Workers, Local 301 , Schenectady, N. Y.
ompensation
in Albany
‘All labor unions in New York State are centering’ their
attention on Albany today. The State CIO and individual local
unions through their legislative committees, are pressing for
the passage:of amendments to the Compensation Law. Many
of the present provisions of. the law are inadequate, as many
injured workers have had good reason to find out. a
There are many deéficiencies in
the present law which need cor-
recting. Of these, two will be men-
tioned here,
NEED FOR INCREASED
BENEFITS
One cf the important bills urged.
for passage by organized labor is
an increase in the weekly benefits
to injured workers. The -present
maximum benefits are. $36.00 per
week, An injured worker, under
the present law, who is not able to
work, gets two-thirds of his wages
but under no circumstances can he
get more than $86.00 a week as
compensation... It need hardly be
, Td that the present rate of $36.00
\
aN
Mounts to plain callousness to-
“wards injured workers and -their
families and that employers and
their insurance carriers should be
able to realize: that the rate is too
low. The labor unions are asking’
that the maximum rate should be
raised to $54.00 per week,
“A BILL TO PAY FOR LOST
TIME AS WELL AS COMPEN.
SATION FOR PERMANENT.
. ' INJURY
* Another bill which is, now pend" --
ing consideration would, if passed;
correct one-of the more important
injustices now contained in the
State Compensation Law, The in-
justice which now exists is in the
fact that an injured: worker who
loses time from work because of
an injury must give his employer
‘credit for the weekly benefits. which
he has. received when the time
comes for him to be compensated,
for his permanent injury in aecord-
ance with a schedule set up in the
law. Thus, if a worker has lost 4
weeks from work due to the injury. ;
Q a finger and has thus received
“44.00 for 4 weeks lost time, he
éredits his | empldyer with this...
amount, if Inter he is entitled to’
let us say $270.00 for permanent
damage to his finger, so that all
(Continued on Page 4)
GE. Favors
Anti-Labor Laws
In the February 15th issue of the
G.E. News there. appeared an arti-
cle’ favoring Anti-Labor Legisla-
tions, The article was a deliberate
attempt to present these types of
Laws as ones that are beneficial. to
working men and women. ‘The .ref-
erence to this type of Law: is: also
misleading when it is called “Right
to Work Law”. This title is given
to this oppressive legislation in an
attempt to indicate that it puaran-
tees employment—which, of course,
it dies NOT. The intent of such
legislation is to allow the Employ-
er to do anything he wants, and
stops the workers from fighting
hack through their Unions. .
The title of “Right to Work
Laws,” is so phony, that in. the.
States of Washington and: Tdaho,
the Courts would not permit the
sponsors of this Anti-Lubor Ley’
lation to use the label, “Right to°
Work”. The court said:that this.-
name was “misleading and inae=
urate’, ’
The purpose of these Laws is to
bring about:
1)—Lower wages
2)-—Longer work week :
3)—Miserable working conditions
Some employers are not satisfied
with the Taft-Harley Law, and,they
want more restrictive laws to cur
tail Labor and keep it from getting
more benefits.
At present there are 17 States
that have Laws that virtually out-
law effective Unions, The ‘Tatt-
Hartley Law is a Federal one, and
permits each state to enact further
restrictive Legislation. The. avers
age -income in those States that
have these so-culled “Right to Work
Laws” is approximately $1400.00 4
yoar! / .
March 8, 1957
| Piece Work Prices Target for G. E |
Part of the G.E. program to double production without increasing
employment is what the Company calls full‘utilization of the work day
and equipment—this simply means speed-up. - .
_ The piece prices are a target for G.E. management to shoot at’ and
the most simple approach to their goal. The formula is: Find a way to
change a method if it is a standard price and then set a price at the
timing rate, If the operator affected was’ making’ 60% over the timing
rate as average earnings, the new price will beset so the? same effort
“will allow the operator to make the timing rates.
