IUE-CIO Local 301 News, 1958 July 11

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. Arbitrary Positions of LM&G New Eligibility Test for Unemployment

LE SEE ie

LP Ib Tet,

Create Problems

Benefits Eases Rules for Some Workers

Trying to take advantage of the lack of work condition
now existing in some parts of the LM&G Dept. to instill fear
into the people, the management of this department is dis-
ciplining 10 men in Bldg. 12, who they claim stopped work.
They previously had charged that the steward of this group

off without pay.

The steward was meeting with |
the unit manager ut the time the

other men were charged with. being
off their jobs. This didn't have any

‘effect ‘on the Compuny negotia-

tors who insisted he also was going
to be accused of a work stoppuge.
It was only after the Executive
Board, acting on a recommenda-
tion of the Officers of. Local 301
that u strike vote be taken in the
plant that management decided

, they were on pretty thin ice. Even

though they have “a full staff of
‘publicity men to put their ideas
“across to the’ community, they
knew they could not sell this .one
so they rescinded thé steward’s
time off. .

As this paper goes to press, the
Union is trying to set up an emer-
feney meeting in New York on the
grievances in this cuse, Here is a
report of the full story:

The Company told . the. Hand
Tapers to use a new tape which
they claim would constitute a
‘change in method, The Tapers
‘pointed out that a tape made of a
different material but still applied
the same. way was hardly a
“change in, manufacturing method”
under the contract. After discuss-
ing this to great lengths, the
Hand Tapers said they would take
a time: study with the new tape.
While the time study was in. pro-
cess, the Union pointed out that a
protest had to be filed as the man
being timed became very nervous
and was not giving an average per-
formance. The Union said they
would like a full day's time study
to prove their point. This the Com-
pany refused to do. A meeting was
being held between Union’ repre-
sentatives and the unit manager
when the Hand Tapers finished
the job they had been working on.
They then went to their smoking
area waiting for the unit manager
to assign them another job, Under
GE’s new decentralization setup

with-unit managers and specialists «
of all kinds, it would be confusing . -

to really know who the boss is,‘but
we cun only accept or expect one
person to give orders to our mem-
bers. This is the unit manager in
Bldg. 12,

The Company, over the protests
of the Union, used the time study
and computed a price which they
‘not only say is in effect. on’ that

job’ but they are also using it on

other jobs, The men are not able
to maintain their earnings on these
coils and a violation of contraet by

the Company is being charged. The

had also participated and he was going to be given two days

Union also protests the “change in

“manufacturing method’ the Com-

pany is using as both tapes ure up-
plied the same way and by the
Company's action seems “to. imply
that they. only wish to redtice earn-
ingss: a

Another case which has been to
the New York level should also be
reported on, This case pertains to
au non-barguining unit employee
being returned tea barguining unit
job. This man was a Methods Man
which is net covered by our unit.
For some reason, he was returned
although he has 22 years’ serviee
with. the Company and there, are
much, much shorter service Methods
Men in the department who should
have been taken out of the classi-
fication first. This is one of the
Union's protests but GE. says we
hive no right to talk about a non-
bargaining unit employee.

When the* Company took this
man off as a Methods Man, they
said he had a right to replace a 17
year man on days in Bldg. 16, even
though he had worked in Bldg, 60
prior to leaving. our unit. The
Union protested again as our bar-
gaining unit members do not have
the right to pick their shift as did
this employee. This is outright dis-
crimination and the only way to
settle this case is to give our mem-
hers the same opportunity as he
had. A strike vote was taken in this
group of Erectors in Bldg. 16 and

unless this is settled now or the

Company. will agree to arbitration,
this feeling will spread, This 5
year differential in service should
be afforded so all our members
have a right to the day jobs. This
the Company could easily. settle by
an agreement of this sort with the
Union.

