Electrical Union News, 1953 January 16

ion-busting International Harvest-
er Co. to cut pay of workers just
before Christmas resulted in’ a
mass “sick” movement among UN
workers in the rolling mills of the
Wisconsin Steel plant. The move-
ment clearly demonstrated to the
corporation that the workers’, mili-
tancy had not been blunted by the
recent strike. :
x wk *

New York—The nation’s biggest
city was in the grip of its first
major bus strike in 12 years this
week, as CIO employees of 8 pri+
vate bus lines walked out to bolster

their demand for a 40-hour week
with no loss in pay. The lines af-

fected usually serve about 3'44-mil-.

lion persons a day,
x k *

Buffalo—A one-year agreement
providing for a 10c hourly wage
"increase has been signed by UE for
employees of ‘the Buffalo Wire
Works. The contract also provides
a new fair employment practices
clause and.a third week’s vacation
after. 15 years.

xk ke m

New, York—Local: 1 of the AFL
Bakers union has sent a telegram
to President Truman asking clem-
ency for Julius and Ethel Rosen-
berg, the couple who are slated to
die for alleged atomic espionage.

wk ke _

Iitchburg, Mass.—Tool and die
makers at the Independent Lock
Co, have won special wage inereas-
es of 5¢ to 15¢ an hour to elimin-
ate pay inequities. The boosts were
negotiated by UE as part of the
union’s national campaign to raise
pay levels for craftsmen.

kK kok

New York—A delegation of 40
New York union members paid a
New Year’s Day call on crew mem-
bers of the Italian liner, Vuleania,
confined to their ship because they
refused to submit to a Walter-Me-
Carran inquisition, The Vuleania
seamen had plenty of company in
New York’s harbor, where hun-
dreds of foreign seamen have been
confined under the shadow of the

Statue of Liberty since the new-

immigration law went into effect
on Dee, 24,

x kek

Geneva, Ohio—Wage increases
of 6¢ to 138e an hour have been won
for 140 employees of the Geneva
Lock Co, The boosts, negotiated

by UE Local 720, are retronctive .

to Oct. 2%. Several fringe bene-
fits were also won,

4 © Friday, January 9, 1953

break our union.

by, Kersten.

union.

their loyal servants.

301 came into existence,

, This month's issue of ‘the Reader’s Di-
gest .carriés a smear article against UR
under the by-line of Congressman Charles
Kersten of Wisconsin... The article, like:
the other pieces planted by big business
in their magazines recently, strings one lie
after another in a desperate effort to

UE Local 301 Business Agent Leo Jan-
dreau, in the open letter which follows,
publicly points out some of the lies told
Copies of this newspaper
with the open letter are being sent by ~ hoods.
registered mail to’ Kersten and to the. Di-
gest. The complete text of the open letter:

“UE members in Schenectady, by this time,
areaccustomed to the efforts of the un-American
committees, of the Kerstens and of other anti- :
labor groups and individuals to weaken their

“Despite these efforts, these thousands of UE
workers: go about their business of negotiating
better wages and working conditions, . ‘

. “This indifference to their disruptive efforts
-on,our part disturbs the’ big corporations and
For this reason, the Satur-
day Evening: Post a few months ago rehashed |
all of the old smears against UE which. have
been sputtered for years by those who would
like the working conditions of Schenectady work-
ers to go back to what they were before UE Local

: “Because. this scurrilous article had no more
effect on our members than previous: smear at-
tempts, another well-known anti-union magazine,
the Reader’s. Digest, was called in to do a job.
It is no accident that the man’ selected to write..-
the new attack on our union was Mr. Kersten.