The local G.E. management has-been complaining about pyramiding
ae . a, ” iy 4. .
of PW. earnings, saying that prices are loose when they enable an in-
centive worker to increase his turn-in constantly; however, the present
cases on price disputes prove that, regardless of whether or not the earn-
ings are pyramiding, the management is holding firm on price proposals
that do not ‘allow the operators to make their regularearnings.
Foreman Urge Pull Out
There is considerable misunderstanding on the purt of the average
piece worker on management’s policy as to what are resonable ‘prices,
This misunderstanding usually stems from femarks made by the foreman
“to the effect that he calls upon the incentive workers to pull out as a
favor to,get a rush job completed, or.he encourages a piece worker :to
pull out and turn in everything, pointing out that he is satisfied with the ,
present price structure—he only wants production and the operator de-
sires high earnings. . After the carning’s are increased,.to a. high point,
‘then the task begins of finding ways and means to cut prices, The jobs:
that have prices set by comparison or from a P.R. Table are the most
vulnerable in these instances. The Company looks at the over-all earn-
ings when a disputed price arises and invariably takes the position that
they will not increase the price on 2 particular job because the over-all
earnings are satisfactory. i, as
Tneentive workers’, earnings have become the target for attack, not
only by G.E., but in the Westinghouse ssington, Pa., plant (U.E.) One
of the major issues that caused the strike to lust 9 months was the elim-
ination of the incentive system. At the American Locomotive ‘the current
strike issues include a reduction in P.W. prices and a speed-up of pro-.
duction, : ‘
No Incentive Last 5 Years
“Ifyou debate the question with G.E, management as to ‘what are sat-
isfuctory prices, they are very vague on their position. However, the
G.E. incentive plan at Schenectady is to time study jobs ata timing rate
which is a rate that was in effect September 1951. The timing rate ex-
cludes all increases of the past 5 years which means the incentive pay of
the G.E. system is confined to lower rates whereby piece workers receive
no incentive benefit from § years of increases on over-normal perform-
anee, The last 6 years, of increases for incentive workers have beon ap-
plied on a day work basis computed by the hours on their clock cards in
Payroll. The A.E.R., which is the Anticipated Earning Rate, includes
T.R, plus Payroll additions — this is what the Company expects an in-
centive worker to earn at a normal incentive performance. The question’
of a normal.performance is controversial as the management will take
the present effort on the job as normal even though the earnings show
60% over normal, .
The piece price- question is gradually coming t6 ahead at the Sche-
nectady. plant with the Company carrying on a subtle program of trying
to chop prices wherever they can and threatening the community with a
transfer of work if the labor union opposes the price cuts. In the mean-
time incentive workers should consider very carefully the “Carrot before
the Donkey’s Nose” formula of GE.
You may find yourself going very
fast to reach a proposed normal. incentive performance, ne
Sa
SLIM a RE we anne To ae TET TR
Rett
TEND
TASS E
PRIS alae Svan ey,
&S
|
i
ae
~|
A Renort From
The Placement
Committee
by Joe Sickinger
Due to the continuous moving out
of various departments, the Place-
ment Committee is protesting the
following conditions;
1. Inadequate detailed informa-
tion regarding. transfer lists of em-
ployees ‘which, according to the
contract article XIX, par. 3, states
in part“... and the local will also
be given details on transfers which
“are made through the Personnel
Department.” Despite repeated: re-
quests from the committee to .the
company for detailed lists showing
the individual’s previous .occupa-~
- tion; the Company, repeatedly de-
nies this valid request even though
it would immediately aid and make
for better understanding and work-
ing conditions between all parties
concerned. : A
‘2. The Placement Committee also
requests that the foreman’s name
be attached to the transfer list in-
stead of the General Foreman’s
name. We asked that this ‘simple
change be made but, to date, it has
not been forthcoming even though
the company stated this would be
corrected. Co
This delay by the company to
comply. with a simple request —_
makes it almost impossible for the
"Union to keep its records up to
date. :
8. The Placement. Committee is
also concerned about the case which
occurred in Building 10. One of the
wire men from Building 285 was
offered a job on an opening. He
refused ‘it because he wished: to
continue on piece rate work. The
Union requested that some other
wire man would take this job. The
Company stated that the job was
no longer open. Why did the Com-
pany refuse to make this job avail-
able to the other wire men who
were qualified and ready to work?
