Electrical Union News, 1950 July 28

“ELECTRICAL UNION NEWS

‘UE. Urges Other Unions in GE System.

Tc Fight GE Attack on All GE Workers

The UE national negotiating cbinmittee last week sent a letter to
the’ heads of IUE- locals and ‘of other . unions representing GE plants that
are non-UE urging ‘them to:-resist the: attack of. GE on all workers of

the chain.

The company’s contract proposals.
_ threatenthe gains and safeguards
established: through the UE con-
“tract, thé. letter ~pointed. outs list.
ing some of the major changes GE
is trying to’ jnake,

“The company, feels with its em- ;:

ployeés divided in,*several unions
it can.carry out any’ plan dt desires
to cut wages, speed-up, hire or fire,
at the expense of GE employees,”
ihe committee warned,

» The attack ean be stopped, the
“Jette eclared, “if there
“termined effort by’ the

“to. resist ‘any..attempt on ‘the” pie
of the company..’to’ undercut the
conditions built up over the years

and which - are, apelled out in the |

UE contract, “he

“A determinéd tei shoald’ ‘be
taken by ach local union that un-
déy no’ circumstances will any
agreement be approved which
-leaves the door wide open for. the

* eompany-to take away the specific.
_items mentioned . above, and other , -

items‘ in. the UE contract which af-
_ fectwages and working conditions,
It is necessary to take this posi-
‘tion if the employees are to gain.
any. improvements in, their ‘work-
ing conditions. Fa aad in anew
contract.”

UE Union Shop -

UB won a union shop election
“by 64 to 4 atthe Atwood‘and Mors
rill’shop, Salem, Mass.

_ tate,’ take it.up with your

| Check on Tess TN hings.

To Protect Your Right ts.

To ‘protect your rights, you :
should at all times know. three
things about - your “employment
standing: °(1) service date; (2).
classification; . (8) day work joo
rate or piece work AER.

CONGRESSMAN DRIP

- Your foreman can get your serv-.

ice date for you if there is any
doubt in your mind about it,
The last time you had a‘change |

«in job you should have been given

a'slip showing your classification

andjob rate or AER. If you don’t. **

know it, ask wour foreman:to get:

‘you another such slip.

The classification, should: proper-

ly cover the work you Are. doiig __

now, Soe a
A day’ worker meeting ‘the re-

* quirenients of his job in a normal '

“manner should ‘be- pee the job

rate. . *

~The AER is the anticipated earn-

‘ing rate (not: average earnings) fox

the. job, meaning what a worker is
expected to earn working. at ‘so-
called. “normal incentive perform-
ance”, efficiéntly but without pres-
sure or speed-up. The timing rate
is the AER minus the general pay-
roll additions negotiated by UE,

. Ufthere is anything wrong about
your service date, classification or
‘shop
- steward,

PAIGE:

dll BAY,

“ {of total tax’

‘

‘There’ s nebody w waiting except a arunion committee."

Un-American Committee Is up to ‘its Old Tricks _

The action-of the Un-American Activities Cominittce 4 in asking: the

House of Representatives to bring contempt action against UE officers
was timed, -to interfere with the GE and Westinghouse negotiations, -UE

Fitzgerald pointed -out: that the

late President Roosevelt called the
‘committee ‘ ‘sordid. ” Te said Tues-

day’s . eéntempt + ecommendation
was only’one more step in the all-

out ‘anti-labor attack -by corpora-"

tions, and was intended to spread
disunity when -the people need, to

be: united.

UE. will fight ‘these efforts ‘to
undermine “American democracy,

Fitegerald. declared.

Named in the recommendations
were. Julias Emspak, 301 member
and UE general secrétary-treas-
urer, ‘and James J. Matles, director
of organization, as well as Thomas

ody Fitzpatrick, chief steward of UE

Local 601, which lost a hairline

vote-to-the IUE in the Westing- :

house. plant in Hast ‘Pittsburgh.

