-~ELecrricaL UNIon
THE VOICE OF LOCAL 301
»
ULE. R. & M. W. A.
Vol. 7 — No. 39
SCHENECTADY, NEW YORK
October 7,
Union Presses Fight
For Kressner, Hotopp
_ Hotopp Kressner
After winning the arbitration
decision that restored about 14
years to the service records of
Herbert Kyressner and Herman
Hotopp, Local 801 and the nation-
al UE office are insisting that GE
make up various losses the two in-
curred asa result.of being classed
as shorter service men. “
James Burnison of top GE man-
agement notified the union last
week that the company refuses to
pay for these losses, The union
will press for full rights of the two.
men, however, including money
due them for getting less vacation
than they were entitled to. An-
other obligation of the company is
to reimburse Hotopp for loss of
pay resulting from his being trans.
(Continued on Page 2)
“nieeting y
301 Stewards Back
Steel, Mine Strikes
The. following statement was
adopted unanimously by the shop
stewards’ mecting Tuesday night
on unanimous recommendation of
the Monday night Executive Board
“We urge the membership of
Local 801 to do all they can to sup-
port the strikes of the mine work-
ers and-steelworkers.
“Their fight is our fight.
“The mine workers ave fighting
»ment of their pension victory of
last year. After the major steel
companies refused to accept the
small benefits recommended by the
steel Board of Inquiry, the steel.
workers have struck to enforce
that recommendation and have re-
instated their demand for a wage
increase.
“There is need for the greatest
unity of all workers behind the just
demands of every group.
“Already a press campaign has
started to blame the miners and
steel workers for possible lay-offs
in other industries. We must un-
derstand clearly that the mine
owners and steel] companies bear
the whole blame.
“Let’s back the miners’ and the
steelworkers’ demands and press
our own just demands upon the
General Electric Company.”
Shop Stewards Urge Membership Unite
To Defeat Carey Efforts to Wreck Union
The following statement, adopted by the 301 Executive Board Mon-
day night, was approved by an overwhelming vote of the shop stewards’
meeting Tuesday night:
“James B. Carey and his follow-
ers have shown themselves to the
membership of Local 301 as people
who ave determined to wreck this
union if they fail in their attempt
to turn it into a company union.
“We urge the membership to un-
ite to root this evil growth out of.
our local. All talk of ‘right wing’
and ‘left wing’ only feeds the
“Mivision which the outside forces
behind Carey ave trying to create.
“'There will always be x.oom ‘for hon-
est differences of opinion and hon-
est “contests for office within the
union, But the fight against the
Carey group is the fight of -the
whole membership against those
who would destroy the union to
help the employers.
Tried To Disrupt Meeting
“At the meeting Thursday night,
Carey and his supporters went all-
out to achieve confusion and pre-
vent a discussion of the problems
before the members,
“Most of the members present
at the meeting came first of all be-
cause of their interest in the bar-
gaining situation and the possibil-
ity of a strike. Yet the Carey
forces moved immediately to post-
pone the discussion of that ques-
(Continued on-Page 2)
Stewards Meeting Calls for
Demonstration at GE Gates
Negotiations with the General Electric: Company will be resumed
in New York next Wednesday.
The UE national negotiating commit-
tee will meet Tuesday to review the union’s case.
ArL Leadership Urges
The 301 shop stewards Tuesday
night discussed the negotiations
Shorter Week, More Pay
The Executive Council of the
AFL issued a statement this week
closely pavallelling the collective
bargaining policies of UE which
the James B. Carey faction de-
nounced as “left-wing.”
The AFL leaders took the fol-—
lowing actions:
1. Denounced the recommenda-
tions of the Steel fact-finding
board against wage increases,
2, Called for a shorter
week at a full.week’s pay.
8. Called for a drive for wage
increases. .
These are the very points which
Cavey fought against vigorously
wt the UE convention.
Appeals Won by 301
For Injured Women
Appeals handled by the union
office for two injured women re-
sulted in decisions that they are
entitled to $250 apiece from the
General Electric Company for fae-
ial sears. The claims had been dis-
allowed by a workmen’s compensa-
tion referee.
