Helplessness of Craft Unionism
nS
Shown by Defeat of Steamfitters
; The AFL steamfitters ‘went back to’ work Monday, after, an, eight
week strike ending’ in complete defeat.
Once more Schenectady GE: workers received direct and. simple
proof, that craft unionism’is helpless in'a great industria ‘Plant.
The steamfitters" went back on’
the basis of.a wage raise which had
. previously been given “tothe: UE
here and in ‘other plants without
-even the beginning of a fight ‘this
year, just because of past UE ac-
tivity. The 10% cents received by
the steamfitters consisted of the
one-step raise offered: to most of:
the other crafts here and in other
plants last month, plus the 3 per’
cent raise now added.
“In the. past GE has broken craft
“strikes, partly because-other work-
willing-to.do some: of. the.
work, This did not hap-
pen thia time, because UE organi-
zation .and union Solidarity.- kept
. workers : from~ scabbing .on the -
steamfitters. Foremen and engin-
eers did a little steamfitters’ work.
The company broke’ the strike by
arranging to ship turbinés without
final test. .This also constitutes a
serious- danger’ to steantfitters’
jobs in the future. 7
The strike~showed “that when
_one craft strikes alone; no matter
‘how important is its work, the
company «can always make some
arrangement to take care of that
- particular work,
In addition to the hardship for
the strikers, ‘the steamfitters’ ac-
tion hurt thousands of GE work...
ers. It caused a lot of hard feel- .
ings among workers who should be
united .in. the demand for beth
working’ conditions;:
The steamfitters’ union leader-
ship ignored repeated invitations
from UE 301 fer joint action in
the fight against GE for correc-
tion of craft rates, and other con-
tract conditions. 6
AE NA TEC
~ Peter A. Monzo.
ng |
Peter A. Monzo, a UE-301 mem-
ber since the early days of the un-
ion and for.several years.a shop
steward, @ied Saturday at Glen-
ridge sanatorium after’ an .illriéss
* of nearly.a year, He was a punch
press operator in Building 285 at
the time he had to: stop work be-
. cause, ‘of his health, and was previ-
ously in Building 53 and 11. ° He is .
survived by his wife, ‘Mrs. Camille
.. Monzo,...
Schenectadys. two sons, :six: daugh-
1162... Hildebrandt... Ave., -
ters, his mother, a brother, four ..
sisters. and: four grandchildren,
“Bldg. 46°'won the $10" prize.
Ethelma Mahoney ’
Wins, $50. Prize
%
FA
Winner of the $50. prize at/‘the
drawing’ .at the combined member-
ship and shop stewards’ meeting
_ Tuesday night at the UE 301 hall
was Mrs; Ethelma Mahoney, Buila-
ing 109, :
Clarence Wierclaweki of Bide.
273 won the $25: prize; William:
- Borello of: Bldg. 273 won the $15,
prize and William. A,’ Kaiser of
‘As announced in last week’s'
News, “only members whose dues
for June had been received by the
union “ office were eligible for,
prizes. Because their dues weren't
in, two members whose member-.
ship. book’ numbers were drawn
missed out on the $56¢ one thissed
out ‘on the $15 and one on. the $10.
For a member to be eligible for -
prizes t the drawirig |
ust-mééting, his dues for July musi
cbe in the union’ office:It ia im-
“portant, therefore, thet shop stew-
“ards turn’ in dues collections
promptly. Members do not have
to be present at the meeting to
be eligible. .
UE Wins Raises
At Durez Plant .
UE Local $12:at North Tona-
-wanda, N. Y., has won additional
wage increases, ranging from 4
cents to 8 cents an hour, at -Durez
Inc, on top of the 4% cent general
wage raize negotiated . -last Sep-
tember, ° :
’ The new agreement, also provides
« that the company pay for life in-
surance policies including double
indemnity for accidental death and
dismemberment. -
Surgical and hospital benefits:
and: weekly sickness and accident
benefits ‘are. continued. with . full
cost" of this insurance paid by the.