Jandreau Nails Kersten

tady.

sten.

come to see jit.

corporations.” ©

Digest Lies

“This is the same Kersten who in 1948 led a
much-publicized smear committee into Schenec-'
This commiltee got its’ ears pinned back
by the working people of Schenectady, one after
another of whom paraded -to. the witness stand
to tell Kersten that they, the members of UE,
tan their union and that. they want no part of ©
any ‘outside interference, including that of Ker-

“No doubt the congressman has been unhap-
py about Schenectady ever since then, but. it is
unfortunate that a man who holds the high office
of a representative of the people in Congress
should have so, little regard for the truth in his
efforts to ‘get even.’ —

“His Reader’s Digest article is full of false-
Take, for example,.:his assertion that I
signed a letter ‘proclaiming’ my membership in
the Communist Party which allegedly was pub-
lished in the Daily Worker of March 30, 1943.

“Mr. Kersten, you know very well that there
“never was such a letter signed by me. You know
yery well that no such letter ever appeared in
the Daily Worker, or in any other newspaper on
March 30, 1943, or on any other date. -

“I have a photostatic copy: of the March 30,
1943 Daily Worker. It proves that you are lying,
Mr. Kersten, and anybody who. wishes to is wel-
Incidentally, I’ make these asser-
tions without benefit of: congressional immunity.

“Mr. Kersten, I am afraid that you are as
unsuccessful now in your aim of disrupting our.
union as you were in 1948, and as you always will
be. The working people of Schenectady know
you for what you are—a paid agent of ‘the big

Kersten Record Exposes Him
As Veteran Company Agent

"One look at the record of Charles Kersten makes it pretty
plain why he goes in for writing smear articles against the
UE like the one currently appearing in the Reader’s Digest. : ;

Throughout his political life,
Kersten has been a paid agent of
‘the big. corporations—and for a
while it was even official.

Kersten was defeated for reelec-
tion to Congress in 1948, largely
through the efforts of. UE and
other unions, Their opposition td
the Wisconsin
based on both his reactionary: vot-
ing record and on his leadership
of the witch-hunt committee which

‘found such rough going in Sche-
neetady, . .

Just as soon as he was thrown
out by the voters, Kersten came
out into the open on the corpora-
tions’ payroll, becoming a lobbyist
for a group of the nation’s biggest

companies — including General

Electric,

In 1950, Kersten got back into
Congress, and since then has done

his. bit for ‘the big money boys on
Capitol Hill,

. zations

Republican was.

Merger Meetings Set

AFL President George Meany
recently revealed that meetings
with CIO chief Walter Reuther to
discuss merger of the two organi-
have already been ar-
arranged.- °

Meaney’s only other comment on
the proposed sessions is that they
“are ste to be long winded.”

“JIM. MATIES, ‘UB director of or-

ganization’s speech is reported on
page 1, -

Te

Court Action

(Continued from page 3)
sentment” that forms the basis for
the Taft-Hartley board action. In
hitting at the whole illegal “pre-

“sentment” procedure, the UE’ re-

ceived widespread support from
conservative newspapers, Among
the publications. to attack the
grand jury procedure were “the
Washington Post, the New York

Times and the Schenectady Ga-

zette,

Board Vote

(Continued from page 1)
len Townsend, 46, 48, 50, 60; Paul
Lundolfo, 285; .A: J.. Griffith, 10C,
20, 28) Manuel Fernandez, 6, 9,
10; Joseph Whitbeck, 58; and A,
Popicelli, Campbell Avenue,

. ("
Denyer—The . International’ &

‘ion of Mine, Mill and Smelter
Workers deseribed ag totally “un.
founded, undocumented and fool-
ish” the charge by the MeCarran

Hits Witch Hunters «

witch-hunt~commil(ee “that “Mine.”

Mill. strikes were dictated from
outside the union,

ELECTRICAL UNION NEWS.