LOCAL 301
PARTY NITES
EVERY TUESDAY

7:00 p.m.
UNION AUDITORIUM

IUE-C1IO- LOCAL 301 NEWS

OFFICIAL ORGAN OF LOCAL 301,
REPRESENTING SCHENECTADY
GE WORKERS

: eRe 2 :
Published by the Sditorlal Committes

. Prosidant ~.-

Gerald O'Brion

~ Larry Gebo

Ass't Recording Socral
Chiof Shop Stoward.

121 ERIE BLYD.

incont Dilorenzo
SCHENEGTAOY, N. ¥.

Under the new amendments ta
the Unemployment Laws passed
this year, workers may find them-
selves vligible for benefits where
previously, under the old liw, they
could not get such benefits. :

Previously, there was only) one
eligibility insofar us itinvolved

length of time worked before une.

employment benefits were applied:
for: the worker had to show: that
he had worked at least. 20 weeks in
the preceding 62 weeks and that’ he
avers eed at least $15.00 per week
for such 20 weeks of work. A work-
ver. who had worked Jess) than : 20
weeks, ever if only one day less,
-eould not receive the benefits.
“Under the amended law, a worker
must still shaw 20 weeks of work

within the preceding. 52 weeks but
if he falls short of such 20 weeks
“of work he can still receive weekly
benefits if he can ‘show that he
worked at least 14 weeks but also
that he worked at least.a total off
40 weeks in the last two years, His'
earnings for this minimum of 15
weeks in the last year and 40 weeks
in the lust two years must show
un avernge of at least $15.00 per

oweek in order for him to receive

unemployment’ benefits. Workers,
who have been rejected for bene-
fits under the old “20 week” rule
muy consult the union’s lawyer and
should waste no time in filing
elaims if they feel that . they,
qualify now under the amende
law,

New Vacation-Pay Unemployment
Cases Up for Test Hearing |

Despite the fact that the New York State Legislature has
passed laws to eliminate the payment of uneriployment bene-
fits to workers involved in vacation shut-down who receive
“vacation pay” for the period of the shut:down, the union's
lawyer is presenting claims for some workers who were turned

down for benefits. -

The- cuses presented for unem-
ployment claims are considered by
the union’s lawyer to be cases
where the workers involved are en-
titled to benefits, despite the new
law, The Unemployment Insurance
withorities and the General Elec-
tric Company do not agree and are
opposing the payment of benefits
to these workers. i

While it is true that the Legisla-
ture hag passed laws to deny un-
employment benefits to workers
who are involved in a shut-down,
the workers whose hearings ure
coming up as a test cuse were not
involved in such a shut-down, As a
matter of fact these workers were
actually laid off from work for
one week for lack of work, Upon
receiving such lay-off notices, how-
ever, these workers asked that the
Company advance them a week's
vacation pay. By so doing, argue
the Company and the “Unemploy-
ment Office, the workers have in-
dicated 2 desire to take a week’s

vacation and have thereby. made ~

themselves unayailable for work

duting the lay-off period; a)

argues the Company, they are. no
entitled to benefits.

The union’s lawyer, on the other
hand, contends ‘that the lay-off in
these cases was for lack of work
and not because of a “vacation
shut-down” and henee that the new
law does not, disqualify these
workers {or benefits, The fact. that
these workers usked for and re-
ceived an advance of a week’s vaca-
tion pay..did not take away their
rights for benefits for the week
of lay-off because the a vacation
pay” was earned by-them the pre-
eeding year and they would have

been entitled to such vacation pay

in any event,

The test hearings are coming
up for trial on July ist, 1958 and
involve two workers but the deci-
sion in their cases will affect the
rights of many more workers.

Books Available at the Public Library

A turtle, a snake, a retbbit, an owl, a kitten or a puppy may be
brought home for a pet. If it’s not exactly what you want, don’t be dis-
mayed, Books at the Schenectady County ‘Public Library can help you
find out its habits, what food it requires, and where it ean be kept. Sor

of those available are:

All You Need to Know About Dogs. H. B. Hoyt Putnam, 1956, 636.7H86.

