IUE-CIO Local 301 News, 1958 January 10

AFL-CIO

.3—- No, 23 ©

The Voice of GE Workers, Local 301, Schenectady, NY.

January 10, 1958

NEW YORK STATE Cid. COUNCIL
ADOPTS PROGRAM .

. Ata recent Policy Conference to consider State legislation for 1958,
the New York State CIO adopted a program which in part called for the
present maximum benefits under the Workman’s Compensatlin Act to be
“nereased: to $54.00 a week. :

The State CIO Council points out’ that the attetial intent ‘in the Law

was to give 66- 2/3 percent of lost wages as benefits.’ In 1914, when the

average weekly wage for production workers in N. Y.. State was $11.85,
the maximum compensation benefit’ was $15.00 or 120 percent of this
avefage., In September 1957, the average weekly wage of production
workers was $89.49 andthe maximum compensation benefit was $35.00
or 43.7 per cent of this average. The State Council is urging the 1958
Legislature to enact additional improvements in the Compensation Act:
1, Increase weekly benefits to two-thirds of average weekly carn-
ings, with a maximum of at least’ $54.00 weekly and a minimum
of $380.00 (except where weekly earnings are less than this
amount.) Increase death benefits to a maximum of $50.00 per
week for widows and dependént children,
Increase current rates of benefits now being paid permanently
disabled workers under obsolete benefit rates, makitig public funds
available to provide the increase, :
Make compensation payable for partial disability due to silicosis
or other dust diseases. ‘
To provide for payment of campenentian from the date of dis-
ability if the date of disability continues for more than seven days.
Compensation shall be paid for permanent partial loss or loss of
use of an eye, when worker has uncorrected loss of vision.
Discontinuance of deductions of temporary, partial and total disa-
bility awards from permanent partial scheduled awards.
Require replacement of glasses, dentures, ete. of the claimant
when damaged during course of employment.
8. Provide to reimburse lost wages while attending hearings.

Unemployment Insurance

Unemployment Insurance benefits have: dropped in relation to the
average weekly wage,.of production workers in the State.

1939 — 50.8%
1955 — 44.4%
1957 — 40.7%
; -The Council urges the State Legislature to increase Pnenployment
insurance benefits to $54.00 a week.
In view of the increasing unemployment, the Council urges that the
‘26 weeks niaximum of protection be increased to 39 weeks.
The Law should be amended to provide-that a worker Who exhausts

his benefits be permitted to go back the three preceding years to the
extent that he did not use up his benefit rights in those years, ‘

- NOTICE
Executive Board
Meeting

Monday, Jan. 13, 1958
7:30. P.M.

UNION HEADQUARTERS
121 Erie Blvd,

NOTICE

Pensioners
Meeting

UNION : AUDITORIUUM
121 Erie Blyd.

Wednesday, Jan. 15, 1958 |
2:00 P.M,

ELECTION COMMITTEE REPORTS

We, the undersigned members of the Election Committee du hereby
affirm that the election of Shop. Stewards held on December 9th and 10th,
1957, und the election of Executive Board Members held on December
19th, 1957, were held in a fair and impartial manner.

/s/ ‘
Pat Lombardi, Chairman
.John Steslow, Co-Chairman
Miles Moon, Secretary
Ben F. Sharmose
James 8. Curran
S. Maetta
R. A. Bieling
M. J. Alvarez
Robert J. Murphy
Charles Greenberg
James W, Wilson
Luther E. Rasch

Robert W. Anderson
Jerry L. Lumia
Lauren Wilkins
Carmen P, Trifilo
Roy Cannice

Henry P. Caputo
Nicholas Pioriti
Jerry Condon
Henry Esposito
John J. Natonski
John Gozdzialski, Jr.
Joseph Korszun

The Committee's report stated that a total of 497 Shop Stewards

The report

“were elected — 114 were new Stewards while 383 were reelected,
included the clection of 32 Executive Board Members

with 24 Bourd Members reelected and 8 new Board Members elected.

The Election Committee will make their
13, 1958, and to the membership meeting on
January 20, 1958, for final approval.

Board on Monday, January
Monday,

report to the Executive

NLRB Rejects G.E.
Appeal on IUE Win
At Telechron Plant

Following a nine-month delay
caused by the legalistic maneuver-
ing of the General Electric Co., the
IUE has finally been certified as
the union representing employees
of the company’s Worcester Tele-
chron plant.