_ We unanimously feel that if the
consistent and workable requests of
the Union are denied, the best in-
terests’.of. all concerned can’t be
served: We also feel that if the
Company would cooperate as it
should, the workers would be prop-
erly and quickly placed according
to their seniority and qualifications,
This would keep morale high which
is the Union’s yoal and should also
be the Company’s aim too:
ee Salaried ;
People Need
‘Unions
n
2 ee DEON F268
IUE Local 301 Files Compliance Data
The non-Communist affidavits of all IUE Local 301 officers and
a financial statement as required .by Taft-Hartley have been for-
warded to the National Labor Relations Board this month.
The financial statement follows:. ‘
INTERNATIONAL UNION OF ELECTRICAL, RADIO AND
MACHINE WORKERS, AFL-CIO, LOCAL 301~
Financial Report for Year
“From January 1 to December 31, 1956
INCOME ,
Dues, Initiations and Miscellancous.....ccseceececcnee
LESS Be ’
National Per Capita...
District Per Capita. .
State C]O Per Capita .
Aren Council Per Capita .
"$422,679.91
$162,154.00
"24,129.45
3,217.26 ©
3,217.26
Total Deductions $192,717.97 | 192,717.97
Income Available for Administration $229,961.94
ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES
Lost Time
Grievance Dept
Business: Office ..
Headquarters
Compensation Service ,
Local 301 Newspaper
Payroll, Taxes .
Insurance
= Pension Plan... eaneeeaeeaeesnee
Conferences and Conventions
Donations ..
$100,244.89
31,677.82
20,515.70 , -
18,016.98
15,028.52
8,421.50
6,370.12
4,407.81
27,817.07
5,195.06
895.30
$238,590.72
238,590.72.
Operating Loss for Year........ setscesasseeeaeensenes $8,628.78
Operating Loss for Year. $8,628.78
1951 Federal Unemployment Tax Adj. 2,233.70
Total Deficit
General Fund Surplus, Dec. 31,'1958........
Deficit Lor 1056 sccccciiccaannencarnenavesenccacnnenee
, $10,862.48
: $10,766.44
10,862.48
~ General’ Fund Balance, Dec. 31, 1956. § -~ 96.04
Total Assets for Dee. 31, 1956 ¢
Building and Defense Fund wae $242,079.60
Less General Fund Defi ssccsswsssssssreressvasens ne 96.04
Total Surplus . $241,983.46
‘tles with the union.
Typical G. E. Statements
In NLRB. Campaigns
April 6, 1956 — Hendersonville, N. C.
“The question we seriously seggest that you asi yourself is whether
or not you really need to pay somebody to make trouble for you and
>others, Do you really need an outsider whose ‘famous grievance proce-
dure’ has produced such an infamous history of strikes, work stoppages,
violence, loss of earnings, family suffering, ete.”
October 26, 1956 — Tyler, Texas
“Are Unions really interested in your welfare as a member or is
their basic interest simply your dues money ‘and the achieving of ever-
greater powers...”
, (Continued on Page 3)
Pel al dha thiiFerven our ee
O'Sullivan Strike
[An Virginia
400 members of the United Rub-
ber Workers, Local 511, of the
O'Sullivan Rubber Company have
‘been on strike since May. 18, 1956.
