we want, ne iiust.’ keep up our ‘ine i
Following upon the unanimous strikers are in fact ialieeand without di: the’ job’ of helping the. office rarest all the year round. a
‘ratification of the 18%-cerit’ strike the slightest ‘discrimination. . We... workers ofganize. .. “We shall back men, on their pro-
_ settlement ugreement “by a member-. want. to ‘do this without. friction, in’ “And lastly, we approach « our most © gram, irrespective ‘of party. If we
ship meeting of over’ 4,000 at the peace ‘and ‘harmony. Undoubtedly important long-range task, taking: Bet a movement ‘of: the’ people; in.
_ Armory last. Saturday, ‘the strikers there will ‘be problems, there may be our proper. place’ in. the community, “every ward club in. the city, we shall «
‘are back at their jobe in the plant. execu ives who refuse’ to take liter- discharging. our responsibilities to have people who” are conscious “of
About ninety percent were put back. ally the. no-discrimination agree- the community. This union. has, of the issues. ~ -
to work on Mortiday,' and the others ment, and it will be our job to. see course, long played an important’, “Talk about: this’ to. “your ‘neigh:
that they live ap to it. But it will. part in the community. We built up ors. Have them. cothe here to talk
also’ be our job not to bé provoked, «quite a record of community activ. bout ‘any of their problems.”
‘expected that: practically: Peterson opened the meeting with.
force of striking production workers’ to continue to stand firm and to in-. ity in support of the war; But the
‘would:have been: called back by next sist on. settling all» difficulties strike has given us a mucti deeper” the remark that “in the interest of
Monday. ; promptly in accordance with the ¢on- ‘understanding of our role. in the the community, we. must ~ support
tract and the strike settlement agree- community. It has shown to us and, candidates friendly t6 organized la-
a ea, ~=—=——"to the” rest of “the community that =bo: oieatitg fora: ; =
setrpic ad Bias ; we are one in fact and in interest. 70t waiting for’ the election to. do
The important job is to ae The community gave its. ‘striking the job. We are going to have head-
members support that was. a-major Quarters in every ward.”
factor in the victory. We learned Mastriani declared: ~
that unless the community speaks up “We have just finished one fight,
through people's organizations, we We are now going into a new field.
run the constant danger of having We are going to do a job.”
publie officials who do not speak for «© - International Representative Chas.
the people in fact; Rivers pointed. out. that. this .was
“We have s job to do which is “probably the: first time in the’ “his-
came with a tremendous ovation ‘for
‘Business ‘Agent ‘Leo Jandreau. The
other speakers, including President the unity into organization,
' Andvew Peterson, Julius Emspak, na- “this victory to our eredit,.it will be
tional secretary-trensurer- (see. sep-. an easy job: to, enroll into the union
arate.atory,and. picture), Chief Stew-- évery person: covered by the con-
ard: ‘William Mastriani, John Polok, ‘tract; It. will. be. our job to make
executive board member, Keith W. an active union member of every.
.....Rockwell, business agent of Local member. I realizé that--there, were
128 of the . Steamfitters,: AFL, and some who did not do their full part
Lewis Benedict, president ‘of Trans- in the strike, Let, me’say that the
-port Workers’ Local 159, were given record of participation in this strike
‘vigorous applause. was very high, Our records show
‘The membership voted, on a spon- that a substantial majority of -the
‘taneous’ motion from the floor, to strikers took an active part. It ‘is
Zend: Mastriani .away on a three- natural that these active strikers will
eeks’ ‘vacation, ‘but he declared: tend to be a bit resentful toward the
You can't eet rid of me that few inactive ones who share equally -
community action, political’ action. headquarters are opened nionths be-
ers-and the bus drivers get their just ate emphasis. oh mobilizing the
demands with a minimum of diffieul- Neighbors for continuance of price
ty. It includes fighting for better control. . «
schools, playgrounds, city. services. Milo mee esas onl director,
. ‘ ; It includes fighting for price control, suggested that by starting with a
I.want to-do a job in the shop.” the mater results of the victory. aganst anti-democratic, antistrike movement to. enforce price ceilings
u asked the. members to ‘-Plead with you to forget that re- legislation. It includes fighting for in the neighborhood, the ward organ-
selves up,” and “begin the ‘sentment. We.ore all one, Those world peace, We have made a ser- ization would make the practical
who worked hardest -in the strike, __start on a people’s movement.