- companiy,
provision for payment. of. time lost
in connection with: medical exam- '
inations, and’ medical care in cases
connected _ with the employees’
vu. an
' The one-year contract | became
__gfecti
Have You Paid Your UB-301
. Dues? *
_ELECTRICAL_UNION NEWS:
A Group from Bldg, 85
7 LA poker, session was one.of the attractions at-t
4 BU: - that workers from: Building 85 had recently: at.. UE 302 hall,
‘Section N eht” arty
the Aug-
. ( _ curity,
‘Plastics and Chemical Company, ‘
‘The contract added a
--ofallis“the-Belltelephone system;
IUE-CIO Lawyers Get Fees from Jobless Pay® :
‘National Union Radio Workers at Newark, N. J. had to pay fees to -
TUE-CIO lawyers out of the sorely needed unemployment i insurance they |
got for their five months on strike,
“This came as quite a blow to the ;
‘Workers, who were alrdady espec-
ially hard hit financially. Many of -
them had to'go:on relief during the |
strike because they couldn't get:
any “financial. aid from the” meicen
And they chave taken wage cuts, as
high as 25 cents an hour, as a re-
sult of the sell-out strike: settle-
ment deal-which IUE leaders made '
with the company. ;
UE District 4 learned of the fee
arrangement for the IUE-CIO at-
torneys when a National Union
worker came in, with a ‘copy of ae.
letter he received from: ‘the New |
Jersey Division of Employment Se-
The letter informed him
his. unemployment insurance checks
“had: been sent to‘a CIO law firm
which -was.authorized “to. chargé a
counsel fee for each individual rep-
resented,”
“T went down to ‘the lawyer and.
paid him a fee, then I got my
check,” the worker said. “It seem-
ed awfully strange to me to have
to pay a union for unemployment
insurance,—it never happened’ in
UE.” “ et ‘
‘Did You Know?
The Géneral Electric.’ ‘Company
is among the 55 corporations which
are in the “Billionaire Club”,—
meaning that it has more than a
billion dollars in assets. Biggest.
with over 10 billion dollars. Fol-
lowing closely i is Metropolitan : ‘Life’
Insurance Sompany.; .
_ William Mastriani’
$2,592 Award
For Foot Injury
A workman’s compensatio
award ‘of $2,892 has been won tf)
‘Alexander’ Jaimieson,. Building. 53°
. toolmaker, thiough the UE 801 at-
torney,- Marshall Perlin. Jamieson
suffered 45° per cent loss of the use
of his left foot as the result of an
accident July 8, 1949,
Other awards which GE must
also pay, as a result of claims
pressed through the union’ law-
yer, include: Y
$400.to Clealand Haight, Bldg.
49E fire patrol, for a facial sear
resulting from an injury last
Nov. 16. . fey
~ #848 to “Bert pAnun, Bldg. 285
drill press operator, for’ an injury
“oto his right -middle finger July
- 5, 1949,
$275 to Ronald Dzikowski, ‘Bldg,
278 crane follower, for a facial in-
jury last Sept. 17,
$250 to Ralph Giardona, Bldg. 24
maintenance: and general “repair,
-fora seta injury last Oct. 11. ‘
"Approve Committee
‘To Aid Little League
The Executive Board’? action i
appointing a committee to coop *
ate With the Schenectady | Littl
League was approved by the joint
UE 801 membership and shop stew:
ards ‘meeting this week. “Th m= _
~ mittee consists of James: Cognetta,
George Roode, Joseph ; Mangino,
and. Anthony
Esposito,
8, No, 27
~ SCHENECTADY, NEW. YORK
~GE-UE. ‘Negotiations 2
Toolmakers to Vote
in Run-off July 28
Toolmakers will’ vote next. Fri-
day, July 28, in an NLRB run-off _
election between UE Local. 801 and
the International Association of “
Machinists.* All. voting will be on
company time, at the firehouse and
“at“specified” times ~ at. Knolls A
Campbell ‘Avenue and Alplaus.
