nee,
en
4
ELECTRICAL UNION NEWS _
February 20, 1947
Nearly $2000 Raised
For March-of-Dimes
With $1,899.69 turned in already, the
a « Local 301. collection.in. the shops. forthe
March-of-Dimes drive is expected to pass
the $2,000 mark. °
Adam Boss, in charge of accounting,
has asked that. all committeemen who
have contributions yet to report bring
the money at once to the union office,
Board Member William Stewart’s sec- .
tion, Bldgs. 49 and 60, led the donation
list with $250.76. Dewey Brashear’s sec-
tion, Bldgs. 81 and 89, was second with
$198.68 and Shop Chairman Sam Scott,
Bldg. 285, turned in $154.49 for third |
place.
Other donations reported by Tuesday
afternoon through Board inembers were:
Willard Kushel — .. Q $180.62
Bldgs. 42, 46 48 and 50
Albert J. Spears "$123.68
Bldgs. 57, 87, 91, 95, 98A, B, C, D, 994,
- B, 101, 105 and 107.
Michael Tedisco
Bldgs. 14, 15, 16, 17“and 19
Albert Davis .. $118.18
Bldgs. 2, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 22, 28,
24, 25, 26 and 28
Leland Sisto . oo. 117.78
Bldgs. 59, 269 and 273.
Alfred Pelrah ails 2s. $91.70
Bldgs. 29, Front End 64, 67, 71, 78, 76,
77, 79 and 284 .
Stanley Bishop, Shop Chairman — $89.58
Bldg. 69
Eugene LeMoine -
Bldgs. 85, 98, 97 and 109
Anthony Villano we $85.39
Bldgs. 5, 37 and CAP
George Judway .... .
Bidgs. 18, 18A, 40 und 40B
Henry Busse . oe. $64.43
Bldgs. 68, 70J, 72, 76, 80, 84, 227, 238
and 241
Anthony Esposito
Bldgs. 58 and 65
Charles Ferris . os $58.33
Electric-Patiol Powerhouse, 18, 18F,
61, 63, 259, 265, and 58 Patrol
James Cognetta vas $49,983
Bldgs. 52, 64 and 66 .
The union office gave $9.50.
President Andrew Peterson represents
the local on the Schenectady County
March-of-Dimes committee.
+. $122.18
. $86.55
$84.72
cece ee $64.89
Washington Hearing
The National UE will present testi-
mony Feb. 27 before the Senate Com-
mittee on Labor and Education at Wash-
ington to opose anti-union bills now in
Congress.--— - ; thy
‘Veterans Lead List
With 1947 Program
The 1947 program of the Veterans’
.Committee.was.to. be. presented. Tuesday.
night (after this week’s issue of KU
News went to press) to the Local 301
membership meeting. The former GI’s
were the first of the new standing com-
mittees to draft a full ,rogram.
Joseph Dominelli,
Jidg. 64, chairman
cf the 1946 commit-
tee, was reelected
“chairman at the or-
gunizing meeting
Monday night and
Dewey Brashear,
Bldg. 89, was re-
elected secretary.
Several other com-
mittees also organ-
ized that night.
. Edward Walling-
ford, Bldg. 60, was elected chairman of
the Constitution Committee and Blanch-
ard Mowers, Bldg. 77, secretary.
Albert J. Spears,, Bldg. 64, was chosen
chairman of the House Committee, with
Sidney Friedlander, Bldg. 17, secretary.
George Judway, Bldg. 18, chairman of
the Activities Committee, with E. J. La
Bombard, Bldg. 97, secretary .
William Templeton, Bldg. 11, chair-
man of the Editorial Committee, . with
Mary M. McCartin, Bldg. 28, secretary,
Joseph Dominelli
Union Members Urged |
To Use Union Laundries
CIO laundry workers in Schenectady
have asked Local 801 members to re-
member that only two Schenectady laun-
dries have contracts with their union.
They are the American Coat, Apron
and Laundry Co., Ine, 1080 Barvett St.,
and the Service Linen Supply, Ine, 249
Green St., Local 482, Laundry Workers
Union, Amalgamated Clothing Workers,
needs cooperation in signing up the
others.
