Electrical Union News, 1940 January 27

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ELECTRICAL

January 27, 1940

UNION NEWS

-» »« ELECTRICAL UNION NEWS...
Published by: |
UNITED ELECTRICAL, RADIO & MACHINE WORKERS

OF AMERICA, LOCAL 301 .
301 Liberty Street, Schenectady, N.. Y.«

EDITOR BOARD — :
Seymour Schreiter
Sidney Webb, Secretary
Michae! Tedisco

— -Fred-Matern

William Turnbull
Thomas Caulfield
‘Benjamin Geersen

F

| Editor — L, JANDREAI

(Continued from Page One)

are checked with our records, in order to eliminate any discrepancy
between the office records and the individual dues payments.

“. A-complete record is kept of the dues payments of the dues
collectors, commissions paid, lost time paid shop committeemen, and
the bonus paid on lost time. ee,

. Complete records and histories of all grievances ‘are kept ‘in
our files for future references, a a
The headquarters makes complete arrangements for depart-
mental socials, and meetings, prepares notices, admission tickets,
and orders refreshments, etc. : .
~ " We maintain three weekly labor information services which
ave checked by your full time officers for any changes or develop-
ments in labor legislation that might affect the welfare of our
Union. i

the routine of the officers and personnel have undergone several
changes in order to cope with the rapid growth of the Union.
Negotiations With Local Management: .

.« The executive board had 70 meetings with the management
and, discussed approximatély 700 cases.‘These cases required inves-
tigation, formulating the facts in writing and lengthy discussions
with the management before final. disposition could be reached.
In some cases several meetings would be necessary before a final
settlement could be reached. Roe |

Much of the contact with the management on. emergency and
“less complicated cases ave-done by the phone;. record is also kept
of these cases which numbered 418 during the year.

" .Making the total cases discussed with the management for the
year, 1,118: The breakdown of these is as follows:

; . Working Conditions
Transfers
-Re-omployment ”
Retirement
Service Restored

Community Rate Survey. ene cnccnee cee es nee

. Representation _,
Time Study and Prices
Individual Rates
~ ~.The-842-cases on individual rates resulted in many increases
in the plant during the year. 7 _— ;
Many cases of wage rates were discussed affecting occupations,
outlines of some-of which follow: ;
Toolmakers—

Sette was aa

soe ion inorder that’ their interes ls be" [ully ‘protected’

syonti

Gross
Young Men . 56.1 60.2
Female 56.2 ~ 69.4 ©

Including cost of living, overtime, etc.

Sd

.. Unemployment Insurance:

The administration of your Union fully took care of all the
pensioners in regard to receiving 13 weeks unemployment insur-
ance, It was through the effords of Local 801 that the State Attor-
ney General’s Office originally made the decision to pay pensioners

“unemployment insurance. ue
‘Compensation Cases: 7 _

Many membersvof the Union who were unfortunate to injure

themselves on.their jobs were given tull advice and counsel by the

_ Permanent Organizing Committee: | 7

A permanent organizing committee of 10 shop representatives
chosen on.a.geographical plant basis has been formed. ‘The execu-
tive board, with the approval of the general membership, has
selected the best material available, The job of this committee is
one of the most important of the Union, that is, organizing the
unorganized. The unorganized G-E employees are a constant men-
ace ‘to the tremendous gains we have won through the efforts of

our members. . nt
. The work of this committes will have to develop more into the

eennenreeene XFS COP TS S-AS
pelt

nature of the supervisory rather than detail.-The committee's work

will be to seek arid involve key men in the unorganized sections:-toe——-—~+----—=:

carry on the work; and to keep a constant check on these newly
organized sections. The committee will.have to work closely with
the financial secretary, who Will supply progress reports to the
committee. We: urge all of our members and shop representatives
to give the members of this committee their cooperation and sup-
port, and we pledge the~committee our fullest cooperation, and
request them to meet with the executive board whenever it-is
necessary. This committee is already showing good results. Many
new members have been brought into the Union from the Motor
department through its efforts,

© Oo

coming the most important committee of our Union. As our Union
becomes better established and we taper off into routine, it becomes
a necessity to go into a broad social program. We must become
more and more an‘integral part of the complete social life ofour
community if we are to successfully carry on. The general.condi- .
, tion of our Union and the sound reputation-it has established as
an organization fully aware of its responsibilities to.its members as
.Well-as the community, makes the time’ ripe for_immediate_expan-
sion into this, field of activities., The Activities Committee must
broaden itself, and take the initiative in this work. The-officers and

. executive board cannot take an active part in.this program other.

than giving the Committee its fullest support, as these officers are
now fully loaded with work and responsibilities. The key job of the’
present Activities Committee will be to involve members with lots’
of tact and patience. . : . .