The workers are Josephine
Strenka, packer in Building 29,
who was hurt last Oct, 28, and Ada
Gates, Bldg. 40, injured last Nov.
12, Marshall Perlin, 801 attorney,
handled their cases.
Call for Blood
Blood donors are needed for Mrs.
Catherine Kendrick, 78, of 820 Hu-
lett St., who has: been on pension
for 11 years and is at St, Clare’s
work
Hospital suffering from leukemia;~
Five pints of blood are necessary
at once, Volunteers should contact
the union office or Helen Quirini.
Mrs, Kendrick was a matron at the
plant.
Cancer Drive
Local 301 -sent- a check for
$494,04 to the Schenectady county
cancer diive, representing’ collec-
tions made in the shops through
the stewards.
“and the many reasonable griev-
ances which the company is refus-
ing to settle. There was a spon-
taneous demand from the floor for
another plant gate demonstration
to be held soon to take up the
difficulties in both local grievances
—and “national” negotiations. The”
proposal was adopted by the stew-
ards with only a few dissenting
votes, after widespread discussion.
Back Tinsmiths
In the discussion it was brought
out that after taking their griev-
ance all the way, the tinsmiths’
group in Building 52 have had
three stoppages over the com-
pany’s flat refusal to give them
the same rates as the electricians
and steamfitters. For years they
had the same rates, and the com-
pany has not attempted to show
that they should receive less. The
company has repeatedly refused to
give anything. The stewards vot-
ed to back the tinsmiths’ fight.
Another case discussed was that
after the company agreed to apply
the same progression schedule to
the electricians as to the steam-
fitters, the company is now refus-
ing to do so. :
Real Unity Needed
Other cases were brought out
of the company’s increasingly un-
yeasonable attitude, particularly
since the splitting campaign by
outside forces was whipped up in
connection with the UE conven-
tion. Stewards pleaded for real
unity behind the fight on the com-
pany.
~ Meetings of ‘shop stewards“in™
groups during working. hours be-
gan yesterday, to discuss the ne-
gotiations in more detail. The
meetings were ordered by the Ex-
ecutive Board.
A second conference of dele-
gates of GH and Westinghouse lo-
cals. upstate in Syracuse. last. Fri-
day night approved the program
of the recent joint GE and West-
inghouse Conference Boards mect-
(Continued on Page 2)
- ELECTRICAL UNION NEWS
Stewards Ask Unity
Against Disruption
(Continued from Page 1)
On Editorial Board
tion so as to subordinate it to fac-
tional issues: If they had succeeded,
they would have prevented entire-
ly ‘any discussion of. the strike
question.
“After the defeat of .this trick,
the Carey followers launched an
organized campaign of booing,
heckling, and drowning out speak-
ers. It is unfortunate, but natur-
al, that. many honest union mem-
bers were goaded into answering
Snipes Kolasienski
‘The editorial committee, which
directs the publication of the Elec-
‘ical Union News, has been en-
~~~ the-disrupters by booing also." The--
answer must be to stop the dis-
rupters and see to it that every
member gets a chance -to speak
_ freely, as has been the practice un- search Laboratory to the commit.
der UE democracy. tee,
cee wreneeenléRree Diseussion?............. The two names were recom-
7 . ; mended to the board by the editor-
“The Executive Board of 301 has ial committee, which proposed that
always welcomed an honest pre-
: ae . . it be enlarged to widen represen-
senation of differing viewpoints on tation of shop viewpoints in the di-
union problems. But Carey and rection of the paper ‘
his defeated presidential candidate, ‘
Fred Kelley,.and their supporters,
showed that they’ shout ‘free dis-
cussion’ only as an excuse to cre-
ate the kind of disruption which
was witnessed Thursday night, and
which turns honest members away
from meetings.