LACS ene
Richard Opens Door
Third shift workers who thought
recently that they could no longer
make purchases at the company
store in Bldg. 56 were simply off
the current crop of popular songs. _
“Open the door...” addressed -
to Dick Gorman at the archway in
56 will let them make purchases as
asual,
New Work Dispute
In Turbine Division
The special committee of union rep-
Yesentatives...of the ‘Turbine....ivision, 020.
which met with the company in Bldg.
41 two weeks ago on tne alleged chisel--
ing and price-cutting drive there, plans
to go into 41 again today because of an
immediate situation in Bldg. 60 involv-
ing the use of carboloy tools in. price-
cutting, ;
In the West gallery of 60 Foreman
Bernard Gardenier notified Committee-
man Roy Lash last Thursday that studs
being made by one operator on a turret
lathe would be placed on new temporary
prices in a week, witn vouchers speci-
fying the use of carboloy tools. This
followed weeks of experimentation with
carboloy tools in the department.
Gardenier said the company was claim- ..
: " ry
ing the use of carboloy tools as a change |:
of method. Lash poined out that ear-
boloy tools had been available..to...the_.
operators on this type of work for fifteen
years. Therefore there was no change
in method he argued. Gardenier’s reply
was awaited when this paper went to.
press, a
Earlier this week A.C. Stevens, assist-
ant to the general’ superintendent, told
the union that he was not yet ready to
discuss the general complaint presented
to him by the Turbine Division commit-
tee. He said he was correcting the move
of an assembly job from Bldg. 60 to
Bldg. 49 at a lower job rate.
Toolmakers, Machinists
“At New York Meeting
(Continued from Page 1)
ford, 60, and Anthony Esposito, 63.
Charles Roth will represent the Bldg. 69
model makers,
Both committees are assisted by Leo
Jandreau,
Women's Meeting
All women members of Local 301 are
invited to meet with the women commit-
teemen at 7:80. p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 26,
at the union hall for discussion of theit
shop problems. The session is one of a
series called by Mary M. McCartin, Ex- ;
ecutive Board representative for women-
at-large,
301 on Air “
The weekly radio broadcast of Local
301 is at 7:15 p.m. every Monday over
Station WSNY. ° _
“THE VOICE OF THE UNITED ELECTRICAL, RADIO-& MACHINE WORKERS OF AMERICA—LOCAL 301.10...
SCHENECTADY, NEW. YORK
February 27, 1947
Vol. Ill-No. 46
Hits New Aitack
On Free Speech
President Andrew Peterson. of Local
301 has sent a telegram to Mayor Mills
Ten Eyck asking him to investigate the
forces behind a proposed ordinance to
prohibit the use of sound trucks and
loud-speaker equipment on Schenectady
streets. nor ;
The ordinance was introduced Monday
night into the City Council by Council-
man Charles Merriam. There will be a’
public hearing on it Mar. 10.
At least a dozen Local 301 members,
“headed by Brother Peterson, were at the
Council meeting Monday to- make sure
the bill! wasn’t rushed through without
public. discussion. ‘
“Loud speakers are arnong the means
most readily available to the working.
man to reach the community with his.
side of the story,” President Peterson
told Mayor Ten Eyck.
“The prohibition of sound-trucks would
be another step in the drive to suppress
free public discussion and civil liberties.
This drive is now being pushed by Big
Business spokesmen in Washington and
Albany. Evidently these undemocratic
forces are at work here too. I feel] it
is your duty to let the people of Sche-
nectady know who these forces are.”
What's The Answer?
sa
These two GE~pensioners are worried
about a big question—how to live on
their small GE pensions. They’ve de-—
cided the answer is organizing to press‘
for bigger pensions. See other pictures
and story ‘on page 3.
Union Broadcast
Local 301’s weekly radio program will
be at 7:15 p.m. Monday over WSNY.
301 Won't Divide Time or Efforts: Now
By Pressing Charges Against Members
Tn order to place the greatest possible membership unity and effort behind the
GE contract negotiations and behind the fight against anti-labor legislation, the
Local 301 Executive Board has decided not to act at this time on charges against,
union members “who went to the public press with false statements and propaganda
to disrupt our union.”
