Hundreds of 301 members crowded into the union hall to make last
Saturday night’s 20th anniversary celebration the most successful spring
dance held by the local in recent years. ~ .
The newly-redecorated union hall was really jumping as Tony Villano
and his band kept things lively from. 9 in the evening until the small
hours of the morning. The success of the dance got the union’s 1953
activities program off to a flying start. °
Next big event on the activities schedule is the annual field day,
which is scheduled for Sunday, June 28, This affair will be followed by
a baseball hooster night, a clambake and the final event on the program,
a set.of Christmas parties for the children of union members. Et is @X-
pected that these events will continue the trend of increasing, parUicipa-
tion by the men and women of GE in the social events of Ul Local 301.
Speaking a lot louder than words, the pictures on this page show the
big doings last Saturday night.
DANCE DOINGS. Some sat back and enjoyed “He and his fellow musicians” of Tony Yillano’s
themselves and the available refreshments. ‘The band provided dance music ranging from dreamy
group pietured in the upper right hand. corner of | waltzes to fast polkas, One of the slower pieces
‘the page belonged in that category, or at least gave the camera a chance to catch the dancing
they did when the camera swung around to them.. scene at the lower right. This picture also pro-
However, others crowded. the dance’ floor through
most of the evening, as the picture directly above |
shows, Still others had to work so that the hun-
dredy of union members could enjoy .themselyes,
The man with the horn at the right is one of these.
vides a view of sume of the new decorations which
turned the union hall into a ballroom, “Many of
these improvements, made by the activities com-
mittee, will remain a permanent part of the hall’s
decorations, : :
“MARKING ANNIVERSARY, Saturday’s dance was devoted to celebration
of the 20th anniversary..of the founding of an industrial union for Gen-
eral Eleetric workers in Schenectady. There were many at the dance
who could remember the early days before there was even a union hall,
Some of thosé pictured above were in this group.
4 © Friday, May 1, 1953
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Vol. 11 — No. 19
» SCHENECTADY, NEW YORK
Friday, May 8, 1953
i
v
A BIG PROBLEM. Ernest Thompson, seeretary of UK's national ts
employment: practices committer discussed the union's effort “to: argan
the new GE plants being established in the South at Monday's: stewards’
meeting. ‘Thompson, pictured above, emphasized the importance al this
effort to Schenectady GE warkers.
Union Starts
Daily WTRY
Program Monday Morning
Ul Local 301 will go on the air with a daily program of
news and commentary beginning Monday morning over radio
station WERY.. The Monday-through-Friday broadcasts will
hocatred between 6.18 and G:h0 am,
One of the chief purposes of the ”
prenrsin will be to bring: the unton
manubership and the families of
uliea Members up-to-the-minute
reports an the progress of negatia’
tions with Gk. . Developments
threneheutl the Inbar. movement
ahd bews of special sinificance to
working people will also be broad.
tous Will important. community
Pp tbihets,
301 Shop Meetings and Leaflets DemandEnd
Of GE's Pay Discrimination Against Women
UE's fight to end discrimination against wame
si6n at shop meetings in the Schenectady works t
!
‘so this week.
» Workers Ww:
s the chiet subject of discus-
This discussion wus based both
on 2 leaflets, and on reports: by Local 801 delecsates to this past Weekend's Ule national wom-
en's conference. (A complete report on this conference can be found on page +l of this week's
SU News.) As in the previous leaflets and me
| mgs on the subjects of GE carnings and the
“waturday holiday steal, this week's campaign emphasized the contrast between huge company
profits and management refusal to grant GE emplavees badly néeded economic improvements.
o ao t . . :
Mastriani Aids Unio
Louisville GE Drive "
UE Dawid 801 Chief Show Stew:
urd) Williant Mastriani flew te
Louisville, Kontuéky this week to
address a Ul organizational micet-
ing at the big new applianee plant
of GE in the southern city,
Mastriani went to Louisville at
the invitation of General Blectric
workers who are secking to estab.