s2—--who-undertook-the-most-arduous-du- *Josepli Dominelli; chairman’ vf th
ties, will have the lifelong satisfac. 0.4 headquarters of this union, . veterans’ committee, declared that in,
tion: of knowing they did a good Job which may later serve as the basis working for legislation favorable-to
for their fellow-workers, It is those oy proad CIO and community polit- the ex-servicemen, his committee had
who ‘were inactive who. really lost.. ic) action. work, found that the CIO was the main re-
Agen, EG Sy eee LG Seer endl Bi ‘x tough fight brings lange.
TLNON GPS; SAM Gaal lees aia, di an inevitable emotional letdown, We Victor Pusche, inteinational field
ties... Let us all work together for - sale “ous ' . organizer, stressed the need of hav-
‘ ims, the betterment of, must pick ourselves up immediately, ganizer, n av.
‘In’ afew moments you men and UF alae tion ' ni os oo. aiid go forward united, without stop- ing.the PAC work of ward clubs gov-
women;: ‘and similar meetings of lo- and, he wider wall oF ri the a cn ping to rest. History moves fast °"ned at all times by a program in
ala “in, the other 44 GE plants, will © #"¢ the wider welfare of the entire 1). Gays. The enemies of the peo- the intérest of the people, and urged
} community and nation, the y B ; a
séal the victory you won, through " vy ee . ‘ple donot wait, We begin the new that the program be discussed tres
“nine weeks of steadfast unity on the “Our next job is to organize the phase of our work for the people ‘vently if ward meetings.
-/ pieketline, by voting to: accept the office workers, who basically were now,” ‘Among others who spoke were Ed-
‘Sagreement, worked out Wednesday ‘united. with us in the strike even ward Wallingford, Local 801 execu-
vin’ New York.’ , though not united organizationally, hi L d C . tive’ board member, John Saccocio,
ro “And without ‘waiting for the I believe most of them will now be ‘Mac INE | ec ut committeeman and temporary chair-
_pgreement to take effect Monday ready to join us in a UE office (Continued from Page 1) man for the Tenth Ward, James
~morning, let us look to the job ahead workers’ local. In view of the fact Th next job is to see that all the. Meany, and Joseph Krone.
of-usz ~~ that so many.of them are relatives people in all the districts have at Much of the floor discussion cen-
ue “Our first job is ‘to move into the of production workers, and that pro- least as good an understanding of tered on price control to protect
‘plant the reniarkable unity which duction workers have direct contact the situation as the voters in Homer’s -wages, and on the flaws in the un-
GE workers showed while on strike. -with thousands of office workers in home district demonstrated in last employment Insurance law, brought
_ the plant, it is our responsibility to Tuesday's election. Is can be done, out by experience in the strike,
‘Excerpts’ from. Jandreau’s speech
follows... ;
HW, N 4,000 MEMBERS, on, the’ last day of the successful: nine-week strike at GE, met in the Armory Saturday and unanimously cast their votes
This meeting here is typical of the cffective practical democracy in operation in the UE-CLO. There
“mostinge. ef locals in 4a GE plants all over the United States Saturday to authorize the officers to accept the agreoment and declare the ‘strike
covered by such inclusive words as. tory. of American labor that ward |
‘It includes helping the ALCO work- fore an election.” He urged immed. .
oO
THE VOICE OF THE UNITED ELECTRICAL, RADIO & MACHINE WORKERS OF AMERICA—LOCAL 301 ClO
Vol. Hi—No. I.
SCHENECTADY, NEW YORK
April 4, 1946.
UE Prepares to Win New GE Contract
SHE WORE THAT SMILE ON THE PICKET LINE TOO
Marie Sweeney,
inspector in Build-
ing 69, has turned
her energy to sign-
ing up new union
members now that -
picket duty has end.
ed. Here she is with
her latest batch of
applications.