The Board went on record, however, as
“condemning these members for their
anti-labor activity”. The Board’ ‘also
recommended amending the local:’Con-
stitution to make it grounds for expul-
sion for a member to make statements
concerning union business to the press,
without authorization, before exhaust-
ing the procedure available in the union.
Membership Votes Approval
The Feb, 18 membership meeting of
Local 801 approved the Board policy
statement in full. As a result, the pro-
{Continued on Page 4)
MERI ADOSER GREATS MARTE NUON ANTS ALL ANS OSI A PRR
[Contract Negotiations
Leo Jandreau, Local 301 busi-
ness agent, went to New York City
‘this weels for the start of the 1947
GE contract negotiations.
Scheduled to begin Tuesday, the
opening session was postponed un-
til yesterday because a National
Labor Relations Board’s case
against GE was being heard Tues-_
day. : ,
meen:
Turbine Group
To Present Pay
Demands Today
A demand by all Turbine Division com:
mitteemen ‘that a proper .pay basis. be
established for: the pending carholoy
tool speed-up will be presented to the
company this morning by the special
committee of 10 representatives of the
division. , :
A special meeting of committeemen
from Bldgs. 49, 60, and 278 Monday took
the stand that the company’s proposed '
speed-up would “run machines—at the
limit of their capacity and remove any
incentive feature from. the work.”
Committeemen’s Proposals
Therefore, the committeemen declared,
the company should “either place all this
work on day work with the present aver-
age earnings es the day rate, OR revise
the piece pricing basis to restore the poa-
sibility of increased earnings, by raia-
ing the AHR because of the higher skill
required, and through proper percentage
allowances for fatigue, housekeeping,
necessary safety measures, ete.”
The committeemen also demanded that
any change in prices be withheld until
the problem was worked out, And, in
view of the company’s constant harping
on its claim that increased productivity
helps the “workers, the committeemen
also demanded a guarantee against any
reduction of force in the. respective de-
partments because of the speed-up.
Speed-up Problem
The committeemen felt that this is-
sue involves the whole question of speed-
up and price-cutting in the production of
turbines and in the use of carboloy toola.
The immediate question was a notice
given by Foreman Bernard Gardenier in
Bldg. 60 to Commiiteeman Roy Lash, .
that prices on certain studs would be
cut on the basis of the use of carboloy
tools. ;
The special committee took up the
question with A, C. Stevens in Bldg. 41
last Thursday. He admitted that car-
boloy tools had been used right along,
and that speeds and feeds had not been
specified. But he claimed that by study
(Continued on Page 2)
2
ELECTRICAL UNION NEWS
February 27, 1947
Here's Proof UE Does
Real Job for Workers;
Saturday Evening Post Picks It for Attack
As new contract negotiations started all over the country, red-baiting attacks
against active unions reached new heights during the past week. As usual, the
commercial radio, newspaper ‘and magazines were the backbone of the attack.
Because: of the outstanding job UE
has done for industrial workers, this
union, has become a special target of
these Big. Business propaganda agents.
Topping the attacks last week was the
piece featured by the “Saturday Evening
Post” and written by the Alsop brothers,
two ypical; high-paid spokesmen for
Big ‘Business in newspaper “columns” all
over the country.
Schenectady Workers Know Better!
“As usual, lies and distortions were the
main weapon. Schenectady UE. members
éati spot, for example, one flagrant lie in
the Alsops’ piece. This was the state-
ment that James Carey “built the electr-
ical workers’ union,” and .that needing
“sybordinates”, he “welcomed” Julius
Emspak into the UE. Cointless Sche-
nectady GE workers knaw of their own
knowledge that Emspak, wight here, was
one of the leading organizers of the
electrical workers and did more than
anyone else to build the. union nationally.