Voting ar rangements were work- .
ed out ina meeting. in Building 41
Tuesday. ey
UE ranv first in ‘the dhiee-swa
contest May 25, ‘but was short of a
clear majority. +
The broad committee of UE tool-
makers met Tuesday afternoon:
and made .plans for a final came,
-paign to roll up a big UE majority.
«~All members of the committee
- ported a strong and steady swing
re UE 301 among the toolmakers.
They said that recent events had
convinced most of: the toolmakeis
tHat- they must stay united with
the rest of the plant in UE, the
certified winner in the NLRB vote
for the plant,
Committee members mentioned
particularly the following factors:
Old-timers knew that.a eraft un-
ion is helpless, because of the de-
feat. of the molders’ strike in 1920.
Now the steamfitters’ defeat Jet
the younger men see for them-
selves that only an industrial union
is effective.
the one-step plus the 8"percent ad-
justment which UE was giveri here
and in.other GE plants without
even the beginning of a fight.
Recent lay-offs out of toolrooms
have shown toolmakers the im-”
portance of .being- able to exercise
seniority rights on jobs other than
toolmaking, If the toolmakerg had .
a separate IAM contract, they
would lose all rights on many good
achine and assembly jobs whien
by can take now.
IAM’s fancy promises of what
they will do-for toolmakers become® °
The steamfitters in _
their 8-week strike .obtained only
Long Overdue Check- -off Money Expected Soon:
UE® Local ‘301: and other UE Ieeals- which won. in the NLRB ‘elec Cn
tion in GE. plants May 25 are expected to receive shortly the check-off«
money withheld by the company when it claimed, tobe: in doubt as to
whom the money belonged to, becausé of IUE-CIO raiding, and claims,
Westinghouse Strike
Victory Won by ve
Complete ‘victory (was scared by
the 6,000 strikers at the ‘Westing-
house plant at Essington (South °
Philadelphia) last week ‘when. the
“@oinpany agreed ‘to UE Local 107’s
demand that all former contract
‘eonditions be reinstated. They are
Federal Judge John C, Knox on
Monday apy roved an: agreement
‘in each plant go to the union wine”
ning the election for that plant.
~ Figures on the amount tobe re-.
«ceived will be available’after com-_
- putation of possible legal fees, com~"*
pany administrative costs, ete,’
After the company went to court
claiming-it*was, in deubt, the IUE-~
_CIO took advantage of ‘the com-
‘to remain unchanged unless altered pany?s court action to get a court.
in Jater negotiations,
This means that the full shop
steward set-up and grievance sys-
tem continues ‘with recognition by
the company of. the stewards, . the.
general committee and the busi-
ness agent. The 11-day strike was
_ called because the company violat-
edvan interim agreement on griev-
ance proceduie and.barred from
the plant the UE general commit-;
tee and business agent.
The UE vietory at Essington is
a striking contrast to what’ hap-
pens ‘at’ IUR- CIO Westinghouse
plants where workers wall out or
engage in slow-downs over local
issues,
ship orders them to go back to
work ard tells them that the com-
pany has agreed.to negotiate the
disputes, “when actually all the .
~ company is doing is continuing to
meet in national negotiations, So
the. workers’ go back with no. set-
tlement of the local issues.
For.instance, Westinghouse
workers at Springficld, Mass., an
IUE! plant, nded a week slow-
down recently Without any’ agree-
nent on retaining the old UE stew.
ards’ system.
