“ GE’ s Prom
rises After No-Strike Vote
| _ Emptys. Economie Picture Worsens_
(Continued from page 1)
_ Examples could be cited for page
“after page. But stil, this was not
supposed to have happened if Lo~
cal 301 did not strike.
Well, Local 801 did not. strike.
The members turned out in full
force, over 10,000 of them, and
placed their faith in the good words
‘of GE which promised that with-
out a strike, the future would be
bright. ©
. Review the Facts °
. So now it's time to review some
of the facts. It’s time to ask GE
if it intends to carry the tremend-
ous responsibility placed on its
shoulders when the union member-
ship voted against a strike and
kept the whole of the GE chain
from closing down,
With all of the company’s prom-
ises, it was only two days after
the no-strike vote that GI can-
celled all further negotiations,
something it would not have dar ed
to do had Local 301 voted to strike .
if'no settlement was reached.
And the company's policies have
continued in that direction ever
since, to the detriment of the union
members, the office workers, the
engineers: and the whole commun-
ity.
Union Compromise
The union had an eight point
program calling for employment
security. But Local 301 said we
would consider a compromise for
two of the points: Stop farm outs
and halt decentralization, But no
agreement could be reached with
the company on these. basic needs,
Schenectady has long been the
home of General Electric. It was
born here, reared here, educated
here; it grew under the skilled
workmanship of schenectady men
and women.
Those in control are now moving
it out so that similar work done
here is now being done in Pittsfield
on one aside and Binghamton on
the other. The plants in these cities
are erying for the kind of skilled
help Schenectady has and is not
using.
' An urgent call went out last
week from Pittsfield GE for tool-
makers and machinists. Many were
needed. Yet Schenectady has such
gkilled people either walking the
gtreets looking for jobs or pushing
brooms for lack of work that used
to be done here and can still be
done here. ‘
Department Moves - ¢
Just review. some of the most
recent department moves. Five
thousand hourly vated employees
lost their jobs beenuse GE moved
Control Departments to the south
and to the west. Eighteen hundred
more hit the streets when acron-
autics: moved to Binghamton, Bur-
lington and Philadelphia; 800 ‘more
were without an income when por-
eelain moved to Baltimore and an-
other 500 were jobless when, Indus-
trial Heating moved. to Shelby-
ville.
Why? Why is GE determined to
desert these people with’ a high
degree of skills, move to other
ureag where these skills are not
. savailable and sometimes even re-
fuse to hire Schenectady people
who followed the company to
is .
whereever it has moved.
Company Won't Answer
a
The company: has never given a
satisfactory answer as to why it
was leaving and has certainly nev-
er tried to explain its moral atti-
tude toward the per gons most di-
rectly: affected.
Men who have spent their lives
learning skills -have been down-
graded so often many are doing
cleaning jobs. Yet these men and
their skills are desperately needed
at other GI. plants. -
Not too long ago, GE was pon-
dering .on where to build a new
acronautics order, When someone
mentioned Schenectady which al-
ready has the buildings and skilled
help, he was nearly fired.
GI appears to have a fantastic
obsession to make this city a ghost
town, The company and various.
other influential forces in the city
have repeatedly tried to lay the
blame on labor’s doorstep.
Labor Cooperates
Yet it is labor that is first to
jump when co-operation is sought
in making the thousands of chang-
es now going on in manufactiring
techniques, Labor is the first to
recognize the need for progress but
lubor also recognizes the need for
re-trainingg of employees rather
than just throw them into the
streets.
A revent good example is the
Harris Co. This company is made
up of a group of efficiency experts
who have been proposing consider-
able changes in large motor and
generator department after being
hired by GE.
The union will never obstruct
progress in) manufacturing tech-
niques any more than the company
will. But the union will insist that.
human values be kept in sight
when these changes are being
made, ‘
Human Value
The human value is something
the company talks about but it
a never does anything about. Profits
are un absolute necessity in any
business but certainly of equal
value is au man and his family.
We have frequently pointed out
that perhaps GE would do well to
take a new look at its ‘profit mar-
gin where large steam turbines are
concerned unless it continues to
lose contracts to foreign bidders
ag has’ happened several times. in
the last"few weeks. | ‘
GEE and Westinghouse have for a
long time held a monopoly on these *
big turbines. Not any more. Allis
Chalmers, a midget beside these
two giants, recently won a turbine
contract by cutting its prices 10
per, cent. .
If the small companys can do
this, so can GE and Westinghouse.
In fact, if. the employment prob-
em continues to grow worse, its
conceivable that the work could
-be done for cost just to keep the
bread-winners on the job.
Attitudes
For the last few months, a com-
mittee has been meetnig on the
employment picture. The commit-
tee has been represented by every
segment of the community and one
of the things it has discussed at
length is “attitudes.”
The attitudes that come under
serutiny for the most part were
those of persons working in the
shops. In other words union mem-
bers, It was felt the attitudes of
these persons were not favorable
tor good industrial development.
The fact that these same per-
sons live in daily fear of losing
their jobs was suggested but was
not taken into account seriously.
But the attitudes of management
received Httle or no scrutiny. Yet
here is a recent case:
A woman with long service was
laid off. She is 60 years old. She
needs four days of work, eight
hours each day, to qualify for a
pension of $61.45. 'That’s all, just
four days.
But if she doesn’t get the four
days, her pension will go down to
$16.46. And the case has been
brought to the attention of top
management, They have refused
to intercede und get her those 32
hours of work.