The goal and ambition of this committee must be to-bring the
social activities now practiced by our members outside into the
Union. ;
Dancing Class: Ph AE : ;

Sister Belle Baxter has given our Union a shining example of
what can be done along social activities. In her quiet, unobtrusive
manner, she has single-handedly organized dancing classes among

’

the children of our members, which classes have put on’shows for -

many of our departmental socials.. Her pupils participated as'a
Local 801 group in the recent Community Caro! Singing on the
City Hall steps and stole the show. We promise Miss Baxter every
encouragement in her fine work. :
House Committee: ; , ; ’
Your officers extend their personal as well as the thanks of
the Union to our house committee which has given us splendid
service and cooperation. During the past year, 328 departmental
‘meetings, 149 executive board meetings, 318 shop ‘committeemen
meetings,..14..9eneral. membership. meetings.and.-248-—com: ees
from the shops and otherwise held meetings in our headquarters.
Members of our house committee have been on the job every night
keeping order; they have also planned and supervised all renova--
tions and installing of new equipment for our headquarters.

ay apaney ees paused aoa ecieiconta

ucational-E PORTA a
Your officers initiated an intensive six weeks training. course
for. committeemen and dues collectors in the early part of the past
-year_ which has. shown very g in the better handling of

d_result:
ee 2 tee ies ee gies > . cag oe
Union preblems by out sh p’ representatives. This kind of edue.
tional program will be gone into more extensively during the com-
ing year. : .

@

~ Arfangements have alréady been made fo take care of the

members who have applied and these members will be notified by
mail by the middle of the week, as to their schedules.

Local News Organ: - ™
With the growth of our Union more and more attention must

“canbe overcome, but’ the administi
gossip.
Selective Draft and Conscription: ;
Upon the Selective Draft law going into effect your Union

immediately took steps to protect the interests of our members ‘a e)

affected ; after negotiations with the company on this question we
won the follawing concessions: | :

1—That profit-sharing. would. be_paid.-to-conseripts- when de=--~

~-Clared-jand sent to them.
. 2—Conseripts drafted before vacation period will be paid vaca-
. tion allowance on pro rata share. .
Through the efforts of our Union, two officers were appointed

_members.of the.local dratt-board.and State appeals board;-thereby ~~~

giving our members as full a representation as possible.

The appointments to the draft boards. do not.carry any rey
muneration, A
— COMMENTS ON PROGRESS" """~

After reviewing some of the gains won through the ‘united
effort of our membership, we want to state that we have not don
the 100% job expected of us by a certain small unreasonable seg
ment of our membership, 7

Gauging our organized strength—and we still have a 5,004

unorganized potential membership in the Schenectady plant—and::..

oe Surin ternational otfice

. the necessity for putting our economy upon_a fu

___pressure. upon indus!

Jariuary 27,1940° ELECTRICAL

UNION NEWS

the fact that no Schenectady G-E employee. lost:a-minute through
“strike-action “during thé past four years, since we became the bar-
gaining agency, the gains won have been considerable. ~— .
Your officers and executive board hereby declare that they will
not be stampeded into any ill-advised action through threats of
any members or groups of members—-to tear up their Union books.

, Your officers will absolutely refuse to give consideration to any

question whatsoever under such a threat. We say to these short-
sighted. members: “Our Union :and its leadership has proved its
responsibility to" its membership, and we stand one hundred per
cent on our record.”
We_further_tell.these.members..to-looka

tions and weekly “‘take home” of the employees ‘in the poorly or-
ganized shops, and: take heed.

he-workina_condi-

1as" stated "over" and over again that
our Local No. 301 has won more concessions for its G-E members
than any other Local in the U. BE. - : -
Today our Local has come out of its trial ‘period . ... we have
established ourselves through the hard work and sacrifice of our
shop representatives and officers *. we have no apologies to
“make . . . and-we are proud.of the job we have done. We have
established our Union in the hearts of the great majority of the
Schenectady G-E Workers, and it is to them that we shall give
account of our stewardship. 2

BUSINESS OUTLOOK 2 ye ey,

» Due to the large defense program orders received by the Gen-

»,eval Electric Company, the Local plant is expected. to operate at

full capacity for the next two years. This will necessitate the build-
ing of ‘new sheps locally, and the hiring of thousands of new
employees. Te ms co :
Labor during the coming months must have-two primary ob-
jectives regarding its welfare. First, constant vigilance must be
exercised to protect the hard-won legislative gains which have been