_ They are fighting. for the things “
* they must have if‘they. are to hold
their heads high, they are striking
for an American standard of liv-
ing. They are fighting for their_:
Union. They seek only the pay ait
working conditions received
workers at-other organized heel '
plants. oe
The obstacles they face could be
overwhelming if it were ‘not for
the determination of the strikers.
.-This is the famed apple country of
Senator Harry F. Byrd where the
Senator is impressed by his gen-
erosity when he: pays his workers
$1.00 an hour. The company has
imported strikebreakers on a whole-
sale scale. And this.is the land of
a “right to work” law which has >
served to harass the union and its
members relentlessly.
“This is'the law that lets » scab
spit in our face and arrests us if.
we everi say anything about it,”
. declared one striker.
The union has also launched a
nationwide boycott campaign urg-
ing that citizens throughout’ the.
country refrain from. buying O’Sul-
livan heels until the company set-
One of the key issues in this
strike. is pensions for the workers
as provided-in other organized heg> ,
plants. O’Sullivan has a pensiey 8
program but only salaried workers
are covered by it. With scores of
its workers at or near retirement
age, O’Suillivan has turned a cold
shoulder to the union’s demands.
- “During all these years I got
something twice,” said‘ a striker.
“One Christmas I got a two dollar
bill. Another year I got a two
pound :fruit cake. I was supposed
to get a gold watch at the end of
80 years but.they haven't even giv-
en me that.”
The strikers ure proud that of
all the 400 strikers who went out
last May, only about 60 have re-
turned. The rest of the strikebreal-
ers have been recruited by the com-
pany, The morale of the strikers
is very high, with a determination
to, win. They are calling upon the
Labor Movement, and the people of
our country to support them in
their: fight by refusing to buy
O'Sullivan heels. until they win
their just demands.
fh
RP
Belong to
The Union .
ea ;
scsi aces NE EAC SANNA HNC AF RTE RN PUSHES BN
is
Chamber of Commerce Speaks for G.E.
Last week General Electric was able to. use the Chamber
of Commerce to take a rap at Organized Labor in Schenectady,
particularly Local 301. While the Chamber of Commerce is
primarily an employers’ organization, it is not expected to
make any favorable statements-for Unions. However,.it is
shameful that the Chamber of Commerce did not make an
honest report on what did happen to business in Schenectady
during the past few. years.- An honest report could not be
made because G.E. dominates this Employer group. An honest
report would prove that the General Electric Company's pro-
am to transfer work, from communities such as Schenec-
- de Aady, Pittsfield, Lynn, and’ other locations where the older
“:. GE plans are established, to the South and small communities
where the living standards are the lowest in the country, was
decided by G.E. not because of Labor trouble, but for the pur-
‘pose of making fatter profits.
. General. Electric has even succeeded in getting the Cham- 4
“ber of Commerce to call their Investigation a “Business Cli-
- mate Analysis”. The “Businéss Climate” title is one that GE .
has been using for the past five years. They have full time
representatives traveling around the country investigating
“The Business Climate” of many communities. They measure
the climate with the following yardstick:
_ 1)—Must be anti-Labor
2)—The particular State must have “Right to Work”
“ Laws :
3)—Community rates must be ‘low
4)—Employees have no union background
. {he criticism by the Chamber of Commerce Committee
that -2 minority of the members determine union policy is a
joke, when compared to the few that determine G.E. policy. .
The democratic procedures within our Union, as contrasted to
those within the GE Company, would be similar to a compari-
son between the United States and Russia; the latter a Dictat-
~orship where if you do not comply with the Kremlin you are
eliminated. G.E. would never consider trusting their decisions
to a vote of the employees, or the citizens of our community.
_.. A handful of outsiders decide the policy of the General Elec-
i _}irie Company.
Si
Typical G.E. Statements
In NLR. B. Campaigns
(Continued from Page 2)
November 8, 1956 — Roanoke, Va.
. “The same [UE-CIO who wants you to pay them dues here in In-
dustry Control tried to prevent Industry Control from moving here.
