a ELECTRICAL UNION NEWS July 25, 1946
Jandreau Explains New UE-GE Contract to Meeting of Committeemen
THE VOICE OF THE UNITED ELECTRICAL, RADIO & MACHINE WORKERS OF AMERICA—LOCAL 301 ClO
Vol. III—No. 29 SCHENECTADY, NEW YORK ‘ August |, 1946
Schenectady Union Members March to Support of Ballston Strikers
Several hundred union members from
Schenectady and other parts of the Capi-
tal District swell the picket line of the Fur
and Leather Workers, CIO, at the Ameri-
can Hide and Leather Co. plant, Ballston
Spa. The 200 strikers have been out for
21 weeks. In spite of efforts of state
mediators, the company. refuses to budge
an inch in its anti-union attitude. But the
The visiting pickets Saturday marched
down the hill with banners and signs to
the struck plant in a line stretching over
half.a mile. They joined the strikers in
circling the factory, staged a strike rally.
with impromptu speeches and songs, and
marched to the home of Mayor Percy Ball
of Ballston Spa, a company foreman.
(The mayor was not at home). See page
Group of shop committeemen of Local
301 at one of the board showing
series of meetings held to explain changes in the new
General Electric contract and to review grievance procedure.
Leo Jandreau, business agent of the local, is at the black-
the new progression schedule. Andrew
Peterson,. Local 301 president, .is presiding and William
Kelly, vice-president, is standing at the rear. There were
eight such meetings to guarantee reaching all committeemen.
Chart Shows New improved
Starting
Job Rates
Progression Schedules of Contract |
Rates & 8628
T1748 3 Mo.
83 46.. 1 Mo.
4 Mo.
9246
9244 9516 9846 1.0246 | 1.061% H 1.1038 ; 1.1434 | 1.1844
1 Me. | 2 Mo | 8 Mo. | 4 Mo.
1.0234
3 1 Mo. | 2 Mo. | 3 Mo. | 4 Ma.
Here’s the chart which Local 301
vcommitteemen studied at a series of
meetings on the new GE contract. It
shows the improved new progression
schedules for day workers from the
starting rate to the job rate on job
values of $1,1844 per hour or less. In-
urcases above $1.18% are based on
merit, ;
The figures ot the chart, which inelude
the 18% cent pay raise, practically ex-
plain. themselves. ‘
If a new person is hired for any job
‘ate up to and including 89% cents an
hour he starts at 77% cents and reaches
his job rate in accordance with the
above schedule. Four months is now
the maximum time required to reach
the job vate, instead of the former
vight months,
As the chart shows, a new person
hired for a job rate of 92% cents or
95% cents starts at $844 cents; a new
person hired for a job vate of 98%
cents or &1024% or $1,061. starts at
92% eents and a new person hired at a
job rate of “SLL0% or $ldd% or
$1.18% starts at #1.0214. The schedule
shows the amount paid at the end of
each month of progression and the
length of time required to reach the
job rate from starting rate.
Under the old contract, and before
the 18% cent raise was secured, it took
eight months to progress to a $1.00 job
rate. Under the new contract, for the
same kind. of job, the worker would
advance .in. four montlis to $1.18%—
cents,
strikers are standing solid.
4 for story of demonstration.
UE Wins Election
At llion Rem-Rand
The UE delivered the knock-out blow
to the infamous Mohawk Valley form-
ula*by winning an overwhelming major-
ity in a National Labor Relations Board
election July 24 among workers of Rem-
ington Rand Plant No. 1 at Ilion. The
vote was 1147 for UE and 8&9 for no
union.
The Mohawk Valley formula is a
stream-lined plan for smashing unions
that the Rand management used suc-
cessfully against its workers. Employ-
ers all over the country copied the idea,
with Remington Rana’s blessing. _
~ (Continued on Page 4)
Union Declares War Against High Prices
Calling the new OPA legislation “wholly. inadequate,” the Local 801 mem-
bership meeting July 25 elected a five-man committee to plan a program of active
union warfare against rising prices,
This committee, which will report at
the Aug. 20 meeting, consists of Alfred
Pelrah, Joseph Dominelli, Meyer Siegel,
Joseph Krone and James Cognetta.
