Teachers Defend Use of Fifth
Amendment at Convention
- Use of the fifth amendment to the U. S. Constitution by
witnesses before hostile congressional committees was de- |
fended by delegates to the 36th annual convention of. the
American Federation of Teachers
(AFL) here Aug. 20.
In a session marked by vigorous,
defense of civil liberties on several
fronts, the teachers adopted a reso-
lution stating: ‘
“While we oppose the employ-
ment of Communists in our schools,»
we decry the dismissal of compe-
tent employees solely on the
grounds that they availed them-
selves of their legal constitutional
rights as guaranteed in our Bill of
Rights.”
The “legal and* constitutional
rights” referred to concerned in
particulan. the fifth amendinent,
which makes several guarantees of
rights to American citizens, speci-
fying among other things that no‘
one “shall be. compelled in any
criminal case to, be a witness
against himself.’ ;
The fifth amendment has been
used byy witnesses) who resented
congressional prying into personal
beliefs and associations. . Most of t-
en it has been used to turn aside
the question, “Are “you now. of
‘have you ever been a Communist?”
Tt has also been used frequently by
witnesses: to avoid ;informing on
others without having to go to
jail. °
The AFT action was seen as an
answer to some public schools and
universities which have fired staft
members simply for using the fifth
amendment before congressional
committees, no matter what the
other facts in the case might have
been,
U.E. Local 1114
On Strike
-750 members of U.E. Local 1114
employed in the American Gear
Company in Chicenxgo-are on strike
against a wage cut,
The strike is now in its: 9th
week. The local is leading a fight
against the Gear Industry. in the
Chicago area, who are determined
to cut wages. The local is appeal-
ing for funds to help defray the.
strike expenses. The matter will
come before the Texecutive Board
of Local 301 on Monday.
WASHINGTON—As his) ways
and means committee neared the
‘end: of hearings on revision: of the
federal tax structure, Rep. Daniel
A. Reed (R, N.Y.) tried ‘to make
the impending changes appear
rood to the average taxpayer, hut
the grim danger of a general sales
tax remains a major target of la-
_hor’s legislative representatives, .
(4 © Friday, August 28, 1953
Injunction Petitions
Hit Alltime High
NLRB general counsel George
J. Bott announced the number of
petitions presented by him for in-
junctions against unions reached
an alitime high in the second
quarter of 1953.
The. petitions were based on
charges that the unions engaged in
unfair labor practices, They to-
tuled 23 and were all filed under >
the mandatory injunction provis-
ions of the Taft-Hartley law.
Bott also reported a record num-
ber of unfair labor practice charg-
es were filed during the period.
They .totuled 244, Of these, 183
were based on charges against em-
ployers, 32 ugainst unions and 29
against. both employers and unions.
During the second quarter the
board issued 143° decisions in un-
fair labor practice cases and 571
decisions in representation cases.
‘It -also conducted.1,675.- elections _
umong employes. ‘The workers
chose a collective bargaining agent
in 1,130, or 69% of the elections.
Bargaining representatives. were
favored by 7556 of the valid bal-
lots.
Who Gets the Food Dollar?
Further proof that the middle-
mun is getting the big ‘“rakeoft”
in the food business is shown by
the latest government figures,
While the price of groceries that
the housewife buys increased 1.496
between May 15 and June 15, the
furmen’s share of each dollar that
she spent for food in June plunged
to 44c. Consumers pay more, farm-
ers get less—and the middleman
tukes a bigger bite than ever out
of both. The economic threat in
this situation is obvious... A de-
crease in the purchasing power of |
farm. families has preceded every
depression and recession Americn
has had. .
cs en eh Sas Mat nie
“THE COMPANY HAS ADOPTED THE SINGLE-RATE WAGE STRUCTURE...
..You'RE FIRED AND HIS RATE 1S REPUCED To YOURS...
Serious Accident
In Bldg. 273
_The accident causing the loss of
a leg for a craneman last week in
Bldg. .278, Turbine Division,
brought about immediate demands
from the cranemen for safer work-
ing conditions; The Union filed a
complaint -requesting an investi-
gation and. a demand for facilities
that will eliminate a.recurrence of
such an accident. Regardless of
the outcome: of. this investigation
by the Union, the outlook for the
victin’ of this accident is not very
bright.