lish strong union conditions in the
plant which is expected to employ”
16,000 workers within the next few
yours, :
In approving the Mastriani trip
to Kentucky, the 301 executive
bourd took note of the importance
of UM's Louisville organizing drive
to the whole union, and particular.
ly to GE workers, This' importance
is based on the need to prevent the
company from paying lower wares
in the South, and in that way tiuk-
inw jobs away from northern plants
} Schenectady,
“Mastrianni. told) the Louisville
workers about the operition of ULE
801 on behalf of Schenectady GE
employees, and urged the Kentucky
people to join UIE in order to as-
sure themselves of equal) condi-
tions, He pledged the active sup-
port of Local SOL for the Louisville
men and women in their fight for
militant and, democratic unionism,
The leaflets pointed out thar Ge
is how dnaking protits at the record
rateoof SLAW for every hour worker!
by car employee, and that less thas
fe oof this, applied tes women's
wages below the common dabor
rate, would go a long way toward
ending diseriaination, However,
GE management. refuses to apply
anyoof its huge ineaine towered ond-
ing the “pay the wemen loss" racket
because it. wants to preserve sex
discrimination as a weapon to fares
down all ware rites,
Another ke reuson for GE's
sland ig the growing company pal-
ey oof oliminating collective bry.
gaining, This poliey is obviously
designed to break the strength of
UE and all other unions in the
chain, notoonly in newetinting dn
national issues, but also in the se
Uing of local and shop grievances,
Obviously Boulware and the ather
company Sinhor relations” bosses
are secking to take advantare of
the split they inspired ia the ranks
of GE workers to bring haek the
old open shop days.
Loenk Sots 1958 fleld day has
been suet for Sunday, duane 28, at.
tepublicun Park on the Princetown,
found, The park has facilities ta
handle a large crowd either indoors
or outdoors, depending on the
weather,
Above all ,the broadcasts will at-
tempt to “really belong” to. the
men and women who work in GE.
Many shop workers ‘will be inter-
viewed during the prowrams.
oThe 645 to 6:40) morning hour
Was chosen beenuse the executive
hoard felt that this would give the
greatest possible number of nat
“members opportunity te listen.
Beenuse this broadeast, in’ con-
trast to most news and ‘commen.
tary shows which are bought and
pauld for by lange corporations, will
helong to working men and women,
: and ‘comments fron
members of the local will be trove
than welcome,
WTRY, a Columbia) Kroadenst-
ing System atfilinte is one af the
most widely Hstened sta radio sta-
Uions in the Capital Distriet. The
SOL series will be the first union
sponsored programs earried by the
station om a regular basis.
Monday,
Louisville Drive Seen as Key
Eliminating the southern diQerential and organi: ings runaway
mhints in the South was deseribed this week as the est prob-
lom facing UE and all workers in the electrical industry.” This
estimate was given by Ernest Thompson, UE National PEPC seere-
tary in an address befuresthe UE
Thompson, who spoke in Scheneetady on the invitation of the
Local 301 stewards' meeting on
luce PERC group, cited the effurt af UIE to organize the Louisville
General Electric plint an ia democratic basis, as the number one
job of our union) "On the success of the Louisville orwanizing
campaign rests Che job seearity of every Schenectady GE: worker,"
‘Thompson asserted. He added:
“HGH ean carry through its current plan to establish in
Louisville a plant with 16,000 unoreanized, low-wage workers, then
obviously it will he able to Curn out jobs in’ Louisville at lower
cost Chan in Schenectady, Evie or.Lyni And in’ the eampany's
drive for greater and greater peotits, this. will spell unentployment,
speedup, rate cutting and union-busting in northern centers.”
Of the 1,000. workers already hired in Louisville, only about 25
have been Negroes, and alluof these have been pat on as janilors,
Thompson vreveated. He said that this Jim Crow! hiring potiey had
heen followed by the company even though UE and: the Louisville
Hoard of Education has established a speeial job training program
specifically designed to’ provide Negro workers with the speekil
skills needed by General Electric.