Speakers at the meeting urged the
membership not to buy anything except
necessities and to refuse to pay jacked.
up prices. There was considerable dis-
cussion of buyers’ strikes which have
developed in various parts of the coun-
try.
The committee was instructed to seck
community-wide support of its anti-in-
flation program and to bring back con-
crete directions for a vigorous and
speedy campaign to force down prices,
William Turnbull, assistant PAC di-
rector of the local, reported on the Aug,
20 primaries and on November electio
prospects, : :
To Elect Delegates .
Delegates to the State CIO conven-
tion Sept. 11 to Sept. 14 at Lake Placid
will be elected at the joint committee-
men’s and membership meeting of Local
801 Aug. 20 at 801 Liberty,
ELECTRICAL UNION NEWS
August I, 1946
ELECTRICAL UNION NEWS
Unireo Evectricat, Rapio & Maciine
Workers or America, CIO
Scitexrctapy GE Loca 301
<p>
Published by the Editorial Committee
Dewey" Brashear Ray Flanigan
Milo Lathrop William Mastriani
Editorial Office - Electrical Union News |
301 Liberty St. = Schenectady, N. Y.
SCHENECTADY PRINTING CO. INC.
Protests Britain's
Policy in Palestine
The Loeal 301 membership meeting
last week unanimously passed a resolu-
tion protesting against the British policy
of vepression in Palestine which is stall- .
ing the transfer of 100,000 displaced
European Jews, The admission of these
_vefugees to Palestine has been recom-
mended by President Truman and the
Anglo-American Commission of Inquiry.
A copy of the resolution, which was
introduced by Meyer Siegel, was sent to
President ‘Truman. Siegel emphasized
the influence American labor can bring
toward obtaining a just settlement of
the Palestine problem,
The resolution criticized the British
government for placing imperialist in-
terests above the demands of humanity.
At CIO Meeting
__......__.Delegates. from. Local 301 present_at,
the July meeting of the Capitol Dis-
trict Industrial Union Couneil, CIO
were: William Mastriani, Council pres-
ident; Dewey Brashear, J, P. Braunci-
sen, Albert E, Davis, J. B. Kelly and
Fred Pacelli. “
Alternates present were Joseph Krone
and Anthony Lolik,
Dominelli Meeting
The Dominelli-for-Sheriff committee
of the Ninth Ward will meet at 7:30
pam. tonight, Thursday, Aug, 1, at the
ward PAC headquarters, 1096 Forest Rd.
. ff * Sa
On PAC: Committee
Tha Executive Board has appointed
three additional members to the Local
- 801 PAC Committee: William Kuschel,
Dawcey Brashear and John Clune.
SUMMER SCHEDULE
The Local 801 radio program has gone
on summer schedule. It will be heard
Mondays at 7:15 pm. over WSNY,,: in-
stead of three times a week.
Vacation
Decatiso of vaicilian periods, the Aug.
$ issue of EU News will be omitted.
Schenectady GE Gffice Workers Lack Information
About Jobs Because They
Are Still Unerganized
Thousands of office workers at the Schenectacy General Electric plant are
in the dark as to their classifications, duties and job rates, Re
A statement by the Office Workers
Organizing Committee points out that
the company gives no answer to the
questions which are uppermost in the
minds of the average Schenectady white
collar worker. Where am I? Where
am I going? How long will it take?
In GE plants where the office work-
ers are ‘organized and represented by:
UE, the statement continues, the em-
ployes know the answers to such ques-
tions. They are clearly stated in the
new GE-UE contract.
The wage article of this ycar’s agree-
ment (Section 7) says that when a sal-
avied employe is hired or transferred
will be given a card showing his starting
rate, classification (Where am I?), job
rate (Where am I going?) and_progres-
sion schedule (How long will it take
me?).” :
This information and other benefits
will not be available to Schenectady
white-collar workers until they are an
organized union group and as such “ree-
ognized” by GE. Then the local man-
agement will have to sit down and an-
swer their questions. '
Lathrop Speaks in New York
Milo Lathrop, PAC director of Local
801, spoke at the mecting of the Inde-
pendent Citizen's Committee of the
Arts, Sciences and Professions at the
‘Mansfield Theater, New York City, last
week.
