Electrical Union News, 1949 October 27

4

ELECTRICAL UNION NEWS

October 2!, 1949

UE Urges ClO Unite
On Workers’ Problems

The national UK has sent to
CIO President Philip Murray #
copy of the UE convention resolu-
tion against raiding and dictator-
ship in the CIO, with a letter from
the three top UE officers urging
unity in the CIO.

The convention resolution called
on Murray to do the following:

Use his authority and influence
to put an immediate stop to raid-
ing on UE.

Discharge raiding CIO staif
members.

Prevent CIO eitidtal and staff
members: from spending CIO
money to raid and disrupt UE and
connive with employers against it.

Acknowledge the right of UE
members to run their own union
and designate their own represen-
tatives to the CIO.

These proposals provide “a rea-~

sonable, easy and indispensable
means of reuniting the CIO on the
basis of rank and file industrial
unionism devoted to serving the
economic needs: of the member-
ship,” the UE officers' letter de-
elared. :

The letter suggested a meeting
with Murray for a discussion, be-
fore the national CIO convention
“in order that the matter of raid-
ing, secession and interference in
the internal affairs of this union
may be “cleared up and the atten-
tion of the CIO Convention di-
rected toward finding the best
means of achieving jobs, security,
and a better standard of living for
all members of all C1O unions.”

Don't Lose Sleep
Over This Threat

he union office has been ad-
vised that in some shops foremen
have told the members who took
part in last week’s plant gate
meeting that this tact “is going

- into your record.”

This is just another meaningless
vesture, which is part of the at-
tempted intimidation which was
tried on the day of the meeting.
Members are advised to ignore if.
There can be no penalty for par-

_ticipating in.an..action of the...

whole membership.

Did You Know?

According to the General Hlec-
tie Company's own figures, be-
tween 1940 and 1948 the com-
pany’s average payment to a re-
tired employee decreased 8 per
cent, despite a 68.9 per cent in-
crease in living costs.

Hodges Addressing 301 Plant-Gate Meeting

301) Vice-President William
flodges at the microphone reading
a statement by Business Agent
Leo Jandreau on the contract
negotiations and GE's refusal to
settle grievances, at the plant-
gate meeting at 11 a.m. Wednes-
day of last week. Thousands of
members left their jobs to attend
the meeting, called by vote of the
shop stewards. President Frank
Kriss presided. Executive Board
members are shown next to the
speakers’ platform.

Ford Workers Debating Contract Terms

Ford workers ave expected to vote this week-end on acceptance
or rejection of the new contract negotiated with the company by Walter
Reuther, president of the United Auto Workers, C10.

A vigorous debate’ has’ been
under way in the Ford plants over
the contract “which Reuther has
recommended. Its principal fea-
ture follow:

It establishes a pension ‘plan
under which benefits start April
1, 1950. At best this plan is
likely to benefit only a minority
of Ford workers. Ford pensions

-will be reduced by any improve-

ments in the Social Security Law
(paid for equally by .equal taxes
on employers and workers). And
the UAW agreed not to negotiate
any~changes in the pension plan
until March 1956,

Total pension benefits, including
Social Security, are set at $100 a
month for workers who have 80
years’ service and are 65 years
old when they retire. The amount
is sealed for shorter service and
lower age down to $50 -for -work-
ers with 80 years’ service who are
permanently and totally disabled

and are 55 years old. A disabled
Ford worker with less than 30
years service and under 55 years
old gets no pension, Neither does
a Ford worker who leaves before
the age of 60, even if he has 80
years’ service. Families of Ford
wokers receive no benefits after

the worker's death. Service |

credits depend on the number of
hours worked in one year.

All amounts of pensions are in-
eluding Social Security. -~Under
the bill which has passed the
House -of Representatives and is
expected to pass the Senate early
next year, a great many workers
would receive pensions from So-
clal Security close 1o or greater
than the amount specified in the
Ford agreement, Their payments
from Tord would be little or
nothing,

Under the proposed 1 ord, agree-
ment the company would also pay

21 Cent Raise Won

in Longshore Strike |

. Hawaiian longshoremen -won
their 159 day strike with a decis-
ive: victory that gives. them 21
cents an hour increase ‘in wages.
They get 14 cents immediately and
the other 7 cents.on Mars 1. Hight
cents of the wage increase is re-
troactive three to seven months.

The 2,000 strikers, members of
the International Longshoremen’'s
and Warehousemen’s Union head-
ed by Harry Bridges, withstood
tremendous pressure to force them
to give up the fight. They refused
to be sidetracked by the yrecom-
mendation of a fact-finding board
that they get only 14 cents.