Boy's Book of Frogs, Tonds and Salamanders, P. A, Mortis, Ronald.

1957, YAS97.8M87.- « :

The Care of Your Gat, P.M, Soderburg. Harper. 1957. 636.8807. ;
The Complete Book of Pet Care, H. J, Lewis: Random House. 1966,

686167.

Fieldbook of Mammals. KE. L. Palmer, Dutton, 1957, 599P178.
Parakeets in Your Home. M. F. Roberts. Sterling. 1956, 6386.6R64.°

Co

UE

AFL-CIO .

Vol. 4 — No, 35

The following urticle appeared in the June 27, 1958, issue of the
ON, Topple ost ae a H +t j
New York Post. We are printing it to wake up people in Schenectady

before it’s too late.

Bones On the B

by Murray Kempton

each

Bloomfield, N.J.

» Charles Divine is proprietor of Conroy’s Tavern which
stands and draws its sustenance between two great factories

which are wasting away.

“I can remember,” he says, ‘when we had five to seven

thousand at Westinghouse and 3,000 at GE.”

Now Westinghouse is down to
3,000. General Electric’s air con-
ditioning plant has just 1,100 em-
ployes and is shrinking faster

every day. James Noland, chief

steward of its International Union
of Electrical Workers local, came
in yesterday with an inch-thiek file
of layoffs slips; the ones on top
had been in the plant sinee 1940.

For GE bet wrong on air condi--

oning, and the price of that mis-
tuke will now be paid by the men
at its mavhines and the merchants
around its Bloomfield works. In
1954, its market research experts
were so optimistic about a future
boom in air conditioners that the
company spent an estimated
$6,000,000 on new machines for the
plant here. : ‘
at ae * a
There was talk then of as many
as, 3,000 production jobs at Bloom-
field in 1960. That was a hope,
plant officials say, and not a
promise. But it sounded to Bloom-
field like u promise; and now, with
wing fear and bitterness,
oomfield watches:us the new

machines are moved one by ‘one —

and sent off to Tyler, Texas, to the
GE air conditioning plant there,
so modern that it is described as
“the envy of the industry.” Sales,
in the language of management,
are not lousy but “soft”; in the
sane language, what has happened
at Bloomfield is not a cutback but
a “reconsolidation?

What has happened is that

Spomtield GE, a plant which goes
‘pack 65 years, will not make air
conditioners much longer, | and
there is reason to doubt GE’ will
operate it at all-after this: year.

Its local managers’ are reduced
to shopping hat in hand around the
General Electric system in search
of another division which might be
willing to take over the Gl Bloom.

field: plint for another produet line.
Mvery now and then an inspector
from-some other branch of GE will
come through to look the plant
over, :

“My foreman suid to me a couple
of months ago’ that one of these
inspectors was coming by,” said
David Fitton, are welder, yester-
day. “A lot depends on how -we
look and how we behave, so I
should tell the boys to get to it.

« David Fitton is 55 years old and

‘has been at Bloomfield GE since

1923. Now his best chanee for a
Job is to look sharp for an inspee-
tor, as though he were an old
house and this a customer, The
machines and the engineers, and.
of course the bad guessers from
market research—all the metal and
the paper—will go to Tyler, Texas,
but not David Fitton. After 35
years, he goes when the plant goes.
“Who,” says’-David Fitton, “will
hire a man 55 years old?) They
won't hire a man 45.”

Inthe welter of rumors, Bloom-

field’s TUE local is already charge
ing that GE proposes to serap its ,

plant entirely.” Henry, W.> Pierce,
the ‘company’s representative for
employe relations, docs not give
them a flat answer, for the very

“reason that he does not really

know beeause the decision is not

really his,
He can do no more than serve

as a mag in the middle, seareh and

“bargain with top management, As

Bloomtield mobilizes its commit-
tees to, serve the plant which the
union thinks is marked for closure,
Henry Pierce can only answer. the.
rumors with the statement that he

thinks: a complete, walkout by GE

is“a remote possibility,” and there
is a good chance that another de-
partment will come in.
T think that the chances for what
(Continued on Page 2) .