“Jf the IUE-CIO had succeeded-in its efforts last year, there would
be no jobs here for us and no need for the IUE-CIO to send paid pro-
fessional organizers.” .
November 9, 1956 — Roanoke,. Va.
“At every discussion of contract terms the perennial IUE demand is
that the company require all employées to join the Union.
©The Unions fight against the Laws such as we have in Virginia
which prohibit compulsory Union Membership, Then when the inevitable
strike comes, the ‘nothing or lose’ people, who will ‘try anything once’ find
_they really do have something to lose, something important, their own
independence, their own right to work, and finally their own pay checks.”
January 25, 1957 — Shelbyville, Ind.
“You are undoubtedly aware by now that outside organizers for the
“°\ JUE-AFL-CIO Union are back in Shelbyville, They are here in force to
try once agairi to convince you that they can offer you something that
“you don’t already have. They want you to start paying money into their
‘treasury every month, 7
“A Union will cost you money. Today without a Union you don’t
shave to pay dues, initiation fees, fines or strike agsessments in Shelby-
ville...” ;
‘The Law forces General Electric to hold a Stockholders’
meeting. once'a year. The few who attend represent avery
smali percentage of the total number of Stockholders. Even
then, if a Stockholder attending such a meeting ‘proposed to
liberalize the Pension Plan, the officers of the company would
produce’enough proxy votes to outvote those present at the
meeting. This ‘would hold true on any question nof to the lik-
ing of the Company Officers. At a Union meeting, the position
of the majority determines the decision on ALL questions..
The Chamber of. Commerce pointed out as ‘a weakness in
our Community the strike record. They had to go back to
1946 to count the GE strike! They failed to mention that since
1947—-ten years—GE has not had a strike. The work stop-
pages that GE has been harping about, which were provoked
and caused by company representatives, who were trying to
lower existing standards, were highly publicized by GE in the
Public Press. If these stoppages had the effect of discourag-
ing Industry from coming to Schenectady, it was because of
the General Electric Company’s policy. of publicizing their
Labor Relations difficulties, instead of putting more effort into
trying to settle a dispute, and setting up programs that would
eliminate further disputes, i :
‘ ‘: One of the irenical parts of the newpaper release covering |
“the Chamber’s Report was the section dealing with the re-
marks of Richard Davis, the chairman of the Business Climate
Committee, who is also the President of the H. S. Barney Com-
pany.’ Mr, Davis stated that the average worker in Schenec-
“tady is earning $5625 a year. This, of course, is the earnings
that G.E. has been advertising, which includes piece work in-
centive, and overtime premium. . However, the H. 8, Barney
Co. employees are among the lowest paid in the state. If their
average is one half of the figure Mr. Davis is standing behind,
it would be very surprising. "he
“Yo boil down the Chamber of Commerce Report, which
they say took six months to compile, it simply meant: “If there
is any fault to be found in the Community, blame Organized
Labor. Let’s turn back the clock,” says the Committee,
“‘Workmen’s Compensation, Unemployment Insurance, or other
protective labor legislation, cost too much. New York State’
and its labor department are too friendly to Labor.” . :
" The Committee forgot to mention that profits have in-
creased in G.E. EACH YEAR during these ten years that they
are so excited about, ‘and last year G.E. made a record-break-
ing: profit. - se os
The Chamber of Commerce could not be expected to say
anything that would be offensive to General Electric.
THE RERBS Copyrighted - Labor Features by ; K a | la .
DADOY WHAT'S
A TAXPAYER ?
EP /é YOUR Pay MENTS a2)
_ HE (6:NE 17) ARE LARGER ~F
Bh THAN YOUR TAX (LINE I2-1G)
PWOE Os Pook
A TAXPAYERS?
ANITHOOT HAVING TO
TAKE A Civil
WORKS FOR. THE
SERVICE Exam?
GOVERNMENT
scald RAEI ALR HR AM