During the strike
she brightened the
picket line in her
ski suit, day ‘after
day. She had to
sell two: war bonds,
but when the 1814
through she plans
to replace them.
CIO-PAC On the Move
The framework of labox’s political
home is now going up. Representatives
of the CIO unions in Schenectady met
at Local 301 headquarters last week and
mapped-plans for political action in the
city and county.
The plan, which is now being dis-
cussed by each union, calls for estab-
Hshing a political action committee in
each ward and town. It is proposed
that the chairmen and secretaries elect-
ed by the ward and town committecs
shall make up the County-wide Political
Action Committee,
Political Action “will not be confined
‘to the CIO. The AFL will be invited
to participate. And PAC will not be a
purely union affair, All voters who
agree with the aims of PAC will be wel-
come to participate on an equal basis
with the union members. Union rep-
resentatives are taking the first steps
to set up the necessary organization.
When things get under way, the union
representatives will act as advisors:—
and they will take an active part in
their own ward and town organizations,
It was emphasized at last week’s
meeting that the PAC clubs will be op-
en to all voters, regardless of party.
- PAC will base itself oi issues and candi-
Gates. ‘Members of the Democratic, Re-—
publican and American Labor parties
who agree on the issues, will work to-
gether to elect candidates pledged to
represent the interests of the people,
Headquarters have already been op-
ened by three ward PAC organizations
in the city of Schenectady. They will
dot the entire city-and county in time
to take active part in next November's
vital state and local elections, union
members are determined.
Old Agreement to
Expire on July Ist
For the first time since the orig-
inal contract with General Electric
was signed nine years ago, UE will
start negotiations for a complete
new contract this month.
‘in the “past “all “changes were made
under a modification clause which per-
mits either the union or the company to
suggest changes on 80 days notice,- The
old agreement ‘always held over until
changes were agreed‘on and went into
effect.
“This year the company served ‘taste
ination notice. Between now and July
1, when the present contract will end,
cont: vise’ @oim ea ONO subject covered by the present
contract will have to be negotiated. New
subjects not included in the old agree-
ment will also be discussed.
May Arbitrate
The company has agreed to consider
arbitrating questions on which negoti-
ations become deadlocked. Union of-
ficials have urged the company to co-
operate in having the negotiations pro-
ceed speedily. and peacefully,
A membership meeting of Local 301
was scheduled this week to approve. or
amend the 1946 UE proposals. Its ac-
tion would be taken too late for publi-
cation in this week’s Blectrical Union
News,
Higher pay, union shop, eit pay
for women, a guarantee against dis-
crimination for race, color, creed or
national origin, increased vacations,
severance pay and other improvements
will be asked.
Negotiation sessions with the GE
management will start as soon as the
union proposals are’ officially adopted
by the UE locals in the 45 GE plants in
the country. Leo Jandreau is a mem-
ber of the national UE committee which
drew up the contract recommendations,
(Details of contract proposal on page 4)
ELECTRICAL UNION NEWS
April 4, 1946
ELECTRICAL UNION NEWS
Uniren EvectricaL, Rapio & Macuine
Labor Sidelights on 1946
—_Work Ers_orAMERICA,-C.LO-
Scurnectapy GE Locat 301
Published by the Editorial Committee
Dewcy Brashear Ray Flanigan
Milo Lathrop Fay Marvin
William Mastriani
Editorial Office - Electrical Union News
301 Liberty St. - Schenectady, N. Y.
SCHENECTADY PRINTING CO., INC.
Syracuse Speed-ups
Warn Unorganized
Office Employees
The GE campaign of ,speed-ups and
layoffs among unorganized office work-
ers in Syracuse has warned Schenectady
office workers they need union organi-
zation to protect their jobs and their
~raises..
Now that the strike is won, organiz-
ing the office workers is one of the big-
gest and most urgent jobs of UE. Local
301 has pledged full cooperation of its
officers, executive board and shop
stewards to aid the Office Workers Or-
ganizing Committee.