The Voice of GE Workers, Local 301, Schenectady, N. Y.

July 11, 1958

Who Controls The
Board of Supervisors?

As this, paper goes to press,
your Union leaders are preparing
to go before the Board of Super-
visors to obtain support of our 8-
Point Program on Employment
Security. We felt that this action
Was necessary because Employ-
ment Security affects not only the
employees at G.E. but also the
security of our City and County.
We further believe that the com-
munities in which our ‘members
work and live want to know and
have the right to know what, we
are asking of: the General Electric

“Company and why. With this in

mind, we intend to present our pro-
gram"to the Board of Supervisors”
and we fcel sure that they will see ;
in it a means of keeping G.E. jobs
in Schenectady. ,

The Board of Supervisors, have
already. given us an ‘answer even
before we appear before them.
Their answer is, as we get it
through the local newspapers, that
they will take a non-partisan stand,
This, incidentally, is just what
they were advised to do by. A, C.

, Stevens, G.E, Manager of Schenee-

tady Relations and Utilities. Per-
haps this is why the question is
being asked as to who controls
the Bourd of Supervisors.

It seems very queer that when
G.E. presented their so-called
“Operation Upturn’, the. Super-
visors passed a resolution ununi-
mously hailing the GE. Company
onits program. However, it seams:
to be a-horse of « different color
that when the Union wishes to pre-
sent its program to keep jobs in
Schenectady, the Board does not
show the Union the courtesy of
waiting until we present our case _
betore they issue a verdict,

It would seem to us ‘that the
Supervisors who were elected to
protect the welfare of ‘all the
people in the*County would take.
the tinie to look at the record of .
GAs. in Schenectudy since 1954,
and vealize that “they should take
the “Bull by the Horns” and. ask
G.E. just what they mean wher
they make such remarks-as “The
future is bright’ and that Sche-
nectady is still the “heart” of the
Company when their record proves
that we cannot take these temarks

SSG

SRA

Y MEMS ON)

as being too sound. G.Is. told the
community in 1954 that the future
looked good, and sineé 1954, em-
ployment at the G.E. plant has
dropped from about 89,000 to ap-
proximately 27,000. However, the

Supervisors have said they will |

take i non-partisan stand on. the
whole . question of Employment
Security as put forward in the
LU.E. 8-Point Program, Perhaps
by their refusal to act they will be
put in a.position of presiding over
the liquidation of Schenectady
‘County’s largest industry. This
liquidation has been in progress
since 1954 and will not be halted
by a so-called non-partisan stand.

By the time you read this, some
changes may have taken place. If
so, We hope they are changes for
the better, but, because of our
deadline, we will not be able to
print them in this issue.

We sincerely, hope that all ‘the
people in Schenectady, whether
they work at-G.Is. or not, will wake
up before it’s, too late and before
we ure faced with the same situa-
tion the people in Bloomfield, New
Jersey, are faced with today.

NOTICE

. Membership &
Stewards —
Meeting

Monday, July 21, 1958

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

Union Auditorium
121 Erie Blvd.

. | AGENDA
Report of Committees.
Regular Order of Business :
Election of Delewates to Na-
tional Convention .
Election of Delegates to State
ClO. Convention

POTENT et ET LYRE

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Bones... .
(Continued from Page 1)
the union and I would consider a

suitable new department are still
fairly good,” Pierce said yesterday.

When he says “suitable” he means,:

of course; a “new product which

“would provide jobs for the men still

in the plant if it is shifted from
air conditioning. They are not men
who can do much besides what they
have been doing for so many years.

“Last night,” said James Noland,
chief steward, “seven of the guys
laid off called me up. Every one of

them had been all over the area.

I couldn't tell them where else to
go.” :

There appears every chance that,
even if GE stays here with another
product, many of these men. can
never work there again.

ienty Pierce sits in an office
across from a billboard proclaim-
ing “GE’s confidence in the men
and women who build these fine
products,” and seems. as helpless
as anyone else in Bloomfield.