_ Richmond, Ind.—UE decisively
defeated a raid by the ATL ma--
chinists at the Automotive Gear
works, here. The vote in an NLRB
election, was 139 to 72 in favor of
UE |

k ko *

New York—Interviewed on his
return from South America, John
L. Lewis, President ‘of. the United” :
‘Mine * Workers, «declared that’ he
still prefers . outright repeal of*..
Taft-Hartley to any: plan to amend
the law. Lewis called T-H a “pesti-
lence and a scourge.”

or a er

Toronto—UE has negotiated. a
17e to 26c hourly wage increase for ;
employees of the Peterboro Lock
Co. .When negotiations began last
March, the company proposed .a’
general wage cut of 8¢.and addi-
tional wage slashes of 12c for wom-
en and 20c for foundry workers.

a, a, ag

OQ New York—For the first time in“

(

its 70-year history, the Brother-
hood of Railroad Trainmen has ad-
mitted a Negro to its membership,
The bréakdown in the union’s Jim
Crow policy was the first victory
in a long campaign. '
we Ok OF
Elmsford, N. Y.—Wage.inereas-
es ranging from Ge to 10 an hour
have been’ won for 800 Sonotone
employees. Half of the increase,
negotiated by UL, is retroactive to
July 21. xk o*

Boston—An 8c hourly wage in-
crease has been won by the CIO __
shoe workers for 12,000 employees
of 65 plants in the Bostomarea.

k * *

Rock Island, Ill—An appeal to
all unions in the area to back strik-
ing members of the AFL printers
has been isued by UE District 8
President Don Harris, Harris
noted that the printers’ strike was
the seventh walkout forced on
workers. in Rock Island in the past
year, kok oO*

Portland, Ore—-The CIO wood:
‘rkers have announced that they
Al seek a 2244c hourly package
increase and a 6-hour day in rie-
gotiations with the companies be-
ginning next month,

k* ke *

“Seranton, Pa—UW Local 122 has
negotiated S¢ to 10¢ hourly wage
increases. for employees of the
Harris Hub and Spiting Co. In ad-
dition, all piece workers will get

another be.

' refrigerators

BACK AT WORK, The newly-clected 301 exccutive board held its first

Ineeting on Monday and mapped plans for 1953. Above the board is

Sap pictured during its discussions.

Company Tells Pensioners
It Had to Chisel to Compete

‘If GE hadn't chiselled a few dollars from the pensions of

its retired workers when federal soci

raised, then it might not have been able:to go on: selling its

and turbines, At
least that’s the substance of what
the. company’s top management
told UE-GE Pensioners’ Organiza-
tion President Albert Van Der Zee
in a recent letter,

This letter was a reply to a com-
munication sent by Van Der Zee to
General Electric President. Ralph
Cordiner, Cordiner didn’t take the
trouble to answer the Schenectady:
pensioners’ leader, personally, but
one of his aides, Employee Benefits
Manager A. D, Marshall’ did. It
was Marshall who made the as-
tounding statement that the com-

UE District Council
Meets Here Next Week.

Local 801 will be the host to the
UE: District 3 council at its quart-
erly meeting next Saturday, Jan.
24,. The council, which represents
35,000 workers in upstate. New
York will meet in ‘an all-day ses-
sion at the Schenectady union hall,

Important items on the council
agenda will be discussions of ways .
to fight back against the latest at-
tacks levelled against our union.
and of new organizational work be-
ing. undertaken throughout the
area, :

There are five 801 members on
the body. They are James Brown,

“Leo Jandreau, William Kelly, Wil.”

liam Mastriani and William Tem-
pleton, = ; :
A meeting on Friday‘of the UE
international staff in the district
will precede the council session.

pany had to gear its pensions to
“keep costs such that its products
can compete with those of other
companies who are behind in their
recognition of this problem.”