Most accidents result from speed
and hurry-up policies on the job.
Too little heed is given to “Make
sure it’s safe.” The Union has al-
ways considered the elimination of
sufety hazards the most important
ype of grievance that we process,
Too little importance is placed on
safety by supervision and some-
times management. For example,
the. Union complained about. the
conditions of cables used in Bldg.
60 just last. week. Representatives
of management agreed to replace
cables by Sept. Ist. How about the
period: between now and the first?
-It may cost another accident,
‘Peterson Still
in Hospital
Andy Peterson,. former Presi-
dent of U. E, Local 301, is still at
Ellis Hospital recuperating from
his illness.
He. is expected to remain there
at least several more days accord.
ing to the latest report. Rumor
has it that theie is considerable
Union discussion going on among
those on the mend in Andy's area,
Well, if anybody can talk Union,
it’s Andy. He is in Room 101; -if
wow re up. that. way, drop in...
‘July 6th.
_the New
. Service without success,
Mailers on Strike
At Union-Star
The employees of the Mailing
Dept. at the Scheneetady Union-
Star have now been on strike since
These employees are
members of Local 120 Internution-
al Mailers Union. They won an
N.L.R.B. election in December of
1952 and have been trying to ne-
gotiate their first contract with.
the Union-Star. They’-have used
York State Mediation
The Mailers have appealed to U.
E, Local 801 for assistance. ‘Ty,
issues of the strike will be vere
to the Executive Board on Monday
and to the membership for action
on Sept, 14th, .
Injured Worker
Finds No Job
James Harrington, 82 years of
age, who met with an aceldent last
February while operating a punch
press which cost hint his right hand
returned to work this week and
found there was’ no job.
The Employment Office said they
would ‘eall him in a few days; 2
few weeks have gone by with no
call.
Union has taken ‘the case up
with management,
New Gouge on Gas
Rates Ushered In
Utility rate experts Aug. 11 saw
a new era of high gas rates being
ushered in by a recent decision of
the Iederal Power Commission.
By a 2 to 1 vote the PPC prant-
ed new rates to the United F,
Gas Ca, based on a calculated
turn of 14% on investment, It
was the policy of the FPC under
the Truman administration to keep
the rate of return ‘between 514%
and BM eo 0.
ELECTRICAL UNION NEWS
ROTATOR RATTLE
With the deadline for ticket
purchases in the big UE Local 301
, ¢lumbake set for Tuesday, indica-
tions are that the event a week
(rom Sunday will be a sellout,
The clambake is to be held on
September 18 at the Republican
Park on Princetown Road. Tickets
are selling at $4.00 each, with the
price including all of the solid and
liquid. refreshments that’ the pur-
chaser can down. ~
Ticket sales are being handled
by the shop stewards, Hach buyer
gels a receipt when he pays for
the ticket, and the stewards are
supposed to bring the money down
to the union hall as soon as pos-
sible to ‘make the necessary res-
ervations.
Since it ‘is’ likely that more”
tickets. than the 1,000 capacity of
the park will be, sold, arrange-
ments Jive been made for full
refunds. to anyone whose money
turned in after the first thou
~ sand reservations have been made.
rs
(
In, such cases, notification will te
sent directly to the. members be-
fore the clambake,
On the menu for the clambake
will. be all the clams that can be
‘euten, roast chicken, corn, hot
dogs and drinks. The ‘activities
committee, which is managing: the
event, guarantees that no one will
leave the park either hungry or
thirsty,
“The Shirker’s Psalm”
(With apologies to King David’s 23rd)
The DULES-PAYING MEMBER
is-my shepherd, I shall not want.
He provideth me with rest days,
and vacations, so that I may lie
down in green pastures, beside the
still waters.
He restoreth my back pay. He
guideth my welfare, without cost .
to me,
Yea, though I alibi, and pay no
dues from generation to gwenera-
tion, I fear no evil, for he pays
my way, and protects me.