“Ttts kind of hard,” he says,
‘with business what it is to find

somebody in another department ¢

who wants: te expand. But 1 think
we'll get someone.”
=) * 4

On Tuesday, a group of the -

area’s ministers invited Ralph Cor-
diner, GE’s beard chairman, to
come over to Bloomfield and dis-
cuss their dark future with them,

He answered: “My schedule will
hot permit ... take this opport-
unity to make a few observations
... Sales are the root of GE jobs
... Employment is not a manage-
ment decision... Our Operation
Upturn is one of many approaches
... Vigorous and continuing effort
... TE wish all of us would be able
to announce an immediate and
early solution which would be
more reassuring than present. cir-
cumstances permit... You may be
assured of our sincere ‘and con-
tinuing interest.”

That, of course, is the. letter
Ralph Cordiner or his successor
will someday write Tyler. “Sincere
and continuing interest” is man-
agese for not giving a damn.
Bloomfield is six miles from Ralph
Cordiner’s office; yet it is no
nearer than Tyler, Both are pins
on a map in his office; when you
write one of them off, your sched-
ule no. longer permits a two-hour

trip. There was, of course, a time

just two years ago when GIs invit-
ed the same ministers’ to visit the
plant and see for themselves what
it is doing for Bloomfield. This was
called community. relations. You
don’t have, relations with a com-
munity the day after you can no
longer take a buek out of it.

' NOTICE
Due. to Vacations, Local
301 News will not be issued
on July 25, 1958. The next.
issue will be August 8, 1958.

7, ASUSEEM 7

peanasine.o:agie: by CHARLES SCOTT pg pipers

We return to Gelectricady for
our column again this week. This
will be an imaginary report of
what happened to a small business-
man who tried to imitate the
“Wunction Upwaid" program of
the Allpurpose Lightening Com-
pany. The imaginary scene takes
place in a room where three men
are judging the sanity of the
smallbusiness man. ,

One of the three men addresses
the small businessman hy saying,
“Yosterday we had a preliminary
hearing and your only excuse for
your actions is that you did .only
what the Allpurpose Lightening
‘Company did but ona smaller
seale, Today we just want to re-
peat the charges for the record
and then give you our verdict.

“These charges may not be in
sequence of happenings, but this
is what you are charged with
having done You stood by the door
when your employees were leaving
work forthe day and questioned
them to find out if they had work-
ed as hard as they possibly could
all day. Then in the evening* you
went around to their homes to see
if they were mowing their lawns
or working “in their gardens and
questioned your workers’
to find out if your workers were
really exhausted after their day's
work, Some of your workers com-
plained to the councilman in their
district who in turn asked you
what you were trying to do to your
workers, You than started a phone
and leaflet campaign saying that
this councilman by disagreeing

neighbors ,

with you was not very smart and
did not have the interest of his
district at heart. You then called
your employees together and said

business is bad, so we will raise.

the priées of our product and make
higher profits by selling less. You
then gave them = small buttons
plugging your product and told
them, to try ard be salesmen on
their own time to sell more of
your. product. For these’ added

. duties, your employees were to re-

ceive no pay.

“You then made up a jingle
about our customers .being the
‘King’ and they should be treated

. like royalty. You then took banjo

lessons and went all over Gelectri-
sady collecting crowds on street
corners where you played your
banjo and sang your little jingle
to them. ‘

“The final act was to announce
to your, employees that although
you had made a very good profit in
Geleetricady, you were moving
half of your business to a southern
stute because of the climate in
Telectricady.