~ UE -Local-601--still -is-a- big factor :
din that plant. | ’

In their appearance before’ the

* Un-American committee last’ De-

cember _Emspak and Matles stood

‘President ‘Albert J; Fitzgerald. declared Wednesday.’

can'the ‘Ts ‘aft-Hartley a fidavits.they

chad filed, 0 ‘

The committee's contempt ‘recs

“ammendation canbe the start of

contempt action. against the UE

sleaders named,“or it can be just «
some more publicity to hurt the «©

GE ‘and Westinghouse workers.
The ,vecommendation, must. be - ape
proved. by the Hause. of Represen-
tatives, and if that is done, then
“the Attorney-General “decides *
whether or not there is ground for
action, If he says there is, then
the case goes to a.prand jury for
possible action and-trial. - :
The : Un-American- Activities
Committee -has been Joaded with
unsavory characters, Its re

chairman, J. Parnell ‘Thomas,

‘serving time in jail for ‘stealing B

government ~ funds.  Accusatioris.”

“thatthe: new elivitninn; ‘Congress~”
“man Jolin Wood. of. Georgia, has

used his position or personal gain
were made recently by Drew Pear-
son, the newspaper columnist.

G

UEREMW.A,

a is

“SCHENECTADY, N EW YORK

Lunch Hour Meetings on Contract: Deadlock

Negotiations. continued in New York. this week, with the UE dad ‘

GE committees going over their stand on the contract provisions.

The membership. in’ the - plant
met in lunch hour gatherings ‘all
over the works Wednesday, to con-
sider what: to do-about the situa-
_ tion. “| :

» By Local 301 ideutiva Board

‘goetaiGn, the members ‘of the board.

«placed before the lunch hour meet-

ings the. question of ratifying a
call. to the national negotiating
committee to take a strike vote of

_ all UE plants, in GE after the last

: vacation shutdowns end August |

"The ‘board. Was scheduled to mee!
Thursday: hight’ rto receive reports

of the actions of: the shop. meet-.

ings. : a
Reports reaching the union of

fice on- “thes lunch-hotir meetings, «

Before this Week’s EU News went

to press, were that. the meetings :

were well attended and called on . and ‘membérship meeting of UE.

“301 for August will be Aug. 15-at

the national negotiating commit-
(Continued on :nage four}

= The

; “patra a

While GE workers were. Ache

ing on their savings or going into-

debt, ‘the company has paid off all
of the $200,000,000 *it ‘borrowed
from. banks and insurance’ com-
panies“in 1946 to. finance its. post-
“war. expansion: The«major part of

this loan” wasn’t due’ for ich ‘years.

Joint Meeting Aug. 15)

‘combined shop stewards’

the union hall.

- Toolmakers— ‘Mark Your NLRB Ballot Today Like This.

(Sample Ballot Below)

United States of America
National Labor Relations Board

OFFICIAL SECRET BALLOT

FOR EMPLOYEES OF
GENERAL BLECTRIC- : COMPANY _ SCHENECTADY, NEW YORK WORKS »

This ballot is to dletenmirse, the tollective bargaining representative,
the*unit in which you are employed.

If you pail this, return if to the Board aac for a new one.

for

MARK AN “*X’: "IN THE SQUARE OF YOUR CHOICE

INTERNATIONAL
ASSOCIATION
OF MACHINISTS

‘UE LOCAL 301,

UNITED ELECTRICAL °
RADIO AND MACHINE *
"WORKERS “OF ‘AMERICA

(UE)

Tn marking your ballot as above, be sure you mark the “X” inside
the square as shown, and nothing else. Any: signature or other

writing 2 will VOID the ballot.

“|

Sonionty.
Plant Unity.

This is the day for the. tool-
makers here.to be reunited. with
the. vest of the GE workers in one
bargaining unit ‘for one* contract.

Voting. in the NLRB: ‘run-ofi |
clectigl between UE Leeal 801 and
the International Association of

Machinists: will start at} 7:30am, ~

and i end at’5:80 p.m. with the bal.
lot count at. the® GE fire station at
6 p.m.