The working ‘conditions, which
Y"e provides—they comfort me.
.’He hath anointed my head with
the oil of seniority, the eight hour
day, the 40-hour week, and my cup
runneth over—with ingratitude.
Surely, his goodness, and loving.
“kindness shall follow me all the
‘days ‘of my life--without cost to
me. ’ :
T shall dwell in his house for-
ever, and allow him to pay the
’ gosts.
and we had a good many Lab
é pportunity to contrast the difference:
or more of service can tell you that times have really changed.
PETER J. MC GUIRE
Union Leader Peter McGuire
Proposed Original Labor Day
Millions of Americans enjoying Labor Day 1953 can thank there have been general wage cuts’
Peter J. McGuire for their extra day off. Most of the holiday - [er all G.E. workers, and vacation
crowds probably never heard of McGuire, but in his time he
was among the most popular labor
leaders in the U. S. Thinking up
Labor Day was only one of his
many contributions to working
people,
Born in New York July. 6, 1852,
McGuire joned his first union at
15. He quickly became an ardent
believer in labor organizations and
in 1881 became the founder of the
sarpenters union. He was elected
secretary-treasurer at the union's
first convention and held that office
for a quarter century;
As the union iden took hold
tunong workers, McGuire decided:
‘there should’ be a special day of
tribute to wage earners. In 1882
he introduecd a resolution at a
New York Central Labor Union
meeting proposing that “a day
should. be set aside as a festive day
Z :
(for) a parade through the streets
of the city.”
New York saw its first Labor
Day parade that September 5. To
the astonishment. of the employers
and the newspapers, which had
predicted everything from a fiasco
to a riot, over 380,000 men and
women union members marched
down fashionable Fifth Ave. and
into Unon Sq. Parading with dig-
nity, they carried banners demand-
ing the 8-hour day and higher
wages.
__In 1886, as one of its first ace.
tions, the AFL (McGuire helped
found that, too) officially approved
Labor Day, and in 1894 the first
Monday in September became a
national holiday celebrated by all
Americans.
or Days in G.E. when the plant shut
down the first Monday in Septem-
ber. Until 1947 we were short one
day’s pay every time it happened.
U.E. straightened that out when
the contract was changed ‘to pay
for this and six other holidays,
when they fall in-a regular work
week. This is one of the many ex-
amples that ean be given to show
the benefits that G.E. workers in
Schenectady have” derived from
their Union,
The contract and wage gains
that we made for 1953 were rela-
tively minor in light of the needs
of the GE. workers, This, of »
course, was mainly due to the split
caused by the IU.E., which gave
the Company a better bargainingy
position, Ui. has tried to over-
come this handicap by offering a
unity program for joint action on
the contract demands, which the
LUE. has refused to accept. The
principal gains in. working condi-
tions and waves were made during
the 12 year period from 1937
through 1948 when all G.E. work-
ers were members of the U.R.
One of the most important jobs
our Union docs for G.E. workers
is that We have mznaged to keep.
our gains fron’ year to year, That
in itself makes the Union the best
job insurance a G.E. avorker ean
vhave. Again some ofthe new peo-
ple do not realize that before U.EL
plans were discontinued,
For the skeptic who. may have
some doubt about this, we refer to
1938 during a recession of busitess
in GE. The salaried workers and :
supervisors who were unorganized
received 2 general cut in wages.
The Company tried to cut the fac-
tory workers at that time, but
they were not successful because
of their resistance through our
Union,
(Continued on page 4)
Thanks to U.E.
‘Next-Monday ~You:
Will be Paid for:
Not Working.
Won 1947
LABOR’S YEAR IN: PICTURES——Left to right: Quick settlement won. hy
yas typical of comparatively. quiét industrial scene in first died:
tight months of ’53.° This CIO. woman picket, run down by company. labor
steelw ones s
executive, found bosses as tough as. ever. Taft-Har tley act was very
much alive, but Sen. Robert’ A. Taft, -top GOP strategist in Congress,
a vietim of cancer. As bloody. 3-year Korean war came. to end,
yas wondering if unemployment would again mushroom like alom
bombs over Nevada desert.