“ATler reviewing your case, this
is our finding: If you owned a
larger amount of money, we would
call you an ececentric amillionaire.
ff" -you were the president of a
large incorporated company, we
would call you an astute business-
man and a pillar of the community,
but, since you are a relatively un-
important individual, we say you
are, a ‘erack-pot’ .and should he
committed.” ~~

Local 301 Launches COPE Drive

Our COPE Drive was officially
launched at a special called Execu-
tive Board meeting on June 80th,
All. Officers and Board Members
gave their voluntary contribution
of One Dollar to start things roll-
ing. a

When the stewards and members
are ‘approached for their contribu-
tion, they should keep in mind the

protection afforded’ them by the_
Jommittee on Politieal Education,

Your COPE DOLLAR helps to pro-
tect your job, your living standards
and your old age by electing a
Congressman and Senators who’ in-
troduce and vote for legislation
that will achieve this protection,

COPE protects your job by help-:
ing to‘elect men who will yote as.

follows °

1. To raise the Individual In-
come Tax Exemption. :

°2.'To extend Minimum
Coverage. ;

5. To provide Better Unemploy-
ment Insurance.

4. To restore Full Production
and Full Employment,

Wage

5. And for other measures to in-

crease Purchasing Power so more’

people can buy more goods and
provide more jobs.

COPE also protects your living
standards by electing a Congress-
man and Senators who will support

necessary measures’ to: halt run-

away prices and take other action

to increase the: purchasing power .

of the American worker.

Your Dollar to Cope will help
protect your old age by electing
men who will vote for. increased
Social Security and Social Security
medical care for the aged.

Your Dollar. to Cope will also
help defeat advocates of the so-
ealled “Right to Work” laws and
other anti-union legislation. —

Everyone should give’ a Dollar to
Cope and we should keep in mind
that in the 1956 political campaign,
12 «viel families in’ the United
States gave almost u quarter of a
million dollars more than did 15
million trade unionists,

Get behind the COPE Drive and
elect men who will protect you!

_ Editor's Note: ‘The following News

. Release. was given to the Sche-
nectady papers after the meet-

ing with the .Board of Super-

visors on July 8, 1958:

If the local papers, Chamber of
Commerce and the Board of Super-
visors think that by not saying any-
thing that would offend the Gener-

al Electric Company is the way nie)

keep the General. Electric Plant!
in Schenectady, they should look
at other cities that have been.
politely “blackmailed” by ¢om-
panies.

The. employees of concerns that
were established’ in Amsterdam
didn’t ask for a wage increase
for 5 ‘years; for the employees
were told that the question of
wages would influence the Cam-
pany’s decision about staying in.—
Amsterdam. After 5 years of pay
ing “blackmail” by not asking for
a wage increase, the Company,
seeing that they had made all they
could in Amsterdam, moved out.
leaving their employees and the
City holding a large empty sack
in the form of no jobs and huge’

‘unoccupied buildings.

The form of “blackmail” used
in Schenectady has. so far been
just veiled threats concerning
“eammunity- attitude”, “business
climate”, ete. We expect the veiled

- threats to become more open and ~~

General Electric’s demands to the
community to become greater anc

greater. a"

At the present time when there
is a labor problem in the plant,
civic and political leaders are con-
tacted to bring community pres-
sure ‘to’ bear on the Union to
“knuckle under”-to-General Elee-
trie; for it is not good for Sche-
nectady lo protest anything that
General Electric does. ,

“Our deepest concern at the pre-
sent is the community attitude of
appeasing General Electric at any
price, If the Board of Supervisors,
Chamber of Commerce and others
who are supposed to.have the in-
‘terest of the City at heart would
open their eyes to what has ha
pened in other communities wh
program was “appease the large
corporations’, they would learn
that appeasement does not pay off.

‘It will be too late for these civic
léaders to have their voices heard
when they, loudly protest to the
departing backs: of the General
Electric Company; for the GE.
officials will not even turn around
to listen or answer.

Attend Your Union Meetin(_.)

LOCAL 302
PARTY NITES
EVERY TUESDAY -
7:00 p.m. —
UNION AUDITORIUM.