The United States .government.
whipped out a new indictment
against Bridges.in connection with
his citizenship papers. Congress-

ven attacked the toyalty ol hie

strikers and the Hawaiian govern-¢"y
ment went into the strike-breaking
business with military guards. The
five huge corporations which con-
trol the economy of the islands
were so sure they could break the
union that they refused a union
offer to arbitrate the dispute. In
the end they agreed to rehire all
strikers without discrimination, _

The International Longshore-
men’s Union also won the four-
month strike of West Coast ware-
housemen, with a 10 cents an hour
pay increase. The settlement also
included upward adjustment of
classifications and other improve-
ments. It was far more than the
pattern proposed by the fact-find-
ing board in the steel case.

for slightly higher hospitalization
benefits begining January 1, 1960.

The agreement runs to April [,
1952, and can be reopened once,
on wages. only, on April 1, 1951.
This means no changes in wages
or hours this year or in 1950.

Under the agreement the com-
pany retains the right to set “pro-
duction standards,” meaning the
right to speed-up. This was the
issue in last spring’s strike.

The company also retains the
right to discipline workers for par-
ticipating in so-called ‘‘wildeat
strikes.” This must be considered
in connection with the speed-up
provision, as the Ford speed-up is
the most frequent cause of stop-
pages,

The UAW also agreed to give
up double time for Sunday and¢
holidays in the Ford © steel
divisions, on the ground that steel
companies do not pay such over-
time to their employees,

‘UNITE IN BACKING THE CONTRACT DEMANDS

=> THE VOICE OF LOCAL 301

(LECTRICAL

ER. & MW. AL

EXTRA

. M

seenaienianien ea

SCHENECTADY, NEW YORK

October 27,1949

ING TONIGHT
ON CONTRACT

Come to the meeting tonight to get a detailed report ‘on the GE's latest
offer, The decision ts up to ycu.

Behind the thousands of words of explanation by GE the actual offer
amounts to new insurance and pension benefits worth about 2 and 1/10th
cents per hour, with the employees required to pay about an additional
one cent an hour, In return for this offer the workers would have to
give up until December 31,1950 any thought of shorter hours, higher
Wages, better GILEVERES procedure, or any other benefits.

-—-Thecontract now runs until April 1,1956, the time when the need for

a shorter work week with 40 hours! pay to reduce unemployment is likely
to become more acute. The company wastes the contract expiration
changed now to December 31,1950, with no reopening allowed on any point
The GE offer contrasts with that which RCA, another big UE employer,
made after a strike vote. That included a 54 cent wage increase, com-'
prehensive life insurance, sickness, disability, and hospital plan
paid for by the company, a seventh paid holiday, 3-week vacation after
ten years, and reopener on economile issues in April,1950.

The meeting tonieht is at 7:50 at the armory for the first and third
shifts - at the union hall at 12:45. a.m. (immediately after work) for
the second shift.

The GE offer provides for a life insurance, plus accidental death
benefit, and sick. benefits running from 21.40 a week up to a top of
$30 4a week for a maximum of 26 weeks. But whereas under MBA a worker
ean collect sick benefits while out on compensation, the proposed plan
would cover only illness or accident not arising out of the job. . The
cost of this insurance and disability plan to the company has been’
computed to be about 2 cents an hour, with the worker paying 1 cent.

The pension plan is nothing but the present unsatisfactory one, but
with an additional 15 a month to be paid to workers with ten years
service or more, retiring after the offer is accepted and before
December 31,1950, and receiving less than $100 monthly. The 915
payment would be reduced by any improvement in social security. This
offer does not help the pensioners out now. Its cost to the company
will amount to 1/ldth of a cent per hour,

The company also wants vacation pay figured on a percentage of earnings,”
This would help some a little, at the cost of a loss to many.

COME A ND HEAR THE FULL DETAILS

The company's attitude in making this so-called offer 1s in line with
its attitude on major grievances. These have involved such things as:

Refusal by major divisions to correct lack of work conditions and
blaming them on the steel strike; Saturday and Sunday work while some
groups go home ; violation of sentority in lay-offs; unfair firings
and penalty lay-offs; lay-off of avuk workers and speedup of those
remaining; speed-up and piece price-cutting on machine cperations;
refusal to mect such highly-justified wage rate complaints as. the
tinsmiths!; and attempted downgrading ‘of some jobs.

local 70 - uopwa