This, of course is the line. that
the big corporations always use
when ‘their workers ask for more
money—“We can’t do it unless we
raise prices, and the market just.
won't stand: that.” Naturally, no
one in top ,management has ever
heard of profits which, at last re-
ports, were running at the rate of |
$370-million for GI in 1952,

The Marshall letter runs on for
four pages about how generous

““Generous Electric” has been to

its retired employees over the
years. No where does it mention
the fact that practically every cent
of the inadequate pensions naw be-
ing received by the men and wom-
en. who gave most of their lives to
piling up huge GE profits was
wrung from an: unwilling company
by UE, and that the present pen-'
sion atrangement is a product. of
negotiations between the union and
the company. .
“Marshall concludes by telling
Van Der Zee that the “problems of
industrial management during this
inflationary period are indeed seri-
ous, and require patient consider-
ation”? Mr, Marshall, anytime you

“nnd your management colleagues

want to swap your problems with
those of the elderly folks trying to
Fun their households on $125 a
month, the UH-GH' pensioners will

be glad to do business.

al security benefits were ~

Reopener Monday

Preparation of a set of demands
to be presented by UE-in next
month’s economic teopener’ nego-
tiations with General Electric will
occupy. an important place on the
agenda ‘of the first UIE Local 301
membership meeting of 1953. on
Monday. : 3

The deniands coming out of the

meeting will be forwarded to the °°

UE-GE conference board for corre-
lation with the proposals of other
union locals in the General Electric
chain, . F
In a preliminary discussion of
the reopener. demands ‘held by the
local executive board on Monday,
ia number of the demands: being
raised in’ the shops were brought
up. Among’ these were proposals
for a general wage increase and-
for inequity, adjustments to end
pay discrimination against woinen,

‘day workers and skilled workers,

Also voiced was the resentment
felt by many workers. ovér the
many deductions now being taken
out from paychecks by the com-
pany. Tt was proposed that UE go
into the talks with the slogan,
“Gross carning not’ net earn-

ings!”

in line with this, several board
members urged a renewed fight by
UE to bring down the execessive
taxes levied on the incomes of
working people. It was stressed
that this fight’ would have to go
hand-in-hand with the negotia-

tions,

Almost every board member un-
derlined (he importance of the un-
ion foreing the company to “give
back” the two paid holidays which
fall on Saturdays this year.

The reopener talks will begin
next month, with any contraet
changes negotiated voing into ef-
feet on Mareh 15,

CAP Vote Today

A special election. to decide who
will represent the Campbell Ave,
plant on. the 80L exeeutive board
will be held at noon today,

The voting was ordered by the

elections committee after it was

tearned that confusion in voting
instructions had deprived,.5 stew-
ards —of--the- -opportunity~-to-east
ballots in the original board bal-
loting last Tuesday. ‘That election
was decided by a one vute murgin,
with Albert Pepicelli. the winner,
‘The 1952 board hiember was Floyd

Thomas, _

Erie Office Group
Gets UE Back Pay

The 1,300 Erie office and sal-
iried workers who last: month vot-
ed overwhelmingly to return to UE
will get the full retroactivity pro-
vided under the UE-GE contract.
The back pay agreement was nego-
tiated by the union with manage-
ment last week,

IUE-CIO’s contract with the
company, under which the. Erie
office group was. operating before
their 738 to 150 vote to come back

to UE, provides retroactivity only :

to Oct. 13. The UE back pay date
is Sept. 15, so that the salaried
workers will get an extra month's

wage increase as part of: the first.

fruits of their decision to end IUE
misrepresentation and reunite with
Erie production and maintenance
workers. °

In the meantime, the office -peo-
ple were busy reestablishing demo-
cratic unionism, electing their new
officers, setting up grievance ma-
chinery and signing up hundreds of
people who had dropped out of the
union. because of the IUE failure
to take care of any of their prob-
lems,

(UE LOCAL 301

"MEMBERSHIP
MEETING

' 2nd SHIFT
Monday, Jan. 19, 1953

1;00 P.M. (before work)

1st and 3rd SHIFTS
Monday, Jan. 19, 1953

7:30 PLM,

Local 301 Hall

Cerrection
* In last week's On the Job depart-
ment, the EU News reported that
Foreman Houck had refused pay-
ment of $11 extra.work money to
“several operators in Bldg. 66. Ex-
ecutive Board Member Charles

Scott: reports that this money has’

been. paid.