C)

* Guaranteed Annual Wage

__ EMPLOYMENT SECURITY
IS GOOD FOR EVERYONE

by Michael Rakvica

We believe that in a community in which our members live and work,
want to know—and have a right to know--what we are asking of the
General Electric Corporations, and why. ~

No one will deny that what America needs is men with ideals, organ-

Cre ideas that will benefit ail Americans whether in business, labor or

rofessionals. ‘

- We well: remember the fight that was waged by Corporations
‘against, The Right to Organize, Social Security, Unemployment Insur-
_ ance ete, All these things were “Pie in the Sky” us far as Corporations

are concerned, ,

“Pie in the Sky” is once again the byword of the Corporations but
let us reiterate that Employment Security is enjoyed by many employees
in these United ‘States... ; ‘

We believe our Proposals are moderate, that. they are just, and that
they. will benefit not only our members, but the communities in which our
members live. 4 .

As one condition for ‘signing the agreement with G.E. in. 1955 we
insisted that provision be made for full negotiations (not conversations,
not discussions—not. reviews) on the question of employment security.

When the demand was made for this. type of negotiations, the G.E.

ials told us that thesonly problem of unemployment was some queer

s in the minds ofa few members of the negotiating committee, and
thiut in-veality there was nothing to be concerned about.

With unenipliyment mounting we see how right we were to insist.

thal provisions be made to deal with the problem of full negotiations on
employment security. : . -
In the electrical machinery industry employment declined by 104,006
hetween the end of 1956 anc’ Jan, 1958. Considering the decline in how's
of work in this period the equivalent loss of full time jobs has been 148,-
goo. a
Our program for employment security must be based an what our
members want and legitimately should have, and what the communities
and our economy needs, ind what the corporation can and should provide,
We want protection not only for this year, but for all the future
years so that aur members ean look forward in confidence, and really buy
in confidence the enormous volume of goads that they are urged to. pur-
chase. . ‘
The following program was forwarded to the GE. Co. March Ist
1958, e ;

“This program is designed, as already indicated, to induce the corpora-
Ons to provide either steady year round work, or steady year round p)
checks, for bills that must be paid year round, Unemployment compensa-
tion fails to ‘moct these needs, nor dees unemployment compensation take
care of short work weeks, The. uge of this device to prevent payment of
unemployment compensation is a favorite one of the employers.

Guaranteed Income Plan:

(1.) The corporation will put into a trust fund 86% of payroll to fin-
ance the benefits. This will be the total company liability, Contributions
will start on Oct. 1, 1958. ~

(2.) Employees whe have applied for unemployment compensation
and to the employment office for work, and have not refused suitable
work, will be eligible. r :

Employees working short work weeks will also be eligible for bene-
fits, ; ee

‘ (3.) “he fund will pay normal benefits starting Oct, 1, 1959. How-
ever, inorder to take care of current unemployment the corporation will
be asked to set up a supplementary, lump sum from which our current
benefits’ will be paid. +

(4.) Benefits will he equal to 80% of take home pay, or 65% of gross
wy plus $2.00 weekly for exch dependent. For short work weeks au person
would get foreach day of layoff one-fifth of the weekly benefit. :

(5) The plan will Le guided by rn board of Administration composed:
of. three. persons each from the corporation and the Union with. an im-
partial mutually choSen chairman, Loéal committees to act on appeals
will be composed of two each from local union and management.

(G.) Benefits will be paid for a period of 52 continuous weeks of
unemployment. : ' yy
: (7.) Where unemployment compensation and other earnings are ve
ceived during period of layoff, the ‘Trust Fund will pay the difference be-
tween the total benefit due and other earnings. Where supplementation
of unempoyment compensation is not permitted in a state or where bene-

“Tits are exhausted or not paid due to no fault of the laid off workers, the

(8.) A maximum furid will be established. “When ‘the amount has

“ benefit will be vaid from the Trust Fund.