11 Cent Raise
A general pay ‘inerease of lL
_ ridiculous when_toolmakers. look at... cents. an..hour.avas. won... by- UT...
the miserable failure of the IAM.
in Fort. Wayne, GE, where it has’
represented the toolmakers. for
years, ‘in contrast ‘with
UE's *
achievements for toolmakers here,
“workers at the Tnternational Mold-
ing Machine ‘Company at Chicago
on a wage: reopener, The settle.
ment also “included inerensed in-
surance benefits, “8
order stopping UE 3801's chéck-off
even-after new authorization dards —
were signed in January 1950.-
The case could have dragged on
for years. UE proposed that it be
_ Settled by- returning the..money. to
_the members who- paid it, and
letting them decide individually
what to do with their dues. This
forced the IUE-CIO to come back
with the offer to pay the money. to
the winning union in each plant,
One-Step Raises Won
For Two Craft Groups
One-step raises. for two craft
The national TUE leader- » groups were agreed! to by the com-
pany this week, ‘through UE griev-
“ance action,
The raises were for the gear ris
. ters in Building "17, and the ma-
chinists on short order: xaie
work in Building 285. es
UE Local 301 -notified, the coms ;
pany that it would continue to
press to bring the gear cutters in-
to line. with the other tool room
« machine " operators, inasmuch as’
they are on experimental ‘and de-
velopmental work, The men were «
receiving the same-rate ’ jas the’ tool
room. machine operators, but were
left out of the adjustment for that.
group early i in 1947,
. Several other craft rate adjust-
_ment cases are pending.
UE Shop LOL to 1
~ Workers at Bronson Reel Gani:
‘pany, St. Joseph, Mich., voted for
a UE union shop, 107:to 1.
Plant Gate.
Meeting Here.
Days and weeks of patient »ne-
gotiation have not budged the
. General Blectric Company: ‘from its
demand that. the old UE contracs
provisions be weakened or de-
stroyed in major respects. © °
~ Leo Jandreau reported this dead-.
lock after bargaining sessions had
been held’ Monday, Tuesday and
Wednesday | morning this week.
GE Trying to Weaken. Contract
On Monday and Tuesday the ne-
- gotiators went again over the dis-
puted contract’ provisions. The UE
committee declared. it would. accept
nothing less good than the old con-_
tract clauses. The company com-
mittee talked of clearing up this or
that paragraph or revising some
proposed clause, but it all added. ap
to the changes previously reported,
which: would enable the . “company
to take away from the workers
several times the cost of its wage,
pension and insurance offer.-
The UE 801 Executive Board
was to meet last night (Thursday)
to set the time of the plant gate
* meeting ordered’by the July mem-
bership and” shop stewards’ ‘meet-
ing. Jandreau will give the plant
gate meeting a first hand report.
Erie Calls for Strike Vote
Last week the membership of
Ul Local 606 in Erie, second larg-
est GE plant, voted.to call upon
the national negotiating committee
to coriduct a strike.vote of all UE
locals in GE after the vacation ..
shutdowns are over, This followed .
earlier actior by. 801. calling for a
Strike vote here about Aug. 15,
On Wednesday the UE national.
negotiating committee told the GE
what was. wrong with its pensioa
~andinsurarice “offer UB ‘took the’
position that the minimuni: pén:”
sion should be $125, to be increased
if Social Security foes up, and that
both pensions and i insurance should
* (Contnued ‘on: page two) '
“July 21, 1950" akg 21, +1950
on
Nice Fat Pensions
For. GE. Officers
The General Electric, Company
GE-UE Nezotiations
Still eadlocked .
(Continued from page oney
be paid for in' full by’ the company."
‘which dues have been received, but ~~ Another bargajhing session, was |.
for ‘which namés Were. not turned varranged for Monday, but’ at the: |.
sin, The list is printed ‘below... ~ present time: there is ‘no indication
‘Is Your Number
On This List?
The UE 301 office has ‘a list ‘of
membership book numbei's for
MR. BIOWARD BELIEVES TanT GAMBLING | :
CFentinnss to provide-huge pensions. LUNDER MINES PUgLIC MORALITY. ch aanes ad 1
‘efor its officers, while denying GE ~ As IF L WERE You, YOUNG MAN, |
| workers adequate retirement in LAP WOULDN'T BE WASTING MY.LUNCH
esirie. Oe s akacy HOUR ON THAT SCRATCH SHEET...