"GE's policy of hiring only white production workers is’ based
on the knowledge that by keeping white and Negro workers divided,
they can make sure that there will be no strong union in GE Louis-
ville,” Phompson charged. -
The Ul anti-disevimination leader was optimistie on the oun-
ion's chance of beating: the eompany Cacties and organizing the
Ieentucky: phing. He painted tothe success of UE-in breaking: all~
discrimination at the 5,000-worker International Harvester plant
in Louisville where complete unity among Negro and white work-
ers How exists. ‘This unity has meant the destruetion-of the south-
eru differential in (he Harvester elain,
Fi
i
‘4
af
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\
+
ado
met EET ons te
UE-Westinghouse Locals.
Issue United Action Call
Faced with company determination not to give its em-
ployees one cent in needed wage increases out of its $169-
million 1952 profits, UE’s Westinghouse Conference board has
called on all unions in the chain-to
unite. Such unity was termed by
the board as the sole means of
gaining real economic
ments this year.
In a resolution passed at a meét-
ing to discuss the current ware re-
opener tulks, the UE-Westinghouse
board pginted to, the failure of the
workers to make any substuntial
economic gains since the split in
1949, a situation identical with that
in GE. Lhe resolution noted that
UE has. stood for united ‘action
right along, and that there were
growing signs that IUE-CIO niem-
bers wanted such action too. Spec-
ifically cited was the united action
position taken by the membership
of the big IUE-CIO. Westinghouse
local at Cheektowaga near Buffalo,
and the recent action for unity by
Lynn GE workers. , .
This unity. call was addressed to
the IUE-Westinghouse conference
improve-
bourd which is also faced with the
* company’s refusal to negotiate for
wuge, increases “in its reopener.
The UE resolution asserted that
the union conference board had,
“authorized its national negotiat-
ing committee to meet with repre-
séhtatives of all or any unions in
Westinghouse to arrange for the
culling of a conference for the
above purpose (united action),”
UE’s demands in Westinghouse
include a substantial wage increase,
elimination of inequities with re-
spect to diy workers and skilled.
workers, and the ending of geo-
graphical differentials. As in the
case of GE, the company has re-
fused to make any concessions on
these demands, but is arrogantly
depending on the split to keep
Westinghouse workers from mak-
ing an effective fight for the things
they need. «
TUNE IN!
UE on the Air
Mon. Thru Fri.
6:45-6:50 A.M.
WTRY — 980 ke
I?s Your Show
"New Canadian Holiday
While UE members in, the: Uni-
ted States are fighting to win back
2 paid holidays stolen by companies
like GE, some of theiy Canadian
brothers and sisters will be enjoy~
ing anew holiday this year,
“The new: holiday is Coronation |
Day.. Workers at the Page Hersey
tube plant in Welland; ‘Ontario,
have just won an agreement pro-
viding full holiday pay for the day,
which is to be celebrated in Canada
as in other countries of the British
Commonwealth as a patriotic holi-
day, just .as Memorial Day and
July 4th are patriotic holidays in
the U. &.
Rock Island Ballot
Rejects Open Shop
International Harvester’s hopes
for establishing an open shop at its
big Farmall plant in Rock Island,
UL, went up in smoke last month
when the workers voted overwhel(
ingly for continued representatid
by UE. The count in a special
company-inspired decertification
election was 2,162 for UE and 1,302
for the company.
This victory just about cleaned
up the last disruptive effort by the
company and its allies within the
CIO autoworkers. Previously the
union had erushed UAW raids at
‘the. Chieago and Richmond, Ind.
plants, In the midst of these raids,
the UE had successfully organized
and won bargaining ‘rights for
, Harvester office workers in East
Moline. 4
Company hopes i in the Rock Isl-
and campaign had depended on a
vicious campaign of intimidation,
and the help given by the CIO,
which -pulled off the ballot only
after it had been crushed in the
Chicago and Richmond ballots.
Bldg. 13:
ask that 5 of their group be allowed
to tuke vachtions cach week "s'
that as many’as possible will be
able to get suminer vacations. This
procedure has been in practice. in
past years as a result of a negoti-
ated agreement with management. *
Therefore, the’union demands it be’
adhered to this yenr,
Bldg. 17: Foreman Tryon con-
sistontly does work of tallyman,
and has told the union representa-
tive that he will continue to do so.