He was in at the very founding of the
UE, Carey became president in the
same -convention at which Emspak be-
came secretary-treasurer, on a simple
‘agreement between the electrical locals
and the. radio locals, as Carey repre-
sented a radio local, - ‘ ;
That is just a sample. The Alsops’
_ piece abounds in such falsehoods. You
ean expect more in their second piece
~ this week. -
Foreman Uses Post Story
At least one GE foreman with whom
the union has had recent trouble used
the Saturday Evening Post article in an
effort to turn a union member against
the’ union. And of course the Schenec-
tady Gazette, through Jim McGarry, its
two-bit imitator: of the
stooges; called attention to the piece as
“dandy.”
- The Gazette also went to town in sup-
port of the so-called “anti-Communists”
ELECTRICAL UNION NEWS
Unirrep Exrorricat, Ranio & Macnins
Workers or America, CIO
Scurneatapy GE Locan 301
Published by the Editorial Committee
Willard Kuschel | Mary McCartin
Victor Pasche Leland Sisto
William Templeton
Editorial Office - Electrical Union News
301 Liberty St... - .. Schenectady, N.Y.
Lu SCHENECTADY PRINTING GO. ING: sesessemal
better-paid |
CIO and UE Groups
Hit Albany Action
The action of Governor Dewey
and Republican legislative leaders
in barring rent and housing dele-
gations from the Capitol by the
use of state troopers Feb. 18 drew
protests from the UE legislative
~eonference at Albany the next day
and from the Capital District CIO
Council meeting at Troy.
Both groups unanimously passed
resolutions condemning the high-
handed action as a threat to all |
voters and as a violation of civil
liberties, ;
-» In ‘addition, the UE conference
passed a special resolution, intro-
duced by Albert Davis of Local
301, condemning Speaker Oswald
D. Heck for his inflammatory re-
marks about the rent and housing
delegation.
Heck repeated many'of these re- .
marks when a UE committee, vis-
iting him at the Capitol Wednes-
day, protested about the Tuesday
episode, |
Experts at Your Service
Two federal government income tax
experts will be at Local 801 Hall from
Monday, Mar. 8, through Mar. 14, to as-
sist union members in making out their
returns. They will be on hand weekdays -
from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. during that period
and Saturdays, Mi r
a.m. to noon.
who have been trying to break up the
Bridgeport GE local.
Workers who want to maintain their
freedom and their standards of living
will have to take this sort of stuff with-
out fear. This country is now. witness-
ing a drive against labor and civil liber-
ties which comes close to the one which
swept Germany, Italy and Spain before
World War II, Likewise the Big Boys
here rely on the ery of “Communism”
when the real danger is from Hooverism
and worse. In its drive Big Business. is
mobilizing not only its politicians, its
radio, and its press, but alse many peo-
ple and institutions who think it more
important to appear “respectable” than
to be honest. ;
Labor Board Case
Heard Against GE
A National Labor Relations Board
hearing on UE charges that the General
Electric Co. has discriminated against
strikers opened this week in-New York ©
‘City, The union filed the charges be-
cause GE, in violation of the strike set-
tlement agreement, adopted the policy
of deducting the nine weeks’ strike per-
iod. from the service records of produc-
tion workers. _
Joseph Dermody of the national UE
office testified about the background of
the strike and its settlement. He showed
that Section 8 of the settlement pledged
the company to a policy of “no diserim-
ination” against the atrikers.
Later, however, the company arbitrar-
ily lopped the nine weeks off service rec-
-ords and refused to discuss the matter
with the union or to submit it to arbitra-
tion. GE employes outside the UE jur-
isdiction were. not penalized this way,
Dermody said.
The case involves workers at Sche-
nectady and elsewhere.
Turbine Workers
To State Demands
(Continued from Page 1)
of the grinding and use of carboloy tools,
the company had found it possible to
step up the machine speed as much as
six times, and to: double-the feed. He
said the company claimed this was -a
change of method, and proposed to cut
prices on the speeded-up part of the
process. He said the men should make
the same earnings as before, but no
more, for the greatly increased produc-
tion. He said he did not believe greater
effort was involved.
Following a caucus, the Turbine Com-
“mittee ‘told Stevens it did not admit a
- change of method, but only a speed-up.
It also challenged the safety of the
speed-up. After some discussion, Stev-
ens agreed to hold off any change in
price pending a further meeting. ‘
The committeemen’s meeting brought
out the fact that some of the complaints
regarding pay rates and prices, and re-
duction of services, had been corrected
as the result of the general grievance
meeting on the subject three weeks ago.