TAKE IT
FROM HERE!
WASHINGTON—In a few days
school bells will be ringing again
und the kids aren’t the only ones
who wilk;be° reluctant, to answer
theiy eall. A lot of teachers won't
show up this September. In fact,
When classrooms open again this
year, the nation will be short 200
thousand qualified teachers,
This startling fact was revealed
lust week by Carl J, Merel, Presi-
dent. of the Americin Federation
of Teachers, The AF of L Teach-
ers Union held its 3éth Annual
Convention in Peoria, Mlinais last .
week,
Revision Of Taft-Hartley
During the" Presidential election campaign, Gen. Eisenhower promised he would support.
amendments to the Taft-Hartley law to make it a fairer statute.
begged the question, since nothing but repeal of the law can make it fair. Nevertheless, some
This promise somewhat
labor groups saw hope in Eisen-
hower’s” ‘pledge.
Congress has now" najoiibated: for
the year, and as yet the President
has not asked for any: changes in
Taft-Hartley. - However, shortly
before adjournment, the adminis+
tration sent up a trial-balloon to
test reaction to a proposed Presi-
dential message on Taft-Hartley.
terests.-
sage were leaked to a few news-
papers. The message itself was
never sent to Congress. ‘Two ex-*
plunations were offered by the
press: (1) that i¢ was deferred out
cof respect to the memory, of Sen.
Robert A, Taft,.who had. just died;
(2) that it was greeted by too hig
a howl from certain employer in-
_ The latter explanation is prob-
ably. correct. But if so, it just il-
lustrates that some employers ure
so benighted they don’t know a
. : good thing when they see it. “Por
Contents of the proposed mes- the Kisenhower proposals were a
bad pill for labor,
ever, had a thick sugar coating and
apparently some industrialists were — ley,
tooled by or resented the coating.
Tt seems a sure bet now that
The pill, hew-
barring effective opposition by or-
' ganized labor, the President will
seek to get his amendments pushed
“through the next session of Con-
gress but with some of the more-
palatable ones removed.
What was the sugar?
things, good in themselves, as ve-
moving some of T-H’s fantastic
restrictions on picketing and. pro-
viding that T-H would supersede
stricter provisions in state law on
subjects dealt with by Taft-Hart-
What was. the core? A proposul
that the non-Communist affidavit
return to power,
when Pres, William Greens
Workers.
Hartley slave law.”
Labor uunity, or at least talk about labor
unity, was busting outcall over in (he past year,
ranging from top-level negotiations by APL and
CIO leaders for merger of their organizations to
united action in the shops and mines by workers
under attack from employers heady with the GOP
The unity idea gol an unexpected boost at the
Tist AFL convention in New York last September
; routing annual invila-
tion fo the CLO and miners to “come back to the
house of Jabor"® drew an immediate telegraphed
oreply from Pres. John BE. Lewis of United Mine
Lewis) proposed a conference of. all national
and international unions to unite them into one
body under the AFL by October
“utmost importance,” he stressed,
necessity of labor exercising its strength in the
fortheoming national election and of the neee:
of insuring the repeal of the
15. Time was of
The Lewis plan was cold-shouldered by the
ere but two months later the defeat of Demo:
patie Presidential candidate: Adlai: KE. Stevenson
Unity Moves Made Labor News
new thinking about unity. The deaths of CIO
Pres. Philip Murray and Green in the same month
that the 20-year Democratic rule came to an end
lent a symbolic touch to {he feeling that labor
must set owl on a new course independent of the
White House.
