Electrical Union News, 1953 July 31

Chicago—--Uh Local 2114 has ne-
eotlated Wage increases of ve to
16¢ nn hour in we new contract for
workers at the Baumbach Manu-
facturing Co, Added to last year’s
Ide inerense for the Baumbach
warkers, this brought the total
boosts in 2 years to frau; 240 to
nde an hour 7

5 a a G

Portland, Ore-—One of the big-
vest. locals of the International
Longshoremen’s and = Warehouse-
men's) Union, Local 8, voted Lo noe
tify the attorney-general that any
new attempts to deport ILWE”
President Harry Bridges would be
met by work stoppages “for an in-
‘definite period.” The Supreme
Court recently voided a deporta-
tion order against Bridges, bring:
ing to 5 the number of unsuecess-
ful corporation. efforts to. “get”
Bridges in the past 19 years. The
vovernment ditmediately announce:
-ed that they would start new: pro-
ceedings ‘awainst (he west) coast
union, leader. ,

kook O*

Philadelphia--UR Local 155 has”

von substintial, wage. inereases in

‘2 of its shops. Workers at Fox
Products wilk get howsts’ of 18e
plus fringe improvements, while
those in the Walter Lausterer Co,
phint will get dime boosts,

* xk oO

Cleveland — The CIO) rubher
workers: this) week. prepared: for
strike votes against (he Firestone
Rubber Co, plants. The decision to
(ake the ballots was made: after 3
weeks of “fruitless negotiations.”

* ad *

Dover, Ohio-—-Mumbers of Ur
Local 708 employed by the Gener
Telephone Co. ure getting Se to
tde more an-chour as the result of
bnew agreement won by the un-
on. Other improvements Were
made in night shift bonus and in
the pension plan.

x kK *

Newark, Nal-—UI Local 487 has
won increases for workers in 4
shops under contract with the un-
ion. Getting the 8e hourly boosts
were employees of William and
Steiner, William I Steiner Ca,
Best, Manufacturing Co. and Gen-
eral Brass Co.

k Ok

New York—Seven: hundred and
fifty ABL restaurant employees
returned to work after being lock+
ed out-for one day by 70 swank
New York cating placé
oul grew. oug.of a dispute over,
failure oof the nvangyements: to
make ayreed-ou contributions to a
pension fund.

a
EPO TL Gy

4 ® Friday, July 24, 1953

: KIDS TAKE OVER, UL Local 301 ‘hall beeame the

property of the youngsters last week as children
from New York gathered there. to meet with the

area families with whom-they were to spend vaca-"

tions sponsored by the New York Herald: Tribune

Fresh Air Fund. Pictured above is a view of. the

hall with the Scheneetady families at the left. and

the New York kids-at. the right. In. the pictures

on the ‘right: and below, ‘the. children are: shown
leaving the hall with their. hosts.

HOME SICIXNESS GONE, And don’t think that the
ice eream whieh the youngsters are pictured eating
(ower right) didwt help to make the kids feel
lots better about their new surroundings. The
refreshments were distributed. by Loeal 3801. A
Schenectady police officer comes in for close in-

spection-as he helps out in seeing the right kids |

hooked up with the right families (below),

SCHENECTADY. NEW YOR: ©

Friday, July:31, 1953

, See soy ' + ee

Cleveland — UN Local 735 has
uinouneed a complete vielory: in
its. four-week strike dywainst the
Picker X-Ray Co. plant here. Fea-
ture of, the settlement was.a te
hourly package-for all of Pickers
more than 400. employees, The
package, which includes wage
boosts of 8¢ to 18e an hour, elim-
inates all rates below common
labor in’ Pieker: The ‘strike had
completely. shut down the, Picker
plant. It followed a company at-
tempt to split the workers by fn
spiring a totally unsuccessful DUE
CIO raid.