-Swuén reached, company contributions will be limited to maintaining’ the

fund at that level. oe
It is significant that today 4,000,000 workers are covered by similar
plains. :

Current Events In My Section

ris tess

Docket #8423-58 filed recently
in the MAC Dept. charged the
Company with violation of Article
X (4) of the Contract. This part
of the Contract deals with starting
rates of employees. who are ,trans-
ferred to other jobs in the bargain-
ing unit. The Contract states that
when a transfer is made to another
job where the training time is in-
cidental, the person transferred
will immediately . receive the job
rate of the new job. In this case
the person transferred was started
two steps below the job rate, This
was done in spite of the fact that
the new job was related to. the
work he came off of and he could
do the new job with incidental
training. Tn the face of indisput-
able proof on the side of the Union,
the Company decided to pay the
complainant the’ full rateof the
job retroactive to the date he
started on it.

A recent attempt to downgrade |

a job in the SRU Dept., Bidg. 24,
was stopped by filing a Docket,
#8732-58. Here supervision arbi-
trarily notified the Union that
they were going to cut the rate on

by Allen E., Townsend geegtgegt "

a Cl. B Stockkeeper’s job one step.
They gave as their reason that
they were removing some duties
from the job and adding others tu
it. In'this case it meant “te down-
grading of a long service employce.
After several meetings at the step
two level, the Company agreed to
leave the job at its present rate.
If the Company had gotten away
with this attempt to cut this job
rate, this long service employee
would have suffered a loss of ap-
proximately $180.00 per year in
his pay.

Docket #8742-58 was recently
filed by Steward LaFountain under
Board Member Wager requesting
an increase on the assemble, stack,
punch and broach job, This was
filed after the Company had al-
ready granted a one step increase
negotiated verbally at the foreman
level by the Steward and Board
Member at a-.step two meeting
with Coordinator Christman, Board
Member Wager and’ Steward ‘La-
Fountain negotiating for the
Union, A further increase of one
step was accepted by the Union
retrouctive to the date of the case.

TOP OF THE LABOR NEWS

INDUSTRIALIST OPPOSES ‘WORK’? LAWS
AT TUD CONFERENCE
NEW YORK (PAT)—dohn K. Snyder, Jr, head of U.S. Industries,
Ine, told 900 delegates at the Second Annual Industrial Relations Con-
ference of AIL-C1O’s Industrial Union Department why he opposes

“riht-to-work” laws.
cy ok

“Tt is ironic,’ he said, “that no one has stressed sufficiently the
imperative importance of getting the employees themselves to exercise
their rights as members of a union to take part in its affairs.”

Ff *

ak Br

He pointed out that “those who are clamoring for tigher curbs on
unions are simultaneously pushing for a right to work law. If they
wanted to be fair about it, they would have to admit that active partici-
pation in union affairs in the interest of union democracy und the right

to work law are mutually inconsistent.”

% ie

th He

Snyder has union shop contracts with the Machinists who represent

his 6,000 employees.
at a

1k 1

‘WORK’ LEADER QUITS COLORADO CAMPAIGN
CASTLE ROCK, Colo. (PAI)—Dr. H. R. Gannon, 2 dentists, who:
had aeeepted the Douglas: County “right to work” chairmanship, resigned
with a verbal blast at the proposed anti-union amendment to the Colorado

constitution,

“7 pead all the literature they sent me,’ ‘Dr. Gannon said in com-
‘menting on the Colorado “vight to work” organization, “and decided
maybe T was on the wrong side of the fence,” reports Denver’s Rocky

Mountain News,

Study of the proposal, he added, made him fecl that the amendment .
is “not to the welfare of our community, Its passage might lead to the
total loss of bargaining power by unions.”

8 ak

we *

MILWAUKEE, Wisc. (PAI)—In scenes reminiscent of the depres-
sion, more than 3,000 unemployed stood. four-deep around three city
blocks answering the call for 7,500 workers by American: Motors.;>.

ah *

er

_ WESTMINSTER, Md. (PAT)—Methodist Bishop G. Broniley Oxnam,
at-a church conference, denounced “sight-to-work” laws as “fraudulent”
and a “sanctimonious subterfuge” foisted on the American public.