The union-
Tryon he reclassified to tallyman,
or that he refrain from doing the
duties of that job.
Bldg. 37: Group protests new
proceduse under which they have
to use mops for cleaning. They ask
that they be allowed to return to
broom cleaning. method formerly
used. Members-also protest miser-
nble condition of bags and rags
they must use... The union demands
correction of these situations:
Bldg. 46: On. job 5994574-1 cov-
er, operation 4, planning calls for
rough. and finish profile top. and
battom of P.V.
ferent table setups and 2 ingpee-
tions. Setup price of 79 is cam-
pletely. inadequate, asis. nea, $1.05
price, The union demands. dou-
bling of price.
Bldg. 60:
Sometime during a re-
suitelbourd oper: bane i
demands that. cither.
Tt requires 2 dit
‘2 © ~ Friday, May 8, 1953
Thousands. of grievances are handled by: UE Loéal 302
rach year at all levels from the steward up to final appeal
in New York City.
To keep members. posted, we shall
‘each week list some of the grievances that have not been
settled al the steward-foreman level and have been re-
ferred to the executive board- -management level.»
ak.
cent weekend, the toolbox of Thom-
ns A. Smith was broken into and a
personal property, were stolen, In-"
‘eluded among the stolen tools were
a pair of 8” micrometers, a pair of
2” micrometers, a pair of 1" mi-
crometers, a square, a magnifying’
“glass, a. pair of depth micrometers
and a slide caliper. Smith needs
these precision instruments for his
work, The union feels that the
company is responsible for sate-
guarding tools which must be left.
in the shop, and demands that it
-replace these instruments and pro-
‘vide adequate protection against a
recurrence of this type of thelt,
Foreman J, La Roeco in the test
nrew is performing work ‘properly
belonging to test personnel. ‘The
union demands that management
put an immediate stop to this con-
tract violation. -
Bldg. 77: Daniely Michetti has
been on the accumulator’s job for
ubout 9 months, but supervision
now claims he is not physically fit
for the job. The union disputes
_ this, and demands a management
investigation to restore Michetti to
the job to which he is entitled.
Bldg. 84: Maintenance and elec-
trical repair group is entitled to a
I-step increase in job rate to bring
themsup to’ the level of the “A auto” ”
“mechanies. The 2.
‘ classifications
have always been equal. The un-
ion demands the increase.,
Blydg. 107: Group of indians de-
mand a 3-step increase to $1.97 to
compensate them for the hazards
of their job. The union demands
this increase.
Group of leaders demand: equali-
zation of overtime. On 4/19, a
leader with’ much more overtime
than others was called in in viola-
tion of contract article V-9, and of
an agreement between supervision
and the union representative in the
group. The union demands adher-
ence to the contract.
Bldg. 269: The union demands
that the duties of operator on acid
dip-vacuum tube parts job, job
rate $1.64, be listed and defined.
The foreman has. been forcing the
operator to do work in the acid dip-
special vacuum tube parts classifi-
‘ation, which has a $1.68%4 job
rate. :
Robert Rider is receiving .only
$1.41 day work on his job, although
- Ist shift operator with same duties
ELECTRICAL UNION NEWS
UNITED ELECTRICAL, RADIO & MACHINE
WORKERS OF AMERICA’ (UE)
Local 301
+GQBer 2 =
Published by the Editorial Committoo
Prosidont-n-—...-—...James. J, Cognetia
Vico Prosidant——o—-->-=mncuJosoph Alols
Recording Sacratary......___Ray. Schaffor
Asa't RocordingSocrotary—....Rudy + Rissland
Chtof Shop Stoward._Willlam = Masirlant
Businow Agont....._-eo Jandreau
$01 LIBERTY $f. “SCHENECTADY 5, N. Y.