~omade during the: past few--years.- Second, labor-must continue to

march onward with a legislative program calling for extended
social and progressive legislation for the protection of the people
of the nation, These problems will arise in relation to’ both federal
and state legislation, — j a :
Thus.far, labor has been-able to maintain existing labor stan-
dards without being able to make any substantial new gains. _
We must recognize that in the coming years the basic problems:
having a necessary impact upon future legislation, will center about
the protection of democratic institutions and civil rights and eco-
nomic security for young and old. a
It is clear that we cannot simply maintain the status quo, but
that we nvist go forward to reach a solution to the fundamental
problems that have ‘confronted us for the past ten y ; i
of the Ruropean-War-oi this hemisphere has in tio Way altered the
nature of the problems confronting us. It may perhaps have given
them new-forms, but it has also made. them.more urgent than ever
before. ' ~
Every one of our past problems still faces us: the economic
“jrisectrity for milliois, thé necessity for collective bargaining and
federal labor standards, the extension of social security, the reshap-
ing of our tax structure according to ability to bay, anicisbove all,

basis.. ; :
~ It has made collective bargaining essential as the only socially
desirable method of conducting industrial relations. It has. made
wage-hour standards and social security indispensable to assure an
increasing purchasing power for the workers to meet their needs.
We-must revamp our tax laws so that the pressing need of public
finances will not lay a crushing burden upon consumer incomes.
By concretely realizingour objectives, we can take hold. of the
rapid and dynamic flow of events and see to it that the interests of
the American people govern the course of-our future policies. First,

that our capacity _to produce is“utilized to the

fullest, not for the sole purpose of producing armaments, but also
to produce the commodities: of our basic industries that go into
the American ‘standards of living and provide jobs for the pres-
ently unemployed |workers. .
Secondly, we must. recognize that adequate wage and hour stan-
dards have to be maintained, and collective bargaining securely
established so that there will, be an adequate distribution of wages
provide mass purchasing power. The right of the people to exer-
cise freedom of speech, of press, of assembly, of worship, and to
organize into free unions must not be abridged but ever more se-

_curely.

Thirdly, the national defen gram has mide it clear that
prices have to be kept under control. The government, in-an in-
formal and unofficial way, through the use of its bargaining power,
the anti-trust laws and public opinion, is now purporting to exercise
_to keep the prices of our basic. commodities
down and prevent price rises that would eat up purchasing power,
But more effective measures are essential. At the same time we
must insist that our financial system respond ‘quickly and flexibly
to meet the demands of industry for credits to purchase materials,
pay ‘wages, and keep inventories. a . ;

‘In short, the policies of American industry, which. have hith-
erto been under exclusive control of a few owners and their bank-

on nee tS IM SE-be-made-subject—te the-necessities. of. the public interest

and the welfare of the American people.. It is along the lines of
these potential developments that labor must exert its pressure
both so that existing standards can be maintained, and that, more
important, we can move forward to the solution of our fundamental
economic problems. 2 - oo. ;
Out of the abundance of materials, man power and equipment
with which this country is endowed, we can create and maintain a
~mndavt or iiving under democratic-institutions that will bea bea-
on toa troubled world. moe Con ;
- _» ANTI-LABOR PROPAGANDA
Our people during the coming year will have to be very wary
of Anti Labor propaganda in the country’s newspapers and radios, ,
We shall not allow ourselves to be cowed by this propaganda “which
calls Union men yadicals and foreign agents who strike for more
than 50c¢ per hour. .
_ William M. Leiserson of the Natioanl Labor Relations Board

pact

me.expanding...

answers these charges very concisely in an article in the. Sunday
New York’Times of January 12th. We quote:

‘Strikes in defense industries have excited the public mind
and many suggestions are being made to cope with labor disputes.
They run from postponement of strike a¢tion for a cooling-off

. period to a strict ban against strikes in the defense industries, with’
compulsory arbitration. Some of the proposals already have been
embodies in bills now before: Congress.”

_ Contrary to popular belief, however, there is nothing like an
epidemic or wave of strikes at the preesnt time. The so-called
“Outbreak” of strikes which is causing so much public concern
~appears-to-be-somewhat-like-Lincoln Steffen’s
turned-out to be only an ‘inerease in the diligence of newspaper men
reporting crime news. ‘The time lost_in_1940 beranse. of-st:

was only about one-half of the 1989 figure. _

The increased concern about strikes, therefore, is not because
of any increase ‘in strikes. On the contrary, the decline in strikes
is most encouraging, and care must. be exercised to insure’against
reversing what may be a significant trend toward fewer strikes.