The men will vote on company
time, Notices and voting ‘schedules’.
have been. posted:-in all: ‘buildings
where toolmakers: work, © *

A careful check by the members
of the toolmakers’ campaign com-"
mittee Wednesday showed a clear-
‘gut majority intend to-vote for UE
Local. 801. The, chief reasons for
this sent iment are:

The desire to remain: united with
the rest of the toolroom workers '
and the whole plant, particularly
in view of the complete defeat
of eraft unionism in the ‘steam-
fitters’ strike, :

The need . to .retain. ‘seniority .
rights “on. jobs other than tool-
rooms, as emphasized by recent
transfers out of toolroonis. Testi-
mony of IAM witnesses cat the’
NLRB hearing brought out ‘clearly *
that if toolmakers havea “separate
TAM contract they will lose senior- .
ity rights. on all jobs other than
toolmakers’, ‘

UE's record of gains “for GE
- toolmakers here, contrasted with
the IAM’s record of failure for
the GE toolmakers it has repre-
sented for over 40 years in Fort
Wayne.

-e In its last minute campaigning,
the IAM has harped on the idea
. that_ the. toolmaking. eraft..should
separate itself from the . other.
workers. Ul’s record shows that
an. industrial union can take care
‘of thecproblems of the crafts bet-
ter than a craft unio can, But

~ (Contnued “on ‘Page two).

eLECTRIGAL "UNION NEWS _

; Recognize a ‘Book Numbér on: 2» This List?

“If any’ shop steward is collecting dues From a member who has
one of. the following numbers, cr if any member sees his own book num-

aig 2
i

i _ELECTRICAL_UNION NEWS

BY YOMEN

UE Urges All Westinghouse Workers.

——= Unite to Defend Working Conditions

The UE“National Westinghouse Negotiating Committee has issued

ber on the list, will he please“notify the union office at once,

2956." 6400, _ 9245 .

2957
2958
2074.
8037 .
“8259
3270
3656

. 8728

“ BI97
3858
3920
4021
4022.-
4157
4170

‘4172
4205
4206
42077
4469.
4480)»
4488"
4579

_ 4582

A688
4689

. 4784

A735

AN38.
4739."
4782
4785
4786"
4787
4921”
5124

-5456
5965
ear?

9397
"9446
10069
10193
10319
10464 «
10819
10824
10989
11000
11002.
11012 .

- 11016
"11888
11889
*-41916
12072
12146
"12289
» * 12285
J 19296. ©
"7/2297"
12641
12877
12878
— 12879
12881"
12882
12883"
“12885
- 12886
12887
‘gee
12889°°
12890
19891
12892
- ; 12898
12899

‘

10- Cent. Packag e Won.
._ At Buffalo’ ‘Wire Co. |

A new agreement sined by UE.
Local 826 and Buffalo Wire Com-
“pany, Buffalo, provides a package’
increase of 10. cents an hour.

The production and maintenance
workers receive hourly wage raises
of 6 cents to 8 cents, plus six paid
‘holidays, for the first time. Senior-
ity provisions were improved,

“UE Strike Victory ;

The«strike of the elies Dental
workers in UE Local 1745 at Can-
ton, Ohio, was. won with a wage in-!

;
crease of 8-cents an hour for day...

workers and 6 cents an hour for

piece workers: retroactive to May

15... The conipany had threatened’
to move the plant if a strike OCs ©
curred,

ClO Takes. Pay Cut.
At Canadian Plant

Steelworkers ° ‘at. the: big Steleo”
plant» at Hamilton, Ontario,
Canada;. have taken wage cuts.
ranging from $1.92 to $6.40 a week
in their new CIO contract.

Philip .Murray’s.union made a
deal: with Canada’s biggest steel

company for a cut-in hours with-

out maintaining take-home pay.

That means the workers will earn ©

less in 1951 than they did in pre-
vious years when living costs were
lower,

In ‘contrast, UR’ in »Canada has ..

been fighting for and winning a.
shorter work week at the same or
higher take-home pay.
Back the Contract Negotiations
By Paying Your UE 301 Dues,

"| don't have to worry about taxes. My accountant
says I'm a charitable institution."