IUE won an NLRB election early
in March by a vote of 636 to 569
but the company immediately ap-
pealed and has carried on an in-,

tensive campaign through the vari-

ous levels of the NLRB trying to
get the result of the election set
aside. ;

The NLRB has fitially ruled in
favor of the union, however, and
another Gli effort to deny its em-
ployces the right to a union of
their own choice has been beaten
back,

This, coming ‘on top of the 1UE
victories at plants in Roanoke, Va.,
and Jonesboro, Ark. in the past
month, has the company’s “wheels”,
in New York screaming in anguish
over the inroads the IUE is making
umong the unorganized GE plants.

The company: cited five points as
the basis for its original appeal

(Continued on Page 3)

‘from

NOTICE

MEMBERSHIP
MEETING —

Monday, Jan. 20, 1958

Qnd Shift—1:00 p.m.
Ist and 3rd Shifts—-7:30 p.m,

Report of Committees

Election of Delegates to G.E.
Conference Board

Regular Order of Business

UNION AUDITORIUM
121 Erie Blvd.

~ t
Local-301 Party Nites
The Local 801 Activities Com-
mittee wil hold Party Nites. every
Tuesday Evening until further no-
tice. There will be entertainment
7:80" pam. until’ 8:30 pam,
Games will be played from 8:30 on.
We urgé all members to attend and
make these parties a huge success.
The proceeds will be used to spon-
sor various activities of the Union.

1

EPEAT TE LE CELE SE EEE Hs i

we AR INTACT ACER ERA CREED An ES ENE

SSNT A

soem kane,

a

oe i

i
ADR ER NM H t S ,

2

FOR THE HOBBYIST

Did you get a power tool for Christmas? Or have you had ‘one. for
years? At the Schenectady .'County Public Library, Union Street at
Seward Place, there are books.to help you make best use of it and also

‘Suggest projects’ Some titles available are:

Art of Woodturning, rev. ed. W. W. Klenke. ‘Bennett. 1954. 684K 64a.

Band Saw and Jig Saw. R. EK. Haines. Van Nostrand. 1953, 684H15b..

Cirttlar Saw. R. E. Haines. Van Nostrand. 1953. 684H15c.

How to Operate your. Power Tools. M. J..Gunerman, Home

man Pub. Corp. 1950%"621,9G97.

Crafts-

How to Use Portable Power Tools, M. H. Reid. Crowell, 1954.

621.9R35h.

Press. 1950, 621.9L23.

Powch Tools and How.to Use Them. W. C. Lammey. Pop. Mechanic’s

«

my

Power Tools for. the Home Craftsman. E. Ge Hamilton. McGraw,

1953. 621.9H21.

é

Canadian GE.
Gives Employees
insurance Dividend

Joseph Swire, Director of the
IUE Pension & Insurance Depart-
ment reports the following:

“T know that you will be very
happy to learn that the Canadian
General Electric Company has
waived premium payments for de-
pendent coverage for all Canadian
employees from September 1, 1957
to February 1, 1958. °

“Originally, the contributions
were suspended for.12 week period,
September 1, 1957 through Novem-
ber 23, 1967. This-was exténded to
February 1, 1958.

“The Company’s statement reads
in part: ‘Becuuse the amount of
medical expense claims made by
employees for their dependents was
less in 1956 than was anticipated,
employees’ contributions for De-
pendent Health Insurance were sus-
pended for 12 wecks from Septem-

TWUE’s OWN
Radio Program

Keep Posted with

PIPELINE
; HEAR:

Jim Toughill

News about The World, The
Nation, Your Union, Sports,
Weather and Music.

.W.0.K.0. °
On Your Dial — 1460
' 6:00 am. to 6:30 a.m.
EVERY DAY

ber 1 to November 28, 1957. ‘Infor-
mation received. from the-Insurance
Company shows that a similar sit-
uation exists in 1957. This makes
it possible to reduce the cost to
employees of their Dependent
Health Insurance by suspending
such contributions for a further
ten-week ,period. This suspension,
based on the favorable claims ex-
perience ‘for 1957, will run from
November 24, 1957 to February 1,

_ 1958",

“Apparently, Canadian General
Electric decided to beat the Union
to the punch. It is quite possible
that General Electric in the states
could do the same if they played
square or if we knew what the
exact claims were for dependent
coverage”.