The board recently added Troy
Snipes of Building 46 and Adam
Kolasienski of the Knolls I Re-
Hope He Means It
L. R. Boulware used his propa-
ganda page in the last Works
News to say that the UE and com-
pany would meet again Oct, 12
(which the union had announced
“Kelley oa anew have tried toy eviously), and that the company
COVER Up TNGIP BERCHSIONISt MOVER outa ‘he “bargaining in good faith
by charging that the UE Conven- toward what is best for all con-
tion majority proposed to secede ered,”
from CIO. The truth is that UE is Now the members will wait for
fighuine to pon! in CLO, and that Oct. 12 to find out what the com-
any honest trade unionist must any :
subscribe to the reasonable de- TORT GACT BYP AL
mands made by UE, that CIO stop
raiding UE and interfering with
membership control. UE, which
made a major contribution to the
building of CIO, will continue to
fight for a CIO policy which will
preserve and build CIO instead of
destroying it.
whelmingly against them. This
attempt to disregard the will of
the majority has been and will be
rejected by the Local 801 member
ship. ;
“We call upon the membership
to unite without regard for shades
of political opinion, Unite for a
strong union controlled by the
membership alone, without inter.
ference by any outside force.”
The Executive Board adopted
this resolution by a roll-call vote of
21 to 4. Voting “Yes” were Brash-
Adjournment Attempt
“The vicious tactics of the Carey
forees reached their natural con-
clusion Thursday night when Frank
C. Kriss, followed by Frank Fior-
illo, attempted to adjourn the
meeting because they saw the vote
on the convention report was over- gigen, Philip Cognetta for James
Cognetta, Esposito, Friedlander,
Henry Busse for Kaminski, Joseph
Kelly, La Bombard, Mangino,
George Walker for Mastriani,
Pacelli, Quirini, Scott, Manuel
Fernandez for Sisto, Spears, Wil-
liam Kelly for Stewart, Temple-
ton, Villano, Jandreau, Green and
White. Voting “No” were Bishop,
Tanagan, Fiorillo and Kriss,
Hodges was in the chair and did
not vote. Davis, Kuschel, Phillips
and Watts were absent,
a
ELECTRICAL UNION NEWS
Unirsp Enecrrican, Ravio & Machine
Wornens or Amumnica, CLO
Scuengcrapy GE Locan 301
Published by Editorial Committee
Mary McCartin, Chairman
Arthur R. Bertini, Secretary :
Wiliam Christman Frank D'Amico
Victor Pasche
Editortal Office
Etxctarcan Union News
301 Liberty St, Schenectady, N. ¥.
Tolophone 3-1386
raun-
301 Stewards Reject
Referendum Maneuver
An overwhelming majority vote
of the shop stewards on Tuesday
night rejected a proposal for ref-
erendum votes on issues which
now are decided in membership
meetings.
The. stewards applauded vigor-
ously when Leo Jandreau charged
that the proposal was a maneuver
of the Carey forces to keep the
membership constantly split by
factional campaigning and there-
by make it impossible to bargain
effectively or get grievances set-
tled. :
- Jandreau-~pointed-- out. that the
people who ‘talked about submit-
ting issues to the membership
were the same people who tried to
prevent the membership from con-
sidering the issues at the Armory
ietevenawins
on “all vital issues” was offered
by Stephen Watts, chief shop
steward,
Watts argued that most of the
members do not attend the mem-
bership meetings, and that there-
fore action at such meetings is
unrepresentative. He said that
certain board members and offic-
ers were “afraid” of membership .
votes,
Jandreau pointed out that the
membership votes directly on all
policy issues. They voted on policy
when they elected delegates in
July, with full opportunity for all
members to vote, he said, and the
membership will again cast a di-
rect referendum vote on policy
when they elect officers in Decem-
ber. He said experience had shown
that outside forces. use referen-
dums as a field day for interfer.
ence in the union’s affairs and
keeping the membership split. A
series of frequent referendums
would make it completely impos-
sible for the union to serve the
members, he declared,
Breaking-in Guarantee
Foremen are continuing their
practice of telling transferred
workers breaking-in' on piece work
_jobs that they are given_a break-
ing-in guarantee for a fixed num-
ber of weeks. This is just the
foreman’s opinion of how long it
takes to learn the job, and is con-
trary to the union contract, The
contract provides, in Art. XI, Sec-
tion 2, paragraph (e) that:
“Piece workers who are trans-
ferred to new jobs where a learn-
‘for a period.
ml (850 on Dial)
2 10p.m.