Bad Example
The attitude of these persons in
management is hardly one setting
a good example for the average
worker who louks for some sem-
hlance of leadership from the cap-
tains of industry.
And it is hardly the kind of at-
titute the committee was trying to
rench in its many lengthy discus-
“practically unanimous that this ig
talk of diversification. Opinions are
a
a need. (ee
But how ‘is this accomplished
Obviously, with layoffs continuing
here at GE alone of some 650 a
week, bringing in a new small
not going to help.
if Decentralization
But there is a standing plan now
in operation at GE which was made
to order for diversified industry in
Schenectady. That is decentralizew>
tion, * ;
The main point of decentraliza-
tion ig to make each separate de-
partment competitive under the
supervision of one manager who is
responsible for the success of that’
department. ee
In other words, each or these de-
partments have become separate -
businesses capable of competing
with the various smal! companies
which have been slowly eating into
some of the’ profits GE has been
accustomed to receiving.”
Isn’t thsi diversification in the
best tradition? What possible dif-
ference can it make what or who
owns the small department produr:
ing something entirely unrelat.,
to the large steam turbines? And
what possible difference can it
make as to where the department
is located if the company makes a
fair profit?
‘Operation
Upturn’
(Continued from page 1)
be collecting between $40,000 and
$50,000 a year for nothing.
Certainly these figures give an
indication why, from the Big Three
point of view, Operation Upturn |
has been a huge success. a
But there nre other figures more
familiar to the average working
man which from his point of view
are not too rosey.
In particular and the easiest to .
understand, is the rapid growth of
tinemployment and the continual
downgrading within the shops.
More in general, however, are
some of the statements made by
Cordiner himself who said the rise
in company income was due ty.,
vigorous efforts aimed at cost xf
duetion and improvements in, pre
sions. In fact it is the kind of—duetion.”
attitude even the most timid would
censor, Perhaps the committee
will cerisor these attitudes ‘once
they are brought to the publie’s
attention,
There are other arena which de-
serve some exploration. For in-
atance, there has been continual
Profits in GE during 1958 in-
creased by $16 million yet sales de-
clined by: $28 million, No where in’
the report does it explain how more
profits are made with less sales. -
Most conclusions are that prices
were raised, speedups started and
more workers lnid off.
April 3, 1959.
“FILM ‘PREVIEW BIG SUCCESS
- 1V SHOWING IS SUNDAY
Community and union leaders.
Tuesday night previewed the IUE
film "Help Wanted" and if the
meeting was any indication, the
television showing Sunday after-
“noon soma be a huge success.
Over 100 persons attended the
preview of the film which frankly
discusses the result of decentrall-
zation on various communities where
the program is underway.
"Decentralization" is e program
undertaken by General Electric in
about 1952 to cut down the size of
&ll lsrge plants and move depart-
ments to smaller communivies in the
South.
The film is slated to be shown
vson Channel 10 Sunday afternoon
_ from 3:30 to 4:00 p.m.
It is a film which. concerns
Schenectady directly because of the
tremendous drop in employment here
at the local plant since depart-
ments atarted moving. The number
of jobs moved out comes to nearly
20,000.
Among community leaders present
were Mayor Kenneth Sheldon, City
Manager Arthur Blessing, Councilman
Dr. Fred Isabella, Superintendent
sof Schools Robert Murray, and his
-administrative assistant. Bernard
Haake,
_. The following vacation shut downs
Lave been announced by. the Company:
WEPARTMENT WEEKS BEGINNING
Equip. Dev. CART June 29 & July 6
Power Tube July 13 & July 20
Foundries July 20 & July 27
a8 Turbine July 27 & Aug. 3
aneulating Mat. ° July ey & Aug. 3
LM & G,. Carbon
Products. —-_ July 6 & July 13
Idght Military ee oa
Electronics July e7 & Aug. 3
SAC-Small Motors July 6 & July 15
Wire July 6 & July 15
MAC~ Medium Motors
(Partial) July 13 °& July 20
All other Departments. - No shutdown
a
‘“ PAGELLI SHOWS HE'S ANTI- TABOR BY
ATTEMPTING TO SPLIT LOCAL 301 °
Mario Pacelli, who claims the
dubious distinction of having been
a member of every major labor union
in.the’area, is showing what an’
active union man he is by attempt-
ing to split the ranks of Local 301.
Pacelli is running for a post
on the city board of education for'
the third tine, having been defeated
twice In the past.
Ia the many times Pacelli has
been a candidate for the School
post lhe has never come near organi-
zeG@ labor. Now, when labor has its
own candidate;.ne claims to be a
labor man and attempts to split
the union.
Leon Novak, Local 301 attorney
for the past 12 years, is also
punning for the post and is being
backed by organized labor.
In the past issues of this paper
we have tried to present the yngonis
candidate only in a constructi
manner ignoring some of the claims
and intimations made by his opponent.
However, it now hes become neces-
sary, due to the sericusness. of
Pacelli's accusations, to get the
truth to the union membership.
Pacelli says he will cut taxes.
He. says he will cub taxes by
eliminating the public information
or ttte in the school system and by
tting into some of the vocational
courses at Linton High School.
These are the only areas he has
mentioned specifically for cutting
taxes. Obviously these eliminations
would not cut taxes one dime and
would work a hardship on theschool
system.
_... There are actually only two areas
where any taxes could Llogiéally be
cut cut: Salaries for teachers anid
maintenance of buildings.
Any IUE member knows” that wages
for teachers are not high; In. fact
-they are generally not high enough:
Ah many instances.
Continued on other side