SSA ye Eerie: raat Lara ater nes cosinor et oureaiemat anata

Glaring ineguity in Comp

Requires Legislative Action —~

Workers Lose Basic Benefits by Court Decision

A recent court decision’is, according to the Union’s, lawyer, causing

undue hardship upon -workers scriously injured while at work.

court’s decision restricts the law against many claims by injured workers.’

action of the Legislature. °
For many years it was taken for
granted that if a worker developed
an occupational disease while at
work that he was to receive all of
the benefits of the law including
weekly payments and medical care.
The recent court decision, however,
took this protection away from a
great many workers by a narrow
interpretation of .what the law
stands for. .
The Court of Appeals said that
if a worker develops an occupa-
tional disease because of a “pre-
disposition” to that disease which
makes him more vulnerable to the
disease than other workers, then
the employer should not be respon-
sible for his injuries even though
the disease came as a result of the
occupation, 4

_ This leaves only one avenue open to correct the situation and that is by

a

Take for example, a worker who
has a weakness in his knee; the
weakness may not prevent him
from doing a full. day’s work and
certainly does not require any med- -
ical treatment, but supposing that
this worker iscrequired to: trip a
pedal repeatedly with the weak leg:

so that he finally develops an in-g7
. flammation in the knee, This work

er, under the new interpretation:hy -
the Court of Appeals, would not be
entitled to benefits under the Work-

‘men’s Compensation Law.
To correct such. an injustice to a °

disabled worker requires an amend-
ment to the Law by the State Leg-
islature so as to make it clear that
a worker should be protected for
any disease or injury. brought on
by his employment.

IT PAYS TO.
BELONG TO THE

1S YOUR FELLOW
WORKER A
UNION MEMBER?

é

Bldg. 49: The group under Shop
Steward J. Mangino feel that help-
ers should be assigned to the 12
and 20 foot boring mills in #49, as
they are needed for safety and
proficient operation, ‘

Bldg. 273: The group under Shop
Steward A. Tessitore are charging
violation: of the Unio1i-Company
contract under Article I, Sect. 1, in
this instance supervisory help do-
ing’ work which falls into the bar-
gaining unit.

Bldg. 273; The group under Shop
Steward 'P. Hacko feel that the
Company should keép the agrec-
ment made with the sheet metal

group concerning farm-outs when .

a lack of work condition exists.

-Bldg. 273: The Miscellaneous
Machine Grotip under Shop Stew-
ard P. Haeko have complained that
they had to perform hazardous
work and requested that manage-
ment investigate their complaints
thoroughly. The group does not
feel that supervision gave their
complaints the” serious” attention
that they merited and as a result,
a serious accident occurred, The
Union is requesting a complete in-
vestigation of these problems in-
‘volving Miscellaneous Machine
worker's,

‘be done by them,

IUE Local 301 handles thou-

sands of grievances at all levels

each year. These are just @ few
examples of cases, not settled at

steward-foreman level, to be proc-
essed at management level,

Bldg. 49: The group under Shop
Steward W. Garrison feel
management should establish the
method of pricing, operation and

responsibilities on the broach job.

Bldg. 18: The Electrical Main-
tenance Distribution Operators un-
der Shop Steward R. Manson feel
that all necessary switching should
Recently their
foreman has been using mainten-
ance men to do necessary switeh-
ing when taking out a feeder or
sub-station. They feel that this is
endangering their job security and
its responsibilities

Bldg. 85: The group under Shop
Steward W. Stuezko feel that their
foreman is violating the contract
by working men out of their classi-
fication when he orders machine
operators to do inspection work off
the machine and away from the lo-
sution of their work station. ‘The
Union is requesting that this situ-
ation be investigated and corrected.

Bldg. 19: The group under Shop
Steward F. Barba feel that. when
they run sheet iron that is narrow
and wavy on the blanking: presses,
they should get paid average earn-
ings for running these lots of iron,

MALTA: ‘The group under Shop
Steward J. Casey are protesting

that ©

the upgrading out of seniority of
two men to Cl B Toolmaker. .

Bldg. 60: Byron Graton and
William Spence who work in Shop
Steward A. Campana’s group feel
that they should be returned to

their former jobs since employees... °

()

from other groups are being used.»
on a premium pay basis and, theres
fore, & lack of work condition can
no longer exist.

Bldg. 96: The group under Shop
Steward M. Alvarez are charging
violation of contract under Article
I, Sect. 1, in this instance a fore-
man driving a fork truck, which is
work that falls in the bargaining
unit, a

Bldg. 52: The group under Shop
Steward E. Zahn fcel that super-
vision used very poor judgment in
bringing an Assembler from a...
group which has been

D working;
overtime to a group which has ak

lack of work condition to build a
job, They request that manage-
ment investigate and correct this
bad situation.