Sadie Iovenella, an assistant to Leo
Jandreau, and Jerry Steinberg, inter-
national field man who helped organize
the Pittsfield GE workers, have been as-
signed to full time with the OWOC
drive,
‘Right now: the campaign is concen-
trating on production and factory cler-
ical workers.. Various meetings have
been arranged for these groups. There
was a good turnout for the first meet-
ing of dispatchers and expeditors at
which an active program was adopted.
The organizers point out to office
workers that unless they are represent-
ed by a union they will be helpless in
the face of speed-ups and lay-offs., In
Syracuse 200 office workers were laid
off because of speed-up during the
week of Mar. 18 and another 100 the
next week.
YMCA. Picks Archer
Sanford L. Archer, assistant business
agent ‘‘of Local 301, has been named
chairman of the “Y" Buddy Committee
of the Schenectady Young Men’s Chris-
tian Association. He was in the Navy
from March 1944, to November 1945,
He has been on the Y Board of Direet-
ors since January, 1944,
State Legisiative $
essio
Very few of the bills which the CIO backed in the 1946 legislative
session at Albany came to a nose-counting or roll call vote in either the
Assembly or Senate.
As usual, most labor bills were killed in committee and never
reached the floor. The CIO move to give veterans the same unemploy-
ment insurance rights as non-veterans was so popular that the bill pass-
ed unanimously, with’ Republicais as well as Democrats clamoring to get
on the bandwagon.
Here are the voting records of Capi-
tal District assemblymen on several
bills of interest to Local 301. Schenec-
tady County’s only assemblyman,. Os-
wald D. Heck, is Speaker of the As-
sembly and does not vote:
Brees Amendment to prevent a pol-
ital party from nominating anyone not
enrolled in that party.
Charles C, Wallace (Dem,) Albany
COUN: secs ccccsescenenenrapgueesenyeeereseges No
-George W. Foy (Dem.) Albany
County ....
County
John S. Finch (Rep.) Rensselaer
County” . “ “
John L. Ostrander (Rep.) Sara-
, toga County
Avthur L. Parsons (Rep.) Schoharie
County
This amendment was defeated 76-64
with all Democrats and one ALP man,
Leo Isacson, .and a smattering of Re-
publicans voting against it.
— wesaevesssevcivescs NOK
__James FP, Dillon (Dem,) Albany
Service Improves
Protests of Local 301 against
bills to prevent a minority party,
like the ALP, from backing the
candidate of a major party were
,80 strong that Speaker Oswald D.
Heck, Rep., Schenectady, sent ‘a
wire to Leo Jandreau to announce
defeat of the legislation.
This is the first time Local 301
has received such prompt and per-
"sonal information about the fate
of legislation in Albany from Mr,
Heck,
The legislation would have pre-
vented a party from nominating
for office anyone who wasn't en-
volled in that party. Such a law
would. have prevented the ALP
from backing Roosevelt, It would
make it next to impossible for
PAC to “Remember in Novem-
ber,”
Isacson rent control bill to have state
continue rent controls if federal con-
trol ends.
Wallace (Dem ...... Yes
Foy (Dem) Yes
Dillon (Dem) wanes Yes
Finch (Rep.) ...... .. No
Ostrander (Rep)... wee No
Parsons (Rep.) ww... cececeeeeee cess NO
The bill was defeated by a vote of
74 to 66 with Democrats and ALP Isac-
son voting for it,
The Dewey administration bill on rent
control which passed is filled with loop-
—--_—holes-and—omits—ceilings for new hous-
No _ ing.
Isacson motion to rescind $77,000,000
tax.cut (designed to favor big business,
and higher income groups) and to ap-
portion the $77,000,000 to cities.
The motion was defeated by a
straight party vote, 80 to 57, with all
Democrats and ALP Isacson voting
“Yes” and a’solid Republican front vot-
ing “No,” i
Bill to repeal the section of the Elec-
tion Law giving workers two hours off
with pay on Election Day to vote.
Wallace (Dem.) teeue Absent
Foy (Dem.) Absent
Dillon (Dem) ...cc eee. NO
Finch (Rep.) ........
Ostrander (Rep.) sesereeeaeees YOS
Parsons (Rep.) ..... sriaeeveeease
The bill was defeated by a vote of 74
to 438. A companion bill in the Senate
died befote coming on the floor.