Tro Os Ur0t ae name Josoph, Whitbeck |.
is receiving $1.79%4. .The union de-
mands retroactive correction ~of
this rate. me a
Daniel Tiscione was. originally *
supposed to operate 1 machine with
a $1.63%% job rate. He now o
ates 4 machines at the same 1
The union demands a proper in-
crease in the job vate to compen-
sate for this vast increase in the
operators duties.
Group protests’ creation of new
classification of A assembler on
klystron tubes. This classification
not only takes jobs.away from this
group, but also affects leak test
checkers, welders, brazers, assem-
blers and others. The union de-
mands management investipe ate and
correct. this situation.
Bldg. 273: Frank -Knapik re- *
quests average earnings for time
spent looking for work on his ma-
chine on foreman’s instructions.
Hidg. 41 representative is appar-
ently misinformed on this griev-
uncé since he said that average
carnings were not being paid be-
eruse a lack of work pass had been
offered to Knapik. © This is not so,
and the union demands payment of
average earnings,
~W. Butkiewies was told that-his
timing rates would be 82¢ and $1.06
when he started job as grinder,
shafts and studs, Later the O
eral foreman: changed these rates
to 87¢ and $1.06, and after a writ-
ten, grievance was filed, Butkiewies
was notified that the rates would
be 82¢ and.97e, with ther bulk of
the work at the 82¢ levels: This: tins
just’ downgrading will affect the
earnings of both Ist and 2nd shift
operators, The union demands
that this situation be corrected.
ELECTRICAL UNION NEWS
Van Der Zee Seeks Improved
Social Security for Widows
A letter by UE 301 Pension Club President Albert Van
Der Zee to Welfare Secretary Oveta Culp Hobby urging her to
take action to assure adequate financial security for widows
CLabor Mourns Death
Of Senator Wagner
Robert I. Wagner, the man
whose name is: staniped on the law
which made possible the organiza-
tion of millions of workers, and on
many other acts in the interests of
the American people, died Tues-
day. Wagner, long in ill health,
was 76 years old. '
Bornein Germany, Wagner came
to this country as a poor young-
ster. He learned the needs of the
working people’ through years of
struggle to make a living. Bob
Wagner applied this knowledge
during the 28 years he served in
the U. S. Senate, starting in 1926.
-Before that he had been a champ-
ion of the people's rights jin the
New York legislature.
When Franklin D, Roosevelt be-
came president, Wagner began
playing a léading role as author”
and sponsor of much New Deal
legislation. Probably his greatest
Pe
CKereearent was the. Wagner
et, which guaranteed working
men and women the right to join
labor unions of their choice with-
out fear of firing or other intimi-
dation.
The Wagner Act was replaced by
the Taft-Hartley law in 1947, but
its reenactment remains the goal
_ of organized labor,
of retiréd workers has been dc-
knowledged by the cabinet mem-
ber.
Van Der Zee asked Mrs. Hobby
for support on a proposal by the
pensioners to eliminate the pro-
vision in the social security act
which slices one-third off of the
-benefits received by elderly women
on the death of their husbands.
The pension club leader stressed
the injustice of such a cut in-these
high-price days when social secur-
ity benefits are completely inade-
quate to meet living ecosts,. He
noted that his, fellow’ pensioners
were deeply troubled’ over the
thought of leaving their loved ones.
without ample economic security,
The reply to Van Der Zee’s let-
ter was made by O. C. Poge, di-
rector of the Social Security Ad-
ministration, which is under Mys.
Hobby’s jurisdiction, This* reply
acknowledged with thanks the re-.«
ceipt of the letter. It asserted that
the whole ‘siibject of new social
security legislation was under
study, but-it did not offer the views
of either Pogge or Mrs, Hobby on
Van Der Zee’s propos:il to elimin-—
ate the slash in widow’s social se-
curity payments.
The 801 pension club leader has
long been an active fighter for im-
proving ‘the economic position of
retired workers. The efforts of his
group were credited with forcing
_GE to restore many of the euts it
mide in pensions when social se-
curity benefits were increased
slightly last year, ‘
Scranton Strike Solid
* Striking members of UE Local
125 remained solid in their fight
against seniority violations, and
rate cutting by nianagement of
the GE Seranton plant.