‘However, Houck has refused
paynvent to two men for 19% hours
of work. put into get_a job out on
schedule. “This money is being de-
manded by thé union in a grievance
case, :

Board Selects 8 Committees

For Approval of Membership

UE Local 301’s executive board Monday drew up a list of

the personnel for 8 important committees,

This lst will be

submitted as a board recommendation to next week’s member- *

ship meeting, which will then vote
on. it, ee

Several of the..committees “are
set up With the understanding that
they can. be enlarged by volunteers.
This jis particularly true of the
House, Fair Employment Practices

; and Activities groups.
» The ‘board’s

committee" recom-
mendations-are as. follows:

_ Constitution Committee: Stan-
Iey Aldhouse, 46; Anthony Camp-
riello,: 52; Frank Emspak, 46;
‘Anthony Msposito, 63; Fay Hild-
reth, 59; Roy Lash, 273 and George
Quick, 14. . .

Legislative Committee:. The en-
tire executive board, with the fol-
lowing five acting as ‘a sub-commit-
tee of the board—Frank D'Amico,
40;:James De Masseo, 49; Larry
Gebo, 273; William Stewart, 273;
and Allen Townsend, 46,

House: “Henry Kaminski, - 76; .
William Kuschel, 84; Salvatore
Maietta, 52; William Mastriani, 73;
und Roy. Schaffer, 60,”

_F.E.P.: Joseph Alois, 273; Si
‘ney Friedlander, 17; Sadie Iov
ella, 89; Wayman Lewis, 52; Elroy
Marine, 57; Horace Perriman, 273;
Helen Quirini, 89; Rudy Rissland,

273; Charles Scott, 66; and Floyd ;

Thomas,, Campbell: Ave.
Grievance: Chief Shop Steward
William Mastriani, 73; Recording
Secretary “Roy Schaffer, 60; Busi-
ness Agent Leo Jandreau; and the
executive board member and stew-

‘ard involved in each case.

Activities: Philip Cognetta, 52;
Russell Di Angelis, 40; Manuel
Fernandez, 10; Don Gauvreau, 273;
A. J. Griffith, 10C; O. B. Phillips,
285; Ralph Pipe, 52. Reatha* Pipe,
50; Mary Skrocki,. 40; “and “Clara
Spickler, 285. :

Appeals: Recording - Secretary
Roy Schaffer, 60; and 3 persons
selected from a. panel consisting of
Joseph Alois, 273; Larry Gebo, 273;

Miles) Moon, 85; Rudy~ Rissland,
273; Paul Rosa, 60; and Charles

Scott, 66.

ee ee

Bldg. 24: William A, Smith and
Augustus Hasko are classified as
C bench assemblers with a rate of
S1.c0l. , They are performing
strictly B work, Therefore the un-
ion demands they be upgraded with
proper rate adjustment.

Bldy. 40B: Donald D, Morin is
clussified as an inside common la-
borer but his work is that of a ma-
terial handler. The union demands
upgrading and rate increase.

Bldg. 42: William A. ° Cooper,
Frank CG, Pingitore, Francis G.
Tanzillo and Iarl Wilkinson are
‘lassified as accumulators with ou
$1.56%. rate. Their duties are ac-
tually those_of B stockroom keep-
ers. The union demands they be
upgraded with rate adjustments

Bldg. 69: Group under Foreman
P. Regnier protests the additional
duties they have to perform out-
side of their classifications, This
group has, been reduced: from 7
workers to 4 with a bad speedup
resulting, Tho union demands as-
signiment of at least one porter and
one material handler, to the group,

Paint machine eYoup is now
handling cases 5:to 10times larger
than those used when the job was
evaluated. and the rate set. There-
fore, the union demands a reevalu-
ation and rate adjustment.