* * *

lint, Mich—~Buick Loeal 599 of

the CLO. autoworkers voted last
week to strike: the General Motors
Co. plant here unless the company
immediately began. to bargain in
youd faith on a new - seniority
Oe ras 20 The old aceord expired

'] h July 20, and Buiek GM manage-

Ment has reftised lo discuss’ re-
newalof-the agreement and exten.
sion of protections against speed-
up and arbitrary layoffs and fir-
ings. As a result the Buick work-
ers voled for a strike by a margin
of 11,169 to 1,459.
rk

Peru, Ind.---Ul Local 905's unity
and militaney paid off this month
when the Square D Co. signed a
new contract with the union only
ny few hours before a strike dead-
line set by the membership. Not
only did the workers defeat all
company efforts. to weaken their
old UE contrict, but they also won
wage increases of 10e an hour, and
the. inclusion of 18¢ of the 2le
hourly cost-of-living boosts dn the
rac? rate structure. ‘

x k *

Washing—Hourly pay scales of

AFL construction workers rose by
2.66% between April 1oand July 1
aceording to figures released last
week. by the U.S. Department of
Labor,

kt kk OF

 \Detroit—UE Local 947 members

“ive ratified a new’ contract with
the -Electrie Repair Association
providing ‘the highest wages in the
industry for the more than 100

employees . of five independent,

motor repair shops. Skilled *work-
ers under the contract won wage
hoosts of 20¢ to 4¢44c¢ an hour
Class A mechanies: will now have
an hourly rate of $2.50, while out-
side trouble shooters will get $2.75,

.
Help at Mica!

AIL UE Loeal 301) members
who have relatives, friends and
neighbors working at the Mica
Insulator Co, can play import-
ant roles in helping UE to or-
wanize that plant.

These roles can be played first
-by talking to Mica workers and
telling them about hew our

-union works, and about® the
vains' seored by UE in GE; and
secondly by contacting — the
union hall. to find out whether
their Mica acquaintances have
signed UE cards or not.

If everyone does this, it will
assure an overwhelming UE
victory at Mica where the
workers are rallying under the
slogan, “Unity with 20,000 GE
workers in Scheneetady'’s larg-
est and strongest union.”

COL Reaches New High

As Food Prices Mount

Rising food costs lust week
pushed the BLS cost-of-living in-
dex toa new all-time high on June
US ‘uecording to figdres made pub-
lie last weeks. “8

Living costs rose 60 higher in
the anonth between May 16) and
dune 1h. This wus the 4th straight

“monthly increase. Leading the up-

ward advanee was a ld vise in
food prices to the consumer, ‘This

Shrought retail food proces 18.766

higher than the pre-Korenn war
averages: ' :

Biggest food price rise was for
fruits and vegetables, The produce
soured i667. Ments, fish and bak-
ery products also went up substan:
tially, Indications.are that the July
figure, Whieh will be announced in

otid-Nugust, will show oan even

sharper rise.

Mica Drive Gathers Steam
As Aug. 14 Election Nears

_ . UE's drive to organize Mica Insulator’ Co. employees _
gathered steam this week as the August 14 date set for a.

representation election at the

Union Demands Boosts
For inspectors in 46

Lucal 801 representatives met
with GE works management on
Tuesday to demand an. immediate
increase in classification and” rate

‘Yor a number of Building 46. in-

spection jobs, The meeting fol-
lowed the growth of a situation
which so angered the 46 worker
that they left their jobs,

The walkout, which began on
Mriday, ended only after manage-
ment ayereed to discuss the situa-
tion withthe union. Chief problem
tuken up by the meeting was the
refusal of 46 supervision to prop-
erly ussify oa number oof. in-
speclors,

These inspectors all were doing
jebs Which merited Boratings, but

aire classified only as © workers.

Comparable work. carries Bo clas-
sifleations inv aimany other shops in
the plant,

At the Tuesday meeting, the
company aureed to immediately
investigate the situation” and to
report back’ to the union within a
few days. Union representative:
warned that unless i satisfactory
solution was. reached quickly, the
workers involved, were likely to
wilk out again, Tt was pointed aut
that the demanded uprradings are
long overdue.

Ce)

AAS

CONGRATULATIONS, Robert Rider, 269, and Shop Steward Andrew
Hinura congratuhite cach other after winning a 20¢ boost and more
‘than $200 in back pay for Rider. See story on page 3+

Broadway plant drew nearer.

The election date was-set last week
by the National Labor Relations
Board’. in a conference with all
partics involved.