Me described the assistance which
artists gave to the UE strike in Sche-
nectady last winter and spoke also on
the increased interest on the part of
Schenectady union members in political
action, —
Better Luck Next Time, Girls
The girls’ softball team of the Sehe-
nectady General Electric plant went to
Pittsfield, Mass., recently to play the
girls’ team from the Pittsield GE. The
score was 1 to 0 in favor of Pittsfield.
Elected Delegate
Robert Northrop, secretary-treasurer of
the Capitol District Industrial Union
Council, CIO, will be its delegate to the
State CIO convention Sept, 11 to Sept.
dt at Lake Placid, He is a member of
Local 2054, USA, Schenectady.
Ward Managers Named
For Dominelli Campaign
Managers of the Dominelli-for-Sher-
iff campaign have -been appointed ‘for
six Schenectady wards and for Rotter-
dam. ..
They are: Second Ward, Anthony
Naverette, 2037 Van Vranken Ave;
Third Ward, Joseph ‘Rotunda, 347
Maxon Rd.; Fifth Ward, Horace Perry-
man, 8 Lincoln Heights; Eighth Ward,
G. A. Mele, 940 Albany St.; Ninth Ward,
Roy Lash, 1326 Main St.; Tenth Ward,
John Saccocio, 1606 Brodway, and. Rot-
“through the Personne! Department “he terdari,; Blanchard Mowers, 2710 Grand-
ville Ave. Rotterdam. All are Local
301 members. :
Managers for other wards and. other
“ sections of the county will be named in
a few days.
Political experts report that Joseph
Dominelli, Loeal 801, has a real chance
of winning, the Republican primary if
enough workers volunteer to do door-
bell ringing for him, and that he also~
has a chance in the Democratic primary.
“The ALP nomination is assured.
Local 301 members willing to work in
watching at the polls or doing office
work, should contact their shop com-
mitteemen. The Dominelli committee
is distributing thousands of posters and
carsstickers, There’s a lot of work to
be done before Aug. 20, the committee
points out,
Predicts Big GE Expansion
The General Electric Co. plans a tre-
mendous expansion program at Sche-
nectady, according to George Conway,
manager of the Albany GE office,
He predicted that the Schenectady
plant will expand 60 per cent over its
present size, in a speech before the
Scotia Rotary Club. He said there were
28,000 Schenectady employes as of
June 28,
Second Ward PAC Meets
Plans for getting out a full vote in
the August primaries were made last
week at a meeting of the Second Ward
PAC. Joseph Dominelli of Local 801,
candidate for sheriff in Republican and
Democratic primaries and ALP desig-
nee, was a speaker, Anthony Naverette
of Local 801 is chairman of the group.
en ETERS ESR LINKERS OM TY
og rrr nena ons = the campaign; either~~in-eanvassing, ~~
August I, 1946
ELECTRICAL UNION NEWS
3
Union Reports Helps Run CIO-PAC Jandreau Outlines
On GE Pensions
The research department of the na-
tional UE office has made a thorough
study of the new General Electric pen-
sion plan. Parts of the analysis will be
reprinted or summarized from week to
week in the EU News.
Life pensions to employees will be -
‘based on service with the company be-
fore the effective date of the new plan,
and on service after the effective date.