This was most important to the CIO, born
under the New Deal and in later years heavily fons it found were Communist-
reliant on government intervention, The APL was
in a stronger position. Compared. to the C10’s
four million members, it had close to 10 million
and, despite its almost unprecedented indorsement
of Stevenson, it had kept lines open to the Re-
publicans, shown by the surprising
plumbers’ union leader Martin P. Durkin as Presi-
of labor.
first actions in
dent Hisenhower’s. seeretary
“in view of the
infamous Ts
choice of
sBut one of George Meany’s
taking over. the AFL leadership from Green was the above grounds.
to make a renewed unity bid to the CIO. He ()
made it clear, however, that the younger organi- ~ Would rightwing unions be ¢
zation was not expected to “eome back” as a
. penitent prodigal son but to discuss .a merger
on-equal terms. CIQ Pres. Walter P.
presiding over an organization in which dangerous
-schisms were appearing, accepted. The talks-were
‘ind the prospect of a Republican: administration held’ and finally produced agreement on a no-
directly under control of the toughest union-
husters in the. country forced. labor to do. some
riding pact that” was. to come before the 1953
AFL and CIO conventions for approval.
provision be dropped in fuvor of
more gene raul legislation on “the
problem of Communists in the U,
8S” The kind of legislation the
administration. has in’ mind has
already meen’ disclosed by Sen.
John M. Butler (R, Md.), who has
introduced a bill under which the
Subversive Activities Control Board
would be permitted to outlaw un-
dominated.
This provision would give the
government the power of life or
death over unions, Any. time the’
government, or big business in-
terests running the government,
‘decided that a union wus too mili-
tant, it could seck to outlaw it on
empt from such a possibility ? ofr
course not. If they become too
much of an irritation to employers
-by seeking to raise living stand-
ards, We may be sure that, ds has”
often happened in the past, they
too will be accused of being Com-
munist-dominated,
Reuther,
Friday, September 4, 1953 -
ELECTRICAL UNION NEWS
suc)
‘picketing. The , union
argued that. sinee the picketed: en-- -
MORE PICTURE HIGHLIGHTS—Left to right: November 1952 was
a fateful month for American labor
as the end of 20-years of Democratic
rule was swiftly followed by deaths’ of CIO Pres. Philip.Murray and
AFL Pres. William Green. Under still vigorous leadership of John L.
hewix coal miners broke through wage freeze to win $1.90 daily pay
raise, Waire and price controls were ended early in new year, which
saw inauguration of Dwight D. Eisenhower and his “Cadillac cabinet,”
symbolized by General Motors. boss Charles E. Wilson, defense secre-
tary. Joe McCarthy dominated witchhunt scene, but swastika secretly ~~
painted on monument expressed ha
tred of millions for McCarthyism.
Most Top Court Acts in Year Anti-Labor
During its past term spanning
the Truman and Eisenhower ad-
ministrations, the U. 8. Supreme
Comt, with one notable excep-
tion, continued, in its tradition of
anti-labor decisions, nullifying the
effects of the New Deal period of
the court which did so much: to
affirm and strengthen’ organized
labor’s rights. ‘
The most damaging decisions
ragnded down by the court were
sustaining the Virginia
srihte to-work” law, affirming the
power of state courts to enjoin
peaceful picketing even where in-
terstate commerce was concerned,
and denying NLRB protection fo
aun employe who refused to cross
picket line.
In the Virginia ease, an APL
plumbers union awas peacefully
picketing a partially non-union
construction job. The state court
enjoined this peaceful picketing
on grounds that it was intended
to bring about the discharge of
non-union men in violation of the
state’s “right-to-work” law. The
Supreme Court, over the dissents
of Justice Huo L. Black and Wil-
‘liam ©. Douglas, sustained the
power of the Virginia courts: to
do this.
“The Supreme Court majority
opinion pointed out that its ruling
tlowed logically from its previous
opinions that, although peaceful
picketing) was theoretically pre-
teeted by the Constitution as a
form af fvee speech, state courts
could nevertheless enjoin such
whenever they disap.
TNketing V Q
gavel of its, purpose.
In another case, an Alabama
court “had granted a temporary
injunction prohibiting peaceful
involved
terprise was engaged in interstate
cammerce, the state court lacked «
jurisdiction and the controversy
ELECTRICAL UNION NEWS
was one exclusively within the
jurisdiction of: the NLRB. The con-
duct: of the union in this case was
clearly sanctioned by the Taft-
Harley act, so that if the union’s
contention had prevailed, . the
picketing could have continued
without” being -enjoined by any
government body.