Bldg. 49: ‘The group under Shop
Steward J. O'Gorman feel that the ,
Cl B Erectors have been doing Cl
A work for a long period. They are
requesting .upgrades for Cl B
Hreetors and that they be paid the
rite of the job they are doing, °

The”)

ensationLaw

of problems:

who was not qualified.

This, of course, means
Sniffer’s Sniffer also.

/s/

Joseph A. Mangino
George F. Smith
Robert A. Bieling
Peter B. Pisano
Victor A. Fiano

Ben F.

HH. Gay

~ GAS TURBINE COMPLAINT

The Company rules for Christmas Eve have worked satisfac-
torily for a number of years; 99% of the people have accepted
them. Here in Gas Turbine a Mr. Willets, Manager of Main Assem- -
bly Piping and Shipping, felt that they were not strong enough so
he issued a set of rules of his own which included a sniffing clause,
quote, “Any person on which the smell! of liquor is found is to be
immediately sent home”. This clause, of course, presented a couple

1... Who was to act as Official Sniffer?
, learn that no one was a graduate of a recognized “Sniffing
School”, Surely no one should be sent home by a; Sniffer

Who would be the Sniffer?) We would not want the Sniffer
lo accuse some one else when. he might be the offender.

The problem got so complex that it ruined our Christmas Eve,
It’s a good thing we. were saved by the 12 o’clock bell.

) We would humbly suggest that Mr. Willets try to stay in his
own area. We do not want a jurisdictional ‘battle with the Sniffers.
William Gage
Al Benaquisto

E. F.. Meskutoveecz

We were amazed to

that “we would haye to’ have a

A. PF. Cadger

A. EL Burditt
A. Panniceia

C. Kuebaugh

Y¥. C. Di Lorenzo

Sharmose

Twenty-Eight States
Increase Compensation
Benefits by Legislative
Acts in 1957

Weekly minimum and maximum
rates for injury or disease’ were

a

{ twenty-eight States and Hawaii

LF 1957, New York State, which

was hampered by unreasonable ef-
forts on the part of industry to
weaken the compensation laws as
part of a move to apparently “im-
prove” them, is lagging behind
most other States.

Sixteen legislatures in 1957 have
“brought their maximum rates of
compensation above the present
maximum of $36.00 per week now
allowed in New York State. Seven
of these have brought their rates

- higher even than the $45.00 per

week maximum previously sup-
ported in New York State. Nevada
evhas brought its rates to a maxi-
um. of $51.92 per week; Oregon
is up to a maximum of $66.92 per
week; and Hawaii has gone to a
maximum of $75.00 per week!
Following these examples, New
York State should bring its maxi-
mum to at least $54.00 per week
© instead of the $45.00 per week re-
cently favored, In the meantime
« it should be remembered that the
rate is still only $86.00 per week.

» ) IUE-CIO. LOCAL 301. NEWS

OFFICIAL ORGAN OF LOCAL 301,
REPRESENTING SCHENECTADY
GE WORKERS

eG 2

Published by the Editorial Committes

Prosident .—...
Vico Prosident
Troasuror ......
Recording Secrotary..
Ass't Rocording Cocrotary.
Chief Shop Steward...
Business Agent

121 ERIE BLYD,

Rakvica
~Yincent Dikoronzo
--+-leo Jandroau

SCHENECTADY, N. Y.

increased by the State Legislatures |

NLRB Rejects
GE Appeal

(Continued from Page 1)
from the result of the election at
Worcester Telechron.

It claimed: |

1. That the union
“false propaganda.”

published

2. It claimed the union distri-
buted ‘leaflets improperly and? il-
legally.

3. Tt claimed IU supporters
eleetioneered in the plant.

It claimed the IUE “coerced”
people into voting for the union,

5. It claimed that the conduct of
the election itself was faulty in
that observers of both sides left the
room while ballots were left un-
guarded: .

The NLRB Regional Director's
office in Boston, reviewing the
company’s charges, decided in fav-
or of the Union.

The company then appealed to
the full NLRB in’ Washington
whieh reversed the Boston Region-
wl Direetor’s ruling and upheld
the company’s contentiori on Point
No, 5.