Bldg. 73: Group working under
Foreman Jordan is. classified as
miscellancous~ machine operators
on light. sheet metal, with a job
mite, including layout and setup of

2° Friday, January 16, 1953

. Thousands of grievances are handled. by UE Local 301

. each year at all levels from the steward up to final appeal

in New York City, To keep members posted, we shail

each- week list some of the grievances that have not been

Settled at the steward-foreman level and have been re-
ferred to the executive board-management level.

81.60%. Supervision is contem-
plating changing these jobs to
piece work, ‘The foreman has not
answered the group’s request for
details on how this conversion is
‘going to be worked out. The un-
ion demands’ clarification of the
new plan for these workers,

Bldg. 73A: Paint spraying gitoup
protests excessive Jost time and
lost carnings os a result of work
being farmed out. The union de-
mands that management immedi-
ately correct this situation,

Bldg. 81: Skills required and
srates of comparable jobs through-
out the plant make the rate for as-
sembly operation on small elec-
troni¢ panels fur too low, The un-
ion demands increases for all mem-
bers of the group working this job.

Bldg. 269: Peter P. DuBiel is
entitled to a rate inerease on. the
‘basis. of his ability and job per-
formange, ‘The union demands such
an increase, .

Bldg. 273: 8H, Jackson has not
received proper consideration -for
upgrading, Supervision has seen
fit to go outside of his elussifieation
to fil!’ an A-opening.’ Jackson be-
lieves that. he is being discrimin-
ated against because he previously
sought a transfer. He is doing A
work, and the union demands that
he be ‘given A classification and
ruta,

“mil My Husek “took a terisfer”~

from 8rd to Ist shift at the com-
piuny’s convenience. He is there-

fore entitled to and should get
change of shift payment.

C. Pifield’s regular work sched-
ule is from 12-p.m. to 7:30 am,
During a recent 3-week petiod, he
was told to work a different sched-
ule. Therefore, he is entitled to
payment of change of shift prem-
ium,

PF. Krawezyl was classified as
a boring mill vertical turret oper-
ator on a 4’ Bullard with special
classification, Since last March,
he hes heen acting as an instruct.
or during a training program now
ended. The union demands he be
returned to his old classification
und job * .

As management knows from re-
peated protests, all of the employ-
ces in the Turbine division consid-
er the locker situation in 273 com-
pletely unjust to them, Because of
the completely indiscriminate scat- *
tering of the lockers, there is no -
way of safeguarding the contents.

ELECTRICAL UNION. NEWS

UNITED ELECTRICAL, RADIO & MACHINE
WORKERS: OF AMERICA. (UE) ~

Local 301

wt RiB 2

Published. by the Ediiorial Committee
James J, Cognatta
---doseph Alols
Joseph Whitbock
Roy. Schaffer
dy Rissland
tiany “Mastriant
w«leo Jandreau

SCHENECTADY 5, N, Y,

Business Agent...
301 LIBERTY ST,

Asa result, there have been re-
peated incidents of losses of money,

including one of a large:sum r
cently, The union demands inf) ,

as a minimum remedy for this s'
uation, the company group the
lockers together in accordance with
the working groups.

Group protests the lowering of
their rates and earnings on bor-
ing mill work being” transferred
from B bay. The union demands
they be paid the same timing rate
on this work as they were receiv-

‘ing on jobs. in bearing section.

G¥otips protests price of $6.06 on
jobs 9054212-28, 29 & 30. This
price does not include a 2% ade .
justment recently negotiated, The’
union’ demands management cor-
rect this price and correct a sim-
ilar situation in the bucket section.

Bldg. 285: B packing group is
not being compensated for consid-
erable extra work due to a panel
design change. Formerly, the
packers opened the panels by just
turning a knob, Now, two’ doors
must be: removed and reinstalled,
in one case, involving the use of a
screw driver to remove four screws
from each door in the set. Other
uncompensated extra worl in-
cludes muking ladders for open
switches, cutting sides and .ends
on brakes and several other items.
The union’ demands full payment
for all extra work, .