‘win GA HARD WORKS THE
[UNTIL HE PLUNGES FOR SOME OF THAT |
EASY MONEY. IN THE. STOCK MARRET..
UNLOAD MY CONSOLIDATED MUDPAC ‘
» AND BUY: 500 SHARES OF AMALGAMATED |
BANANA OIL, AND § JUST-GoT a
HOT TRON WHINGDING SCREWRALL |
“Any member. who recognizes his
book, number on the list “should
‘notify; the union office.at once. “So
should. any - ‘shop steward who rec-
ognizes a number belonging ‘to
anyone in his group. .
_ The unidentified nuibers are:
Wt 8233
2269 8527
2387 8677
2388 8872
"2398 © 8873
- 2400 « 9013
. 2581 - 9075
2956.) 9141
"2958 9446. -
3037 101938
8256 10319
_ 8270 © 10989
- 8656 11002
3920 11012
4170 {1016
4172 11916
_ 4202 12072
4205 12285
4469 12296 ©
45°79 12297
ABB 12877
> 4782 12878
4785 “12879
4786 12881
4787 12882
456 “12883
6495 12885
6546 12886
6547 12887
6775 12888
6851 * 12889
6855 12890
* 6897 - 12892"
“9387 - 12893
2755
12899
Wage Adjustment |
Adjustment of wage inequities
at National Vulcanized Fibre Com-
pany, Wilmington, Del., brought
raises of 5 to 11 cents an hour to a
large number of workers, through
UE, These are.in.addition to the
9% cent. general nereage in the
new UE contract. ©.
- brought widespread
ELECTRICAL UNION’ NEWS
UNITED ELECTRICAL, RADIO “AND
MACHINE: WORKIRS OF . AMBRICA
SCHENMCTADT GE LOCAL aor
<>
Published by Editorial Cemmittce
Mary McCartin, Chairman:
Adam Kolnasionaki, Secretary
Robort Armstrong § Frank D'Amico
Victor Paasche George Quick
George Roode Troy Sniper
Yadltarial, Office
RLECTRICAL UNION NEWS"
301 Liborty .9t., Schenectady, N. YT.
Tolophone 3-1886
of a change ‘in’ the company’s po-
sition.’ -Here. are’ some of .the
things GE wants. to: do to Hie old
UE contract: « :
“1. Destroy pee e work guaran
tees,
: ;Take-away the union’s right
to negotiate wage rates.’
3. “Weaken plantwide.- seniority
and open the way‘to destroy it.
4. ‘Make it possible to take ‘away
time ‘and a half for-Saturday and ;
double. time for Sunday as such,
5. ‘Compel workers. to, work: over-
time whenever the company says
SO.
6. .Take away holiday pay if a
worker refuses. to work ‘on a holi-
day when asked to do so. ,
7. Clamp’ down ‘on ,union;activ-.
.-- -ity_and grievance procedure,
8. Prevent arbitration of un-.
settled grievances.'_
~ 9 Take away benefits’won by
UE outside the contract . and now
recognized i in local understanding
-«. 10. Tie up-and weaken the union
through a ‘five-year contract.