This bill has particular interest to
the Capital District because a test case
developed when the Ford Motor Co. at
Green Island docked three members of
the Auto Workers, CIO, for taking time
offto vote in the ‘1944 presidential elec-
tions. The company was indicted for
violating the law and was convicted in
a jury trial in Albany County Court,
An appeal is supposed to be pending.
The Ford Co., and other people who
fear political action by union members
have been busy ever since, it is report-
ed, trying to get the law repealed.
April 4, 1946.
ELECTRICAL UNION NEWS
Page 3
eg et Qtr
Pneed pay no initiation fee.
Old Ninth Ward ‘Ain’t What She Used To Be’—PAG Opens Club
. e
ee
LEO JANDREAU, business agent of Local 301, addresses meeting of Ninth’ Ward PAC at opening of its new head-
quarters, 1096 Forest Rd., Schenectady, .This is one of the three ward PAC headquarters opened in the city since
the strike. More to come. Left to right, front row, are: Edward Wallingford, William Kuschel, William Mastri
ani, Roy Lash, Sigmund Kléin, Joseph Krone, Albert Gisondi and Charles Rivers, all of UE.
New Applications Keep
Business Office Buzzing
A flood of new applications has
brought an SOS from the business of-
fice of Local 301, Electrical Union News
was asked to print the following notice
to help the people turning in applica-.
tions as well as the office staff handling
them.
“We find that there are many old ap-
plications still being used. These should
be discarded as they do not carry a
space for the new member’s check num-
ber which is necessary in our records,
“The business office has complete
records of all its members from June
1943. Anyone who has turned in a
written resignation since that time must
pay back dues from the time he submit-
ted his resignation, plus a two dollar
initiation fee. Anyone who at any-
time was dropped through no fault of
his own can become a member in good
standing by just signing a new applica-
tion blank with no initiation fee or back
dues assessment. :
“Veterans who either belonged before
entering service or are joining now
The only
exception to this rule is the veteran
who has belonged to Local 301 since
his discharge and has since resigned.
In this case the same regulations apjily
as in the case of the non-veteran, It is
Good Idea To Know
senefit Secretary
During the strike the UE business
office discovered that many union mem-
bers do not know the proper steps to
take in case of illness, aside from call-
ing the doctor. .
Every section or building has a mu-
tual benefit secretary who usually is a
fellow worker in the factory, It is very
important that our members know who
their secretary is.
It is important also that a person
eligible for mutual benefits contact the
mutual benefit secretary at once so that
he can make outa voucher for the col-
lection of the benefits.
The mutual benefit office will not pay
benefits without a voucher. During the
strike many persons who should have
collected money did not receive checks
because their mutual benefit secretary
did not know they were ill, Sometimes
~a.check is delayed as long as two months
because a worker doesn’t get in touch
with his mutual benefit secretary on
time.
necessary, however, for all veterans to
sign a new application form.
~All applications should be marked
‘new member’, ‘resizned’, ‘reinstate-
ment’, or ‘veteran’,
Unions Support Peace
Meeting in Washington
Charles Rivers, international repre-
sentative, will represent District 3 of
UE this Friday, Saturday and Sunday
in’ Washington, D. C. at the Win-the-
Peace Conference called by union lead-
ers, progressive Congressmen and Sen-
ators, clergymen and others. 4
Robert Northrop of Local 2054, Uni-
ted Steel Workers, will be delegate of
the Capitol District CIO Counell. He
is chairman of the Council veterans’
committee,
By publication date of this paper, Lo-
cal.301 was to take action on a recom-
mendation of its Executive Board. that
two delegates be sent. ;
Many other upstate UI and CIO lo-
cals have elected delegates. The call
to the conference urged support of Big
Three Unity, UNO and a democratic
foreign policy.
How Long Is Soon?
Any day now the Wage Stabilization
‘Board should okay the 18% cent hourly
pay raise won by the strike. But GE
ean’t pay it until the government board
officially approves. Your union offic-
ers are taking all possible steps to get
speedy action.