Test and. inspection groups gt
protesting the proposed comb: j
tion of their jobs on the 2790 re-
lays, These are.separate and dis-
tinct jobs and should continue to
be performed ‘by two correctly

» clissified people at proper rates,

or by anew classification with ade-
quate rate inerense to compensate
for additional skills and xesponsi-
bilities, ;

ELECTRICAL UNION NEWS:

“

averted.

NEw FACES, Seve new members of the Local 301 executive board are
pictured above. They are A. J. Griffith, Paul Landolfo, Manuel Fernan-

dez, Lloyd Perue, Allen Townsend,

Percy Everett and Charles Scott. :

UE Shows It Doesn't Pay
To Help Bosses Run Freeze

Although the IUE-CIO has hada full-time member on the
Wage Stabilization Board, the Carey union gained approval
for a smaller percentage of its wage increases than did the UB.

This, revelation by..the UE’s
Washington office completely de-
stroys the CIO and AFL excuse
for participating in the anti-labor
wage freeze setup—that by. taking

" part they can protect the interests
of their membership... The facts
are that UE, which has maintained,

its position of refusing to ‘have
anything to: do with running the
board from the beginning, received

“full approval for 69% of its cases,

The GE Works,News specializes:
in lots.of publicity on the wonder-
ful medical department and hos-.
pital facilities available to the men

Cre women employed in the Sche-

ectudy works. However, an inci-
dent which took place last Satur.
day in? 273 makes that publicity
sound pretty hollow to the workers
who witnessed it.

At about 10 a.m., one of the men
who works in tool grinding began
to feel ill. Since he is a diabetic,
he immediately called up super-
vision in order to get the limousine
used for taking people home under
such circumstances. i

However, he was told that the
driver was out to lunch and: there
was no man relieving him. Just

- 80 minutes later, the worker went

into a state of shock. The hospital
was called up, but this time it was
the ambulance which wasn’t avail: ”
able.

Loeal 801 executive Board Mem...
ber William Linka tried to obtain
other transportation, but was told
hy the patrol department that the
‘disk was too great.”

It wasn’t until 11:15, three-
quarters of an hour after the work-
er went into. shock, that the am-

ilnnee finally arrived. By this
<BMe, the man’s blood pressure had
Sunk to a critically low point,

“Tn this case, the man fortunately
recovered, However, unless the
hospital immediately arranges for

--ttdequate~ transportation facilities, — .-

there is likely to be another. situ-
ation in which tragedy will not be

ELECTRICAL UNION NEWS

All of the péople involved are in
a bench, assembly group. -Despite
the skills involved in their, work,
they had been receiving a job rate
of-only $1.84, 9¢ under the rate for
comimon-.labor. This was a clear
exumple of the practice followed
by GE arid almost all other large
corporations of paying - women
workers less than men doing :sim-
ilar jobs.

Shop Steward Joseph Sipello was

unable to settle the question in di-.

rect negotiations with the foreman,
‘ind therefore brought the case to
the union hall to be processed’ on
the executive - board-management
level. The union brought it to
management on Oct. 28, with a de-
mand that the rate be increased to
$1.47,

The company position early in
the negotiations was that the jobs
did not justify a higher rate, or at
most they justified a one-step. in-
crease, However, after a joint in-
vestigation in which Floyd Thomas,
Rossiter Lighthall, Bonneita Boyden
and Sipello represented the union,
management was forced to agrec
to a 2-step increase, bringing the
job rate to $1.40, This rate was
made effective as of Dec. 15. With
the-new rates resulting from the
general increase won by UIE na-
tionally, the women’ will receive
$1.47 an hour, so that they actual-
ly got’ boosts of 18¢ an hour.