GE Pays for Past Service
The company will pay all costs of the
pension based on past service of all
employees with at least one or more
years of continuous service. No em-
ployee contributions will be required
for past service and employees covered
by the old pension plan will have their ©
contributions returned,
The part “of the pension based on
future service will require contributions
by employees amounting to 2% of their
annual salary up to $3,000 a year plus:
5% of the amount of their salary in ex-
cess of $3,000 a year. The company will
contribute 2.8% of its payroll, This will
be somewhat in excess of the employees’
contributions. -
$35 Million Surplus
“In the old pension fund the company
had about $100 million dollars of which
only $65 million-was-needed to meet
the requirements of the fund. The ex-
cess $35 million plus $5 million will be
used by GE to cover pensions for, past
service of employees not covered by
the old plan,
Several changes which the union has
asked over a period of years are in-
cluded in the new plan. For instance the
restriction barring employees hired
since 1986 from sharing in the pension
plan is removed.
Lower Retirement Ages
Under the new plan a man must re-
tire at 65 and a woman at 60 unless
otherwise allowed by the company
Pension Board. Employees may retire
or be retired within a five year period
before those ages, at a lower pension
rate.
“Workers who come under the new
plan receive more than provided for
under the old plan,” the research de-
partment reports.
“No deduction is made of social
security primary benefits and a mini-
mum guarantee is made of $12 a year
for each year of continuous service.”
treasurer of UE and a charter member
of Local 301, is a member of the: five-
man executive board named’ by CIO
President Philip Murray to head the
National CIO Political Action. Com-
‘mittee. PAC was reorganized after the
death of its chairman, Sidney Hillman.
CIO Council Sends
$25 to Troy Local
A donation .of $25 was voted by the
Capitol District Industrial Union Coun-
cil, CIO, to the welfare fund of Local
2398, United Steelworkers of America,
at Republic Steel’s blast furnace at
Troy, :
The members of the local returned to
work last March, after winning a nine
week strike...The plant closed in April,
- howevezx, because of lack of materials
and the workers have been jobless ever
since, The materials were cut off be-
cause of strikes at Jones and Laughlin
and other Republic plants.
“The Council has asked its member
locals also to send financial aid to the
unemployed steel workers in Troy.
Helps Columbia Committee
The Capitol District Industrial Union
Council, CIO, gave $10 to support. the
work of the National Committee for
Justice in Columbia, Tenn, Since last
February Columbia has been the scene
of violence against Negro residents.
There have been killings, beatings,
wholesale arrests and destruction of
property. :
Julius” Binspak,~Feneral secretary"
Transfer Clauses
In the past few months many workers
at the Schenectady General Electric
plant have been transferred to new jobs
because of cutbacks and Iack of work.
There has been confusion on the rates
which they should be paid, Leo Jandreau,
Local 301 busitvess agent, points out.
“GE foreman have shown. reluctance
‘to pay employees full rates of new jobs
for which they have qualified,” he said.
“They have tried in many cases to
keep workers a year or more at lower
pay before raising them to the estab-
lished rate.”.
Gives Transfer Details
The new UE-GE contract takes into
consideration the specific details of
transfers for both piece workers and
day workers. Jandreau urges employees
~to-becomeLamiliar” with” the” folie
steps which the company is required to
follow contractually.
When an employee is transferred to
a higher rated job group and qualifies
for it, he will veceive the established
rate for the job to which he is assigned.
Upgraded Employees
Employees who are upgraded on re-
lated jobs will receive a rate of not less
than two steps below the job rate and
will be moved up to the job rate in not
more than six months.
Piece workers transferred to higher
rated jobs or jobs of equal value will
be paid the Anticipated Earning Rate
of their previous job for three weeks
or their earnings on the new job,
whichever is higher,
Other Transfers
An hourly rated worker not. on. a
progression schedule who is permanent.
ly transferred to an unrelated day work
job of lower job value, where a learning
time is necessary, will be paid as a
starting rate 15 cents per hour. more.
than the hiring rate (the new starting
rate including the 1844 cent raise) for
an inexperienced employee hired for
that job, but not more than a rate two
steps below the job rate. Such employee
will be paid the job rate'as soon as he
performs the work on a normal basis,
Piece workers who are transferred to
new jobs through lack of work, where
a learning time is necessary, shall re-
ceive 10 cents per hour more than a
newly hired, inexperienced employee
(but not more than the Anticipated
Harning Rate of the job to which trans-
ferred) until his piece’ work earnings
are in excess of this figure,
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