The: court,*again over the dis-
sents of Black and Douglas, found -
against the union. It did so by
making a distinction between tem-
porary and permanent injunctions,
and holding that the court would
review only permanent injunctions
granted by state courts. -
In‘a third case, the dissenting
Black and Douglas were joined by
. Justice Sherman Minton in dis-
agreeing with another anti-labor -
decision by the majority. In this
‘ase the NLRB had held that an
employee’s refusal to cross a picket
line maintained by another union
was a protected activity under
the Taft-Hartley act and that the
‘discharge of an employee who had
exercised this right was unlawful,
The court majority disagreed with
the board and upheld the dis-
charge as legal.
In its single notably pro- labor
action, the court upheld the NLRB
ruling that certain practices of
the International Typographical
Union and American Federation’
of Musicians (both AFL) did not
fall within the so-called feather-
bedding ban of Taft-Hartley.
ELECTRICAL UNION NEWS
UNITED ELECTRICAL, RADIO & MACHINE
WORKERS OF AMERICA (UB)
Local 401 .
a ae ——
Published by the Editarlal Committoo
Prostdent..-...--------James J. Cognotta
Vico President.....------.---Jasoph Alals
Treasurer snueannannenneatosoph Whitbeck
-~Recording: Secratary——. fs
Ass't Recarding Sucretary.
Chlaf Shop. Stoward..
Business Agont—.....--...l00 Jandreau
01 AIBERTY ST. SCHENECTADY 5,N. ¥
Signs of Depression Appear
In Spite of Full Employment
The American economy in. the summer of 1953 was a
puzzle for experts.
Yet there were signs of fear
‘ officials, Inbor leaders. and. sine
corporation spokesmen joined in '
issuing subcring- warnings. ° ‘The
language: used’ varies. But it all
added up to the same worrying
fuct, pressure on the worker’s
paycheck.
Prices no longer soared upwiusl,
Rather, theye inched their way
higher, even though
‘uused by war seemed past, The
shortages:
price leaders were the industrial
giants which, like steel and ail
the spring of 1958, boosted prices
by monopoly decision.
The consumer price index — of |
vital coneern to Inbor since union
contracts began to contain escala-
tor-clauses with wages tied to the
index—-eased upwe ard from 12.0 in
the spring of 1952 to 113.7 in the
corresponding period this year.
Overall there was a cost-of-living
increase of nearly 20% since L947,
Another example of middlemen
souking up gains at the expense of
consumers was seen in the index
for food alone, Farm income was
off markedly. Yet the consumer
food index went down only slight-
ly, from. 113.9 in April 1952. to
111.5 in April 1953 (index numbers
taken from BLS, 1947-49 equals
100). : .
Overall there was no relief froin
high prices in sight. The pressure
of prizes on the family budget re-
midineduas sbrong.as ever,
But other pressures on family
incomes could be scen. There was
the hig bite taken out of income
The postwar boom apparently continued.’
Government
and uneasiness.
by taxes, aoc this item did
not figure in most estinintes of the
cost of living. . There was no men-
surement at all of the cost of qual-
ity deterioration or the tendency
of manufacturers of consumer
goods to offer the same package at
the same price but with less con-
“tents, ;
And finally, most important of
all, there was the cost of higher
interest rates and the swelling vol-
ume oof installment buying anc
other forms of cohsumer ‘credit.
The Kisenhower administration,
with bankers in public office set-
‘ting the policies, raised. interest
rites, Thissmeant that small bus-
nesses found it hard to wet credit
to operate. Tt also meant that eon-
sumers who paid on time had te
pay more, ‘This was another cost
item which did not appear in ot
ficial cost-of-living figures.
Labor had warned for severe?
yenrs that working families must
have income to.spend it, High pro-
duction of anything but arma.
ments, union economists pointed
out, depends on what is technically
known as “effective demand,” which
ineans not only wanting but hav-
ing the money in -hand to buy
forse : :
s labor has demonstrated, wage
increases have not kept pace with
gains in productivity. This means
no prave danger that buying caupac-
ity would drop behind the quanti-
tivs. of goods. beimy produced and
that surpluses night appear, to be
follawed ine due course by layoft's
und another 1929,
Friday, September 4, 1953 ®