Although, this is an important
step forward, the union has long

recognized that the “pay the wom- >

en less” vacket, which nets corpor-
ations $5-million in extra profits: a
year, cin not be, beaten through
grievance victories alone, It is for
this reason, that the problem of
dis

agenda ‘of the forthcoming econ-
amie reopener negotiations.

rimination. on. account. of sex...
will be an important item on the

19 CAP Women Win 6c Hourly Wage Boosts
In Discrimination Grievance Breakthrough
In.oné cf the most important breakthroughs against-the, company: practice of discrirhin-_

ating against workers on‘ account of: sex, UE ‘Local 301’s_ grievance machinery has won 6c °
hourly wage increases for 19 women. working in.the Campbell Ave. plant.

. Ambulance Unavailable
- For Seriously ill Man

Strike Aid from Next
Week’s Back Pay Urged

Almost all UE Local 301 mem-
bers will recéive‘substantial retro-
active paychecks next Friday, Jan.
23, The money will be .the-sum
dué to GE employees from the
time that the UE-negotiated wage
increase went into effect on Sept.
15 until after-the Wage’ Stabiliza-
-tion, Board approved the hike’ dur-
ing the final weeks of 1952. °

The local executive board took
note of-this on-Monday in urging
all union members to take at least
$2-out of the back pay cheeks and
contribute it to the union’s fund:
to aid UIE men and women who
waged long strike battles in 1952.

Board members pointed out that
it was the militant action of these’
strikers that made our wage boost
possible. ‘However, the strikers,
themselves, lost hundreds of dol-
lars in the struggle to defend their
union conditions. +

Among the strikers who have
been aided by previous contribu-
tions by their’ UE. brothers and
sistets are the men and. women
who walked the picket lines at
General Cable for G months, those
who were out-at International Har-
vester for 12 weeks, the GHR
workers who were locked out for
more than 6 months and the Mara-
thon Electric workers who are still
hitting the bricks, after 10 months
of a vicious lockout.

Up to date, Local 301 members
have contributed nearly $8,000 to
the UE strike fund, However, this
substantial-sum, is-far-short-of the.
$2 per member sroal set by the un-:
ion’s national convention in Sep-
tember,

while the Carey union, whose at-
torney, Ben Sigal, is.a full-time
member of the freeze unit, could
win OK’s in only 65% of its cases.

The exact figures show that UE
gained full approval for 57 out of ®
the 83 cases it had before the WSB
in 1952. The ILUE-CIO record was
26 approvals out of 40 cases. These
figures also show that the UE ne-
gotiated more than twice as many
wage increases, all of which res
quire board OK, as did the IUE.

UE has opposed the wage freeze
as an anti-labor measure ever since
big business shoved it. down the °
throats of the American working
people, The union has pointed out
that without labor participation,
the WSB would soon fall apart and
free collective bargaining ‘rights
would be restored ta the workers
and their unions.’

On the other hand, both the CIO

“and the AFL have until recently

supported the wage freeze despite
the fact that both prices and profits
have been rising steadily, The CIO
convention last month finally came
around to agreeing with the UR
position and coming out against |
the wage freeze, However, this
change so far has been strictly for
the record, since the CIO members
of the WSB, including the IUE

“tawyer, have kept their board jobs

and: the $50 daily pay which they
receive for helping the corpora-
tions cut down pay “boosts and:
other .benefits negotiated by the
unions.

Actually, labor has no real pow-
er on the WSB, .especially under
the present setup which concen*
trates all genuine authority in the
hands of economic stabilizer, In

. Wiew of this, the time for the heads

of CIO and AFL to. pull out of this
corporation front is long past due.

Stop Rate Cut Try

A management attempt to cut
the rate on an actuator ‘cluteh
final assembly job-by transfer-
ring it from Bldg. 46 to 60, and
downgrading it from B to C has
heen foiled as. the ‘result of a
grievance won by 301.

The job in 46 had a $1.87%
hourly rate. When it was moy-
ed; it was ‘given a. $1.76 rate.
However, Shop Steward Mike
Rigyi filed a grievance, and the
company was::foreed--to-restore
the B classification and rate,
whieh with the new inerease is
$1.97, :

Friday, January 16, 1953° 9° 3