Others remained unsettled.
Aid for Strike Victims
The Feb. 18 membership meeting vot-
ed to give $250 toward the legal defense
of UE members indicted on “riot” charg-
es in connection with last winter's .GH
atvike at Philadelphia.
_ February 27, 1947
GE Pensioners Organize; Back Union Demand for Higher Pensions
There’s no age limit to fighting spirit.
-A group of 200 retired GE workers
has formed the UE-CIO 301 Pension Or-
ganization to press for a GE pension of
at least $100 a month, over and above
Social Security benefits. ~~ ----
The organizing meeting Feb. 19 at 301
hall ‘voted unanimously to back the UE
in its efforts to raise pensions and in its
contract negotiations. The members
pledged their support to the union’s fight
against anti-union legislation.
Van Der Zee Elected President:
Albert T. Van Der Zee of Carman, a
charter member of 301, who retired from
Bldg. 60 in 1948, was elected president
of the ‘new, permanent organization.
Charles H. White, a former 301 Execu-
tive Board member, was named vice-
president. “ He retired last December
from Bldg. 49. William Cooke, former
_-recording..secretary..of 301,. was. elected
secretary.
_ President Van Der Zee, who had taken
a leading part in a preliminary meeting
the previous week, addressed last week’s
Local 801 membership meeting. He
warmed that unless the workers, the
small business men and the farmers un-
ite against Big Business, the United
States faces the same kind of disaster
that swept Europe.
Pensions Too Low
A resolution, passed by the pensioners
declared “GE pensions have always been
inadequate and have become steadily
worse because they remain fixed while
costs of living soar.”
The resolution also gaid:
“Byven under the much-ballyhooed new
pension plan most pensioners will receive
no more than one dollar a month from
GE for every. year of continuous service,
while many now retired under the old
pension plan are receiving less.”
“The company is. using the pension
plan as a means of forcing workers out
_-on.sa. pension. which..is..a.mere_ pittance
and leaves many of us destitute.”
To Fight Anti-Labor Bills
Another resolution called for the de-
feat of all pending bills “to hamstring
labor” and demanded the strengthening
of the Wagner Act to give “really ef-
fective protection to the right to organ-
ize into the industrial unions which have
brought a measure of improvement in
the living standards of workers in GE’
and other mass production industries.”
——
Next Pension Meeting
The next meeting of the UB-CIO
301 Pension Organization will be
at 2 pm, Wednesday, Mar. 5, at
801 Hall.
Officers of the new UE-CIO 301 Pension
Organization. Left to right, Charles H.
White, vice-president; Albert T. Van Der
Zee, president, and William Cooke, sec-
retary. Below, at left, is a cross-section
of the pensioners’ meeting Feb. 19 at
301 Hall.
‘Machinists, Toolmakers
“Wait for GE
ecisions
J. W. Burnison, representing GE top
management, opposed any wage rate in-
crease for machinists (machine repair)
and tool room machine operators
throughout a lengthy meeting Feb. 20
witha Local 301 committee in-New York
City. “
At the end of several hours of argu-
ments he said he would study the case
further and give his answer within a
week or 80. ; .
The outcome of his meeting the sam
day with a Local 801 toolmakers’ com-
mittee was about the same, The tool-
makers had understood that model mak-
ers in Bldg. 69 were covered by the
agreement recently reached with GE on
the toolmakers’ case. Burnison- insisted
_ the improvements don’t affect them. He
said he’d take the case under advise-
ment. :
Business. Agent Leo Jandreau took
part in the discusisons of both cases last
week,
Meetings of machinists and toolmakers
will be called-as ‘soon as Burnison an-
nounces. his decisions,
Movie Program |
Formation of a permanent organiza-
tion to present a program of ‘children’s
movies will be discussed by a community
group in the Draper School district of
Rotterdam at 8 p.m, tomorrow (Friday)
at a meeting in the old Fire Station Hall,
Duanesburg Rd. Local 301 members
started the activity, Pour sample movies
will be shown. : a :