Toolmakers’ Election

(Continued from page one)

the IAM is. not even a ~genuine~
eraft union. It grabs what it can.
Here it offers itself as-a craft,
"union. In some plants it tries to
take in every one from’ sweeper to
toolmaker.. P

UE practices — real
‘ unionism, with direct representa-
tion of the ‘crafts in handling their ©
own problems:

How UE Raised Pay
At National Lead Co,

When the National Lead Com-
pany at Chicago refused to discuss
pay increases under a wage rea
‘opener clause, members of UR Lo-

eal 187 refused to work overtime.

Two. days’ of ¢ is and the com-
pany lad a new -view of things,
"Negotiations that followed resulted ‘
in a general pay increase of 64%
cents an hour, a raise of 8% cents
for maintenance workers, im-+
proved i insurance, hospital and wel.
fare coverage,

“industrial *

Anti-Discrimination
Committee’ Elects
The UE 801 ‘AntiDiserimination

Committee at a ‘meeting Monday-

elected Michael Rakvica chairman
and Helen Quirini secretary.’ .

The . committee. has ‘asked ‘BU
News to state that. it is Feady | at
any time to meet ‘with any. member
experiencing discrimination at ‘the *

plant. _ ve

A sub- committea ‘was elected to
investigate charges of ‘discrimina-
tion at the Yates Housing project.
This subcommittee consists of
Rakvica,* Sadie Tovinella, Larry.

Gaby and. Rossiter ‘igebnell. oe aa,

ELECTRICAL “UNION. NEWS

UNITHD DLOCTRICAL, RADIO AND
MACHINN WORKERS oF AMERICA

SCHENECTADY QM LOCAL 301

Published by iltorial Committoo
Mary MeCartin, Chairman...
Adium Kolaslenal!, Socrotary '
Robert Armatrong . | Frank D'Anilco
‘Victor Pascha " George Quick
George Roode Troy Snipon |

:

TOOLMAKERS — _— - VOTE UE for. Seniority |

Fadltoxlal Office
ELECTRICAL UNION NHWS
$01 Liberty St, Schenectady, N. Y,.

Telephone '8-1386

eamnaiel

©

to: unite against company attacks o
years,

The donifuibtes urged the: mem-
‘bership of all unions at: Westing-.
house piants ‘to compel the com-
-pany to reinstate the old UE eon-
tract conditions and to negotiate
new improvements. :

UE warned of the sell-outagree-
ment the IUE ‘leadership signed
J uly 17 at Pittsburgh. In exchange
» for. an irrevocable check-off, the
 IUE made a 90. day truce with the
“company and_ ignored key ques-.
tions like seniority,’ speed-up, and
piece work guarantees. : ‘Workers,’
at a namber of IUE plants re- -
cently. took: ‘part in walkouts and:
slow-downs over’ ‘these i issues.

arenes 00 0) Refuses the. Bribe .

; "Westinghouse oftered UE. the:
‘|; .same. deal oni: check-offs, but ‘UE
refused to be bribed. UE made it’
__. clear it would not sacrifiée a single"
= eontract-.protection for the inrevoe- =
~ able check-off, F
‘The UE committee urged Wests
-.dnghouse workers represented by
IUE to reject the “trace” agree-
‘ment and to'refuse to- sign the

“Couldn't we pass a special bill axemping just us: -
“<< . gongressmen from high prices?"

‘cornpany-iUE check-off cards. :
While IUE has retired. to the

sidelines to collect the check-off,

UE is fighting to preserve the con- .

UE 301 Telegram to Speaker Rayburn Protests
~ Un-American Committee’s Attack on UE Officers

UE 301 has callcd upon Speaker Sam Rayburn of the House of
Representatives to reject: the request: of the Un- sate Comimittee

to: cite UB leaders for contempt,

on instruction of the Executive ©

‘ Board, UE 301 President William

"J. Kelly and Business Agent Leo
‘Jandreau declared in a telegram
“sent to Speaker ‘Rayburn last
Friday: = °°

“Julius Emspak, general secre-

tary, and James Matles, organiza-.

tional divector, appeared last De-
cember before a single member of
the: committee, Congressman Moul-
ter, and on, their’ constitutional

Hights, ‘using the first and fifth -
_ imendments, refused to participate ©

odin thought= control; frame-up and
black list: activities of the Un-

f merican Committee. ..
Dthe committee chooses this

time, while the union is in the
process of negotiating national

contracts with the General Electric
-and Westinghouse Corporation, te _

tract conditions and win improve-
ments. Another meeting of the UE
national negotiating committee
and Westinghouse will take place
Aug. 5. The negotiations will “be
‘strengthened’ by the complete vic-—
tory won by UE workers in the re-
cent stiike at Essington.