UE NTWS SENOE
Kressner, Hotopp Case
(Continued from Page 1)
ferred off his job this year to a
lower paying one. The transfer
would not have taken place if he
had been credited then with his
full, service of about 17% years.
Both men are, now back at their
tool room jobs in Building 17 fol-
lowing transfers, There are other
retroactive obligations GE should
pay.
Kressner and Hotopp were taken
olf jobs during the war by order of
the government which forbid their
employment on Army or Navy
work. They were out of the plant
Later the govern-
ment cleared both men and with-
drew objections and they were put
back to work. GE rated them as
“new employees”, however, and
scrapped their pension and other
rights based on 17% years of past
service, Arbitrator James J. Hea-
ley ordered their continuous service
to be reestablished in a decision
handed down in August.
He pointed out that the two
“were found guilty of nothing by
the Service Command which fore-
ed their absence, except that they
Urge Demonstrations
(Continued from Page 1)
ing. The upstate group will meet
again after getting the company’s
final answer, Business Agent Lié
Jandreau and Board Member§
Helen Quivini, William A. Stewart,
ing time is necessary, shall receive and Dewey Brashear represented
10 cents per hour more than a 301.
newly hired, inexperienced em-
ployee until their piece work earn-
ing's are in excess of this figure.”
Help Yourself by Helping
The UE Singer Strikers,
Dcisber 7, 1949
t
ELECTRICAL
UNION NEWS
301 Votes Support
For Bargaining Plan
Unanimous approval of the pro-
gram of the GE and Westinghouse
Conference Board of UE was
voted by the 801 membership
meeting Sept. 29.
The program ratified by 301 calls
for plant activities to put pressure
on the company in support of the
contract demands, It authorizes
the national negotiating committee
to call for a strike vote if the com-
pany refuses to budget in’: 1
gotiations which will be us usumed
Oct. 12, ‘ ;
-- Jandreau.-opened--his—report—by--
spiking a rumor that the member-
ship meeting was to take a strike
vote.
“This union strikes only asa last
resort,” he said. “When a strike
‘is called, it is decided only b
“membership whieh
f<f¥ a secret vote of the membership
the way it was in 1946, the only
strike Local 301 ever had.”
UE Demands Are Justified
Jandreau pointed out that the
$500 package demand of UE, cov-
ering a wage increase, shorter
hours, pensions, insurance and
other benefits, “isn’t. something
pulled out of thin air.”
“Tt grew out of the needs of the
people, We tried to estimate how
much of a licking the average GE
worker is taking,
“The problem isn’t the $500
package. The problem is to get GE
to offer one cent.”
GE Deaf to Arguments
Jandreau reviewed the ¢om-
pany’s refusal to consider the
plight of pensioners, unemployed
workers and the workers who are
subjected to speed-up, transfers
and reduced earnings.
“They are putting the speed-up
throughout the entire company,”
he declared, ‘They feel they can
get away with it, and with viola-
tions of the contract.”
Jandreau said that the formula
of the steel fact-finding board “is
now being thrown back in our face
in our negotiations.” GE Vice-
President L. R. Boulware used it
we ee dn_recent’message!”.to_tell_GE |
workers that they: needn’t expect
anything at all this year.
Criticizes Fact-Finding
“No fact-finding ever got any-
thing yet for GE workers,” Jan-
m@lreau said, “We'll present our
rs the way we always do on our
1.merits, We want to say to
E ‘Don’t throw fact-finding at us.
You face the facts. You've got
the money’.” The best way to help
the Steelworkers, he pointed: out,
is to fight to-get our contract de-
We Have the Same Trouble Here!
‘Security’ Is Excuse
GE Finds Convenient
“AND You'Re NOT
THE ONLY ONEs
Formal grievances filed this
week on behalf of four toolmakers
and one woman sweeper bring out
the lengths to which GE's applica-
; tion of so-called “security” regu-
SN _ s lations is violating the contract
and imposing severe hardships on
workers.