The union, through its attorneys,
then took legal steps to have the
NLRB reconsider its decision. The
NLRB did agree to grant reconsid-
eration and then reversed itself on
Point No, 5, throwing out the com-
pany’s claim,
~The NLRB then reviewed the
other four points.in the company’s
protest, and threw them all out,

Attend Your
Union Meeting

é

e

ecm in te NEMA to A 7k enue Vaal Nm AD ARE Le REELS Ee erary

NRA I TN GGT 9 ae A GN ES YN gS gh oD aah

Current Events In My Section

AD A Be Bi gS ga gt

Docket #8092-57 filed by the
Union Hall, charging MIM (MAC)
with violation of the contract was
settled satisfactorily this weck.
Here a man was reached on lack of
work inthis department and placed
on an unsatisfactory job in LM&G.
A couple of weeks later his old job
in MAC opened up because a man
retired. The Company tried to fill
this opening with a much shorter
service employee. It was our con-

tention that the complainant should:

he brought back to his Jormet -job
in fact, we could see fovreason for
his having left in the first place as
the Company. knew this opening
would occur in the near future.
After about a week's negotiations
between Coordinator Christman,
Board Member Koral and the Com-
pany, it was decided the Union was
right and the complainant was
brought back to his former depart-
ment,

Docket #7943-57, which was re-
ferred to the N. Y. level recently,
Was. settled satisfactorily on the
loeal level this week. This is the
ease referred to in my last column
where the Company was denying a
Woman with 9/11/48 service work-
ing as a “Common Labor Sweeper”
her rights to bump shorter service
workers in this classification. Aft-
er this case was referred to the
N. Y.: level, the Company decided

By Allen E. Townsend

ie ee So
we were right and settled this case
by making this woman an offer at
her rate. *

Docket: #7897-57 was filed in be-
half of this worker by Board Mem-
ber Mastriani and Steward Jones.
Here the Union requested that this
worker who was being used on an
Engine Lathe at an I-17 rate and
on a Turret Lathe at an I-19 rate

reclassified at the higher rate
of the two, After a grievance ses-
ion with .Coordinator Christman
ind Board Member Mastriani nego-
tiating for the Union, management
ugeed to reclassify this man to the
1-19 rate. ‘ ;

In spite of ail the rumors to the
contrary, women’s employment is
still bad with more layoffs oecur-
ring. -As of January 2, 1958, the
dates on cleaning women and Office
Service stood as follows:

40 he. ..11-6-42
40 hr. Cafeteria....10-80-42
30 hr. Cafeteria......1-15-43
30 hry
25 lhe
20 hry

‘The xubove dates
shortest service: in the plant on
Office Service jobs and Cafeteria
jobs as of this date, The picture is
changing rapidly and these dates
will probably be obsolete by the
time we go to press,

4-14-43

represent the

Unemployment Insurance Decision
Supports Union's Interpretation
Of Contract on Vacation Pay .

The revent decision of a referee after a

hearing on approximately
i

200 claims which were filed by GJS. workers in Schenectady for unem-
ployment insurance benefits during the so-called “vacation shut-down”

upheld the Union’s argument that “vacation pay” is not wages for the

period of the shut-down, but is, rather, a bonus for past services rendered

by the workers to their employer.
It is this interpretation which the
Union was trying te protect by ap-
pearing at-the hearings held on the
cluims filed. Leo Jandreau, Busi-
ness Agent of Loeal 3801, accom-
panied by Leon Novak, lawyer for
the Local, appeared and testified
at the hearing held on the claims.
Although Schenectady won this
interpretation as to vacation pay
from the referee, consequently up-
holding the claims of the workers
who filed elaims, G. FE. workers in
Syracuse by another interpretation
of the facts lost theit claims. The
difference in the two: decisions lny
in the fact that the referee looked:

upon the shut-down in Syracuse as -

being a shut-down of the entire
Syracuse Works while in Sche-
nectady the entire Works clearly
did not shut-down at one time.

Another interpretation given by
the referee with which the 1UE
disagrees is his ruling that the
Union agreed to shut-duwns by
GE. in the respective Works for
vaeation purposes. It will be ar
sued by the Union, in future pro-
ceedings, that at no time did the
Union agree to shut-downs and
that closing for vacation purposes
at times chosen “by GE. alone is
without the consent of the Union.

Not satistied with beating the
claims of “approximately 1500
workers in Syracuse, GE. an-
nounced in the piblie press recent:
ly that it intonds te appeal the ap-
proximately .200 claims filed by
Schenectady workers, Tk is expeet-
ed that the Syracuse G.E-LULE,
local likewise will appeal the ref-
uree’s decision there,

PSE

Tey
bru
TAD MM WIERD 0 potas
miei !

AMANITA ARSE BEI RC mY RATAN FNAB

’