The walkout concluded its 3rd
week with) the workers com-
pletely determined to stay out
until the company agrees to fair
prices for newly brought in tube
work, and to rehire strictly in
accordance with length of serv-
ice.
Induct 16 New
Shop Stewards:
Sixteen members were inducted
Monday as UE Local 801 shop
stewards. The oath of office was
administered to the new committee
men and women by Guide Mario
Bagnato, :
The unusually high number of
new stewards resulted from the
creation of a number of new groups
in Building 273. Bight of the shop
representatives came from Turbine,
2 on the 2nd shift and the others
on the 1st and 8rd shifts. The other
vight stewards were
among the remainder of the Sche-
neetady works. —
Inducted at the 2nd shift stew-
ards meeting were J. R. La Veyra
and 8. Watrobski,.both of 23. The
other Turbine committeemen who
took the oath were Louis Blum-
hagen, Harry Ficcone, Rene Per-
rone, Michel J. Pompay and George
A. Sondergurd.
New stewards from the
buildings were Gladys Chamber-
lain, 28; Jack Getzen, 22; A. W.
Herbert, 60; Anthony Jarosz, 285;
Fernand Pomerleau, 49; Victor
Sgumbato, 26; Steven Van Allen,
GO; and William Williams, 60,
16 NEW STEWARDS, Pictured here
are the 16 men and women who
took the: oath of offiee as shop
stewards at Monday’s meeting. The
photo above on the left shows the
2 who were sworn in at the 2nd:
shift meeting. Direetly above are.
those from Turbine who took the
path at the Ist and 3rd shift ses-
_ sion, while. the others..who, joined.
the WE Local 301 shop. representa-
tives are seen on the left.
seattered.
other
White Plains, N. Y.-—Despite an
all-out .red-baiting campaign and
the full cooperation of loéal poli-
ticians, the IUKM-CIO. raid on the
Sonotone Corp. plant: was crushed
overwhelmingly by the workers in
an NLRB election. The vote to
maintain UIE Local 428 as the Son-
otone union was 501 to 820. This
represented a sharp inerease in UL
strength since 1950 when'the un-
ion repulsed another IUE raid by
only 14 votes.
xk ko
Lexington, Ky. — The type of
problem faced by workers seeking
to. organize unions in the South
was dramatically illustrated last
week when a grand jury “investi-
gation” into. bombing and machine
gunvattacks on United Mine Work-
ers’ leaders resulted in indictments
of several victims of the murder-
ous attempts. The indictments
charged that the UMW men had
“willfully and knowingly conspired”
to deprive “citizens in free exer-
cise “and enjoyment of rights- and
privileges—the. right to refrain
from joining a union.”
: kok O*
Fort Wayne, Ind. —"UE “has
crushed a ‘strikebrenking raid) by
the APL autoworkers at the Wayne
Pump Co. The workers at Wayne,
who had been on strike for 4 weeks
when the raid was launched, voted
137 to 89 for UE Local 903. How-
ever, this vote didn’t fully show
the strength of UE in the shop
sinee 118 ballots were challenged,
Almost all of these were cast by
laid off workers. It was to protest
the wiolation of the seniority rights
af these workers that the union
went on strike, and it was pener-
ally conceded that their votes were
almost unanimously for UIE.
~ wk *& *
Detroit—The executive board of |
the CLO United Automobile Work-
ers lias called on the Senate to in-
“vestigate strikebreaking with pub-
He funds by General Electric at its
Evendale, Ohio jet plant. The
board charged (hat GE had refused
to bargain in good faith and had
used vovernment funds to attempt
to break the strike which involves
4,500 UAW members and 1,100
members of the APL machinists.
k k *
Detroit—After a l-day strike by
2,000 members of the UB Local 907,
the Viekers Co, agreed to meet all
demands of the union including re-
instatement ofthe chief shop stews
nedonnd another worker who had
heen suspended for fighting speed-
up und rate cutting.
Friday, May 8, 1953 ® 3