Lunch hour meetings at which
these points were reported have
expressions
from the members that they would
resist these company demands and
insist on restoring the old contract
provisions. :
John S. Latkowski
“John: §, Latkowski, 43, a°mem-
‘ber of UE 801 since its early days,
died Sunday ‘at St. Clare's Hospital
after a long iliness. .~
He was so strong a UH man that
even though his job ‘was outside
the bargaining unit since.Novem-
ber, 1948, he continued paying his
dues and was still a member in
-good standing when he died. For-
merly a crane operator, he had to
take a job ‘as a ‘badge “clerk in
Building 46 in 1948 because of ill:
ness and an injury. He worked
24 years at GE,
After a solemn high requiem
mass at’ St. Luke’s Church Wed-
nesday, he was, buried in | Most
Holy Redeemer Cemetery, He’ is
survived by his wife, Mrs. Joseph-
-=dne-Furman:-Latkowski;-151--Ward--
» Ave, Schenectady;-
twWo- sons, .&
daughter, his mother, a brother
and four sisters,
ws aye fs Set
Mel ed here they fda would ast
: ed wilo th spb... :
$l, 382 y Award Wo ]
For Injury to Leg ,
A workmen's compensation
award of $1,882 was made to Na- ,
thaniel Johnson, Building. 263.'la-
borer, as a result of.a claim
agdinst GE’ handled through the
UE 301 attorney, Marshall Perlin.
Johnson suffered 15 per cent loss
of the use of-his. right leg because
of an accident*Apr. 30, 1949,
Other recent awards ineluded
$960 to James Cantore, Bldg. 18. -
‘milling machine operator, for in-
juries to his right index -finger
last Oct, 20; and, $300. to U. V.
Davis, Bldg. 17 machinist -repair,
for a facial scar resulting from an
accident last Apo a no :
‘GE Profits Go Up.
Employment Down
If the General Hlectrie Company -
continues forthe rest of 1950 to
make the same.rate of profit it did ‘
in the first quarter of the year, the
net profit for, 1950: will be $147,-
484,000,—the highest in its his-°
tory. ; 7
GE in the’ first ihree. fonind of
1950 continued its, practi¢e of
“squeezing out greater profits with
“While --profits::
_ were. 88. percent greatey than a
fower--amployees,~
year ago, employment was still an
estimated 12° per cent lower,
CIO Gets a Dose.
~ Of Own Medicine
Remember how Canadian -dele-:
gates to the UE convention last
-year were “screened” at the border
by the. U. 8S. immigration authori--
ties so as to let-across only the
followers of James Carey?
“Now the restrictions are hitting
the very “pure” CIO itself. .'The
Montreal Gazette reported recent-
ly that the CIO convention sched- --
uled for September has been-shift-.
ed from Montreal to Chicago.
“There was considerable doubt
whether’a number of United States
- leaders would have been admitted
to:Canada by immigration authori-
ties because of their Imown and in -
Some cases acknowledged Commun-
ist’ sympathies,” the. newspaper
stated, . sled
“Again ‘there was eoniatdeveble
doubt whether the U. S. would re-"-
admit them after they were once
out of the country,”
* Joseph |. Kristel
Joseph I. Kristel, a former shop
"steward and a member of UE 301
-sincé"19387;- ‘died= ‘Thursday: oflast
week,
He was an assembler in-
Building 89 and lived at 1114 Con-.
. Bress: sity Schenectady.
President Charles E.Wilson will
get. $66,000 pension..a year when..
he retires. Philip D. Reed, chair-
man of the board of directors, will
get $45,000 a*year and Ralph J.
Cordiner, executive vice-president
will get $28,000.
On ‘the other hand, the average
company pension paid. retired GE
employees ‘in. 1949, including the
«high pensions ‘of... executives.
“-amounted to only $55.68 a month.
GE was able ‘to use. the IUE
company union disruption in 1949 -
to break off contract, negotiations
abruptly. If: ‘negotiations hadn't
been disrupted,. there is little aoubt<
that GE would have ‘improveu its
first offer on. pensions,;. an _ offer
-to grant up. to-$15 a month in-
creased pension-for rétiring work-
ers whose combined GE pension
and social “security: was less than’
add a Month, oe ; 6.
oO] ‘i Behind the Contract Deiiahds
A: SAY ABOUT A HUNDRED
\\ SHARES 5 OR SO
Did You Know?