Strikes are front page news nowadays because of their relation
to production for national defense, but there is-éssentially nothing’
new in the current discussions. Force as a medium for settling
labor disputes usually is suggested during critical times. Whenever
strikes vitally affect. public interests tiere is agitation for legal

_ prohibition. It was that way in the World Wax, but when machin-
ery’for handling industrial disputes was devised it was based large-
ly on voluntary action with a minimum of legal force:

For force, whether exercised by the government or by private
parties, does not settle labor disputes and will not bring. sustained
and efficient production, -A. law that restricts or abolishes the
right to strike without providing machinery for prompt handling
of grievances and just demands of working people is bound to
result in discontent if not in open disobedience of the legal mandate
to work, Neither result ‘will bring the production the nation needs.
On the other hand, if machinery is provided foF prompt adjustment.
of grievances and negotiation of reasonable demands, then legal
compulsion to remain at work is unnecessary. Men work best
without compulsion, and° willing workers bring the greatest and
most efficient production. " _ ;

_ Laws to prohibit strikes do not prevent them. The experience.
_ of Australia with compulsory arbitration and our own Kansas
“Industrial Court law made this abundantly clear. Under both
systems long and bitter occurred. .I¢ is a naive notion that a law
can abolish strikes, It can only make them illegal. In some of
our States sympathetic strikes for closed shops are illegal, but
strikes for these purposes occur just: the same. ;
a, THE C.1.0..
___. Today,
cratic and fastest growing labor organization in the United States,
the United Electrical Radio and Machine Workers of America, one
of the big four Internationals of the CLO... ~
This great organization in turn is an integral part of the
. greatest. labor,.movement:on_earth,the_C
ganization, which has become the “people of
; the record of this American
Labor Movement of the C.10.: . noe

Page 3 .

“wave, which ~~

a

eave an_ integral part of the most progressive_demo-—

jee three million more previously un-organized wor-

Tens... ~ :

2. C.1.Q. has changed the biggest industiies of the land.
resses of Unionism. ‘

3. C.1.0. has raised the wages in all these industries and
added an estimated five billion dollars to the purchas-
ing power of American workers.

4, C.L.O. has won paid vacations for millions. of industrial
workers. It has brought the workers more security
and justice through seniority rights, union handling of

~grievances-and-freedom-from- unjust dischat

5. Through increasing purchasing ‘power, preventing

_ Wage-cuts, and checking lay-offs, C.LO::-has moderated
depression and cushioned its effects on the workers and
the Country. : os °

6. 0.1.0. has doubled the politicdl power of the workers
through organization, using this power to enact and
protect labor and social ‘legislation, and to furnish the
driving force behind thé whole liberal and progressive

course.
LABOR UNITY

- ---The-Congress. of. Industrial. Organizations..has. steadily..and.
sincerely desired labor unity; a real unity which would enable
labor to advance the interests of the workers ..... .. ..

Unity in the labor movement can be accomplished only if the

Unions in the C,1.0. can continue to organize the unorganized
workers in the mass-production and basic industries along indus-
trial lines, AD d_it-must be all-inclusive. It must protect and in-
clude all the organizations in the C.I.O. . ‘

The millions of newly-organized workers are the pride of the
CLO. and the, proof of the effectiveness of the principles of the
C.LO. Not one must be abandoned to the cavillings of jurisdic-
tional claims of craft unions and the prevalent racketeering within
the A.F.L. In short, every affiliated organization of the C.1.O.
must be chartered and-included in any new united labor body that
may develop. 5 . '

; Any program for unity should involve a joint convention of
all labor organizations, including those of the A.F.L., Railroad
Brotherhoods and the C.L0., with existing jurisdictnonal ditter-
ences to be adjusted in such a convention, .

. CONCLUSION
...The future gf our Union, Local No. 801, looks very bright.

‘The-monthly dues. payments. for the-month have carried us close
to the top in our International. Today, we are not starting from
seratch. We have ten thousand members on our records. We haye
a fine headquarters and excellent material for leadership in the

_ shops. We have hundreds of leaders in the shops that are exper-
ieneed in ‘the work of operating and expanding this Union and
there is nothing to prevent the progress of this organization of

(Continued on Page Four) :

ste TANNER EAL MTR AS HTENMUDS NESTA ype aman kN aman

—i.-Starting-with-one-million-members;-CrI7 07 hos organ-