The five were in the Control di-
vision and were laid-off for lack of
work, Under their seniority rights
they were given equal jobs, the
toolmakers in Aeronautics and
Ordnance and the sweeper in Elec-
tronics. They were told that as a
matter of routine they might have
“to wait three weeks or more while
government “clearance” is obtain-
ed. The union is insisting that un-
der the contract it is up to the
company to make arrangements
that the people lose no more than
.-one..week.at the most.in_the+t
fer. ‘
While the “security” business is
being used against workers, the
GE turbo-jet aircraft engine J-47
was displayed at the Cleveland air
races and the picture was carried
in the magazine “News Week”.
In the Westinghouse plant. in
Essington, Pa., certain workers
were denied clearance for the tur-
bo-jet engine section, but a cut-
away drawing of the Westing-
house engine was given to the pub-
Stewards’ Statement on Membership Meeting
called the meeting to order in ac-
cordance with the union’s consti-
The following statement was ap-
proyed by an overwhelming vote of
the shop stewards’ meeting Tues-
day night on recommendation of
the Executive Board meeting ef
Monday night:
“At the time that President
Frank C. Kriss attempted to ad-
journ the membership meeting
Thursday night at the Armory, no
motion to adjourn had been voted
or even offered.
"Kriss ought to know that in a
democratic organization the presi-
dent has no authority to adjourn a
meeting. Only the membership
has that right. Kriss acted in vio-
lation of the democratic procedure
laid out in the 801 constitution.
“The meeting remained in ses-
sion after Kriss left, and Vice-
~ President “Hodges, ~ seeing that”
Kriss had abandoned the chair,
mands from GE.
Jandreau said that backing the
Conference Boards’ program means
“you're not sending in the commit-
tee to GE with their hats in their
hands”, but with the power to de-
liver this ultimatum: “If you won't
talk turkey this time, if you don’t
bargain in good faith now, we're
authorizing this Board to take a
strike vote.”
lic at a Westinghouse “open house”
at the plant.
Getting Monotonous
The CIO News, like the Schenec-
tady Gazette and Union-Stay,
printed the claim of the Carey
group about a petition with 8,000
names asking for a 301 member-
ship meeting to be called Sept. 20.
This mysterious petition has
never been presented at the 301
office, nor was it produced at, the
UE convention at Cleveland.
tution, Vice-President Hodges
then put the report of the conven-
tion to a vote, which was inter-
rupted by Kriss’ attempted ad.
journment. The vote was taken
properly by the new chairman, It
showed a majority of several hun-
dred for adoption of the report.
“The action at the second shift
meeting was confused by the pres-
ence of a large number of mem-
bers who had participated and vot-
ed in the first meeting, The re-
corded action at the second shift
meeting was a vote to table the
delegates’ reports. However, the
entire attendance at this meeting
was a small fraction of the at-
tendance at the first and third shift
ed the report of its convention
delegates, by majority vote of the
meeting called to consider that re-
port.” ‘
The Executive Board adopted the
statement above .by a roll-call
vote of 20 to 4. Voting “Yes”
were Brashear, Joseph Kernaghan
~~ meetings Therefore; ~a-elear~ma~-~ -for- Brauneisen, -Philip Cognetta
for James Cognetta, Esposito,
Friedlander, Henry Busse for Kam-
inski, Joseph Kelly, La Bombard,
Mangino, George Walker for Mas-
triani, Pacelli, Quirini, Scott, Man-
uel Fernandez for Sisto, Spears,
William Kelly for Stewart, Villano,
Jandreau, Green and White. Vot-
“ing “No” were Flanagan, Fiorillo,
Watts and Kriss, Hodges was in
the chair and did not vote. Davis,
Kuschel, Phillips, Templeton and
Bishop were absent.
jority of the two meetings voted
for adoption.
“The Executive Board according-
ly finds:
“(1) The attempt to adjourn the
meeting at the Armory by Iriss
was illegal and in conflict with Lo-
cal 301’s constitution, The mect-
ing legally remained in session
chaired by Vice-President Hodges
until adjourned by the members
present. .
“(2) The membership has adopt-