According to United States gov-
ernment figures,— 61,000 persons
(less than “one twentieth of one--
percent of the population) receive
‘one half of the dividends paid in”
o
this country:
Square D Strike Wins Wage, Pension Setélemens
After a five and a half week strike, Square D. workers at De troit, .
Mich.;.. members” of UE Local 937, won a wage and pension settlement
which all three Detroit newspapers admitted is far better than the agree-
ments in the auto industry,
The agreement. provides for a 4
wage in-'
cents an hour general
crease at once and 4 cents in June
1981;, 3 cents additional fora large
number of toolroom, model shop
and maintenance workers, and in-~
equity’ adjustments ranging from,
2 cents to 8 cents,
The company-paid pension plan’ , :
Initiation Fees
~Start in- August
provides for pensions up-to $130 a
month, $1,000 paid-up life insur-
ance: for each pensioner ‘and full
hospitalization and surgical bene-
fits for-the- pensioner and wife’ or
husband. .
Other gains in. the contract in-
clude:, the unidn shop, improved .
seniority, grievance and. ‘overtime
provisions; increase * “of 1 é¢ent in
the night shift bonus for the sec- ~
ond, shift and an increase of 2 cents
for the third shift; increase in call-,
in pay from three hours to four.
hours, and .removal. ot qualifica-
“tions for: paid: holidays.”
374 i
Back the Contract Negotiations
By Paying Your UE ‘801, Dues.
"tween the
Double Trouble
. Even a ubleatien ‘sponsored iy .
“employer's ‘admitted. recently that
‘the clo. is disappoirited -in- its ef- ”
_ forts y “KO. tu. UE, and “is
. having” bargaining problems to ‘
boot.”
. The Employee: Relation Bulletin,
published by. the Nationa] Fore-
men’s Institute, (an outfit spon:
sored. by employers) said in addi-
tion: > «
“Philip Woveay has mained
taken over the negotiations be-
IUE (right-wingers)
and Westinghouse. He replaces.
James Carey, secretary of the CIO.
Murray has often _ privately be-
moaned the ‘lack. of | aggressive
‘leadership’ in the CIO.”
Starting Aug. 1, any new mem-
ber joining UE 801 for the first
time will have to pay the $2 init-
idtion fee. "By membership vote,
as, part of the organization drive, .
the"initiation fee is ‘not requred of
new members joining before Aug.
1. : mo
Any member who dropped out of
the union for any reason must pay
full back dues, beginning with
April, 1950, for reinstatement. Ex.
_Pelled members are not. eligible § ”
rej 1 the. ‘Tocal, 7 :
Thig policy on. initiation dats and
--yeinstatements was voted by the
June membership meeting.
“the old: contract.
-offered .to.,pay..for:four-months.of -
UE Wins Payment |
_In Seniority Case
An: important vietory_ for the
‘principle of seniority was. won this ‘
‘month when the company in New
“York agreed to pay four months’
loss of earnings to a glassblower
‘who had been’ refused his, bump
rights, rather than let the issue go
_ to arbitration. .
The case arose out of the old
contract, and. was sent to arbitra-
tion by UE under; that contract,
“It was covered by. the seniority
‘-elause which GE is ‘now trying ‘to
change so: that the same seniority
rights would no longer apply.
The nian was a B glassblower in
Building 269 when he was laid: off
in. September 1948. Despite his
18 years’ experience as a glass-
blower and, eight years’ continuous
servieé with GE, he was’ hot al-
lowed to bump on a laboratory B:
glassblower job in Building 5, on
which there was’a shorter service
man. He was pressured into tak-'
ing a “sheet metal job in Indue-.
‘tion Motors. After ‘he brought the
éasé” to UE Local '801 in Mareh -
1949, the “personnel ‘department
found him an opening at.his trade,
but would not admit that he should
‘have been allowed to bump when
first’ laid? Offs
UE insisted on arbitration under
GE this month
the. difference in earnings result:
ing from the refusal to bump, This
covers most: of the time he was on
the sheét metal job,
ns
Wie