IUE Sell-out Plan

attack, these officers. ‘The com-
mittee’s attempts to weaken the
“foundations °
democracy, are not in ‘ie interest ©

of the people of our country.

“The committee’s, record in the
“past shows. it has’ been used: by -
_ corporations te disrupt the unity .
of snembers in labor organizations, ©
especially at the very tine they -
must be united against WnioHSasty,
ing employers.
“We urge you to reject the res
quest’ of the Un-American Com-
«mitted to cite UB leaders,” ©

American

Pensioners’ Meeting

The Ul 801 Pension Organiza-
tion will meet at 2 pam. Thursday,
Aug.’8, at the union hall...

..~the IUE sell-out plan is as : tole
lows: 1 .
The conning gerne’ IUE an
feravaeable check-off of union dues
von? and i ‘in return the IUE calls off all
presstire. on-the companysr>  -
2 The IUE, accepts some items .
-in.the old UR contract with whieh"
' ‘the company agrees; then they |
sign this agreement and hail it as
a, big victory: . .

3.. Meanwhile the conipany and »
‘the IUE try to force as many
workers ‘as possible to sign up on ~
the irrevocable check-off cards,

“ .. 4, After the workers have signed
‘ap. to” have their ‘dues deducted *
each month for a year and cannot
‘get out. of it, then and only then
will the sell-out agreement: on
seniority, pensions, speed- “up, piece *
_ work guarantees, Mwarsy ete,,. ‘be.

tees. S ge you

a call to workers at non-UE Westinghouse plants, as well as UE plants,.

n working conditions ‘won over the

brought. out into. the’ open and
foreéd down. the throats of work-
ers in IUR“shops:

What. Westinghouse Wants

Here. are some of the changes
the company. has “proposed to
weaken the contract, ;

1, Removing: job security and let-
ting management play favorites in
upgrading, transfers and layoffs,

2. A'free rein to:install speed-up
‘affecting day. workers, ‘incentive
workers and salaried employees.

8. Remove Piece ops ‘guaran-

‘Need'Blood Donors _

“Blood donors aré needed to ren.

“place blood transfusions given at '
St. Mary’s Hospital, Troy, recent. ,
ly ‘to the wife of Eugene Le Moine.
=A UB-301 member in “Building 85,
Brother Le Moine for years was
a shop steward and Executive
Board -member. ° :

Volunteers should’ contact . “the

‘union office’ which will make ar- -

rangements for them to give blood
atthe Bender Laboratory, Albany.

There was a. rush of’ volunteers
recently to give blood for Serafin
‘Pita, toolroom shop steward in
Building 46, who underwent an em-"
ergency operation. at St. Peter's
Hospital, Albany, during his vaca-
tion, Toolroom workers andvother
UE: members in Bldg. 46° offered
blood as soon as they heard of his
illness, Twelve volunteers went to.
Albany. Tuesday and six planned
to go Wednesday, after this: week’s
EU News went to press.

Brother Pita’s condition has been
reported. improved, He ‘has- been
one of the most active leaders. in
UE’s fight to win the toolmakers’
‘run-off election and reunite tool-

makers with the rest of the plant. -

The toolmakers: in’ his tool room
“ate -one of the most nda UE
groups.

Eight-Cent Raise

Workers* at Eagle Signal Com-.
pany,: Moline, TL, have won a gen-*
eral wage increase of 8 cents an
hour in their new UE contract,
“with 6 cents retroactive to July 1
and 8 cents to be paid next Jan, 1.
. Jn ‘addition many of ‘the workers
"received" ware adjustments af 2 te
10:-cents,--. . :