For the past 12 years, the 600
Miea workers have been saddled
with a company union. As a result,
the waves and working conditions
of the men and’ women in the shop
have fallen far behind those won
fur GI workers by the UL. For
eximple, many Mica employees
start at $1.00 an hour, and it tukes
them five full years to reach a job
vite of only $1.20;

In yeneral, the wages of Mica
workers average from 25¢ to oa
dollar an ‘hour Jess than the pay
of their GE ‘neighbors. This con-
dition constilites:a constant threat
to the conditions established at GE
in the past 20 ars of UE rep.
resentation. Because of this’ (hreat,
UL Loeal 3801 is giving full sup-.
port to the drive to organize Mica.

On the other hand, Mien man.
neoment is trying every desperate
maneuver in the book to keep UE
out of the shop, In this, the eom-
pany is being aided by. the 1Uh-
ClO, which, although it hag almost
No support in the shop, has been
engaged ina typieat! red-baiting
drive against the Ul. This) drive

_ follaws closely the pattern estab-

lished by TUM in its desperate at-
tempts to disrupt UE at the Sche-
neetady works. Crom 1949 to 191,
It appears certain that the answer
of the’ Mica workers will be the
same as that of the GM workers—-
overwhelming rejection of — the
IUE-CIO and oof its splitting
tictios,

Board Meets Monday

VE Local 00's executive board
will meet next Monday evening,
August 8, at 7:80 pm., while the
hext combined gathering of men-
hers and stewards is slated for
two weeks later, Monday, Aug. 17.

Both of these dates were set
under the curtailed summer sehed-
ule of meetings followed by the
loenl for aluly and August. Under
this program, the usually, separate.
membership and stewards’ meet-
ings are combined, while the bonrd
meetings are reduced fram two to
one nomonth, The local will resume
its regular schedule of meetings

in September,

McCarran Bill Would Scuttle
Safeguard of Bill of Rights

Sen, Pat McCarran, the Nevada Democrat who specializes
in bills to deprive Americans of their freedoms, has come up.
with a new proposal, this one openly designed to kill.one,of -

the precious safeguards of the
Bill of Rights.-. ,

“The new McCarran bill is, if pos-
sible, even more vicious thun the
McCarran thought contrel “law
which’ provides for the establish-
ment of concentration camps in the
Us, and the MeCarran-Walter
immigration law ‘which — treats
Itulians, [astern Europeans, “Ne-

groes, Jews and Asians as “in-,

fevior” peoples. It is aimed at nul-
lifving the fifth amendment of the
U.S. Constitution,

This amendment protects men
und women from testifying against
themselves, 1 has been an import-
ant safeguard for: persons called
before witch hunt committees, The

«fifth amendment 4s particularly
important because, not only does
it make it possible for-a mun or
woman to refuse to discuss per-
sonal political views, but it also
prevents the’ witch hunters fram
forcing people from informing on
friends and ussovittes.

Since “stool pigeons” anil ine
formers have always been weap-
ons af the big corporations. to ate
tuck unions, this proteetion is par-
ticularly vital to the labor. move-
ment. ClO, AFL and independent
unions have condemned the new
MeCarvan bill for this reason.

However, the bill has already
been passed by the Senate and is
now coming” up before the House,
Interestingly enough, up to this
point -there have been no public
hearings on the measure, and most
of the nation’s press has been
strangely silent ubout. it. Ap-
parently, the McCarran strategy is
to Gry and sneak it inte law before
the people ‘become sroused to the
danger of this latest attack on
freedom, i

Specifically the bill would pro
vide “immunity” from prosecution
to congressional witnesses, anc
thereby make it impossible for
them to invoke the filth. amend-
ment, However, no guarantees aie
provided that this immunity would
he of any value two: hours after
the end of the congressional hear-
ings.

Joint iH Meeting Set

UB’s International Harvester
conference board has accepted an
invitation to particpate in a joint
meeting of representatives of all
unions in the farm equipment
chain, Tentative date of the gath-
ering, proposed by an APL. Har-
vester local leader in Milwaukee,
is August 7,

2 © fiiday, July 31, 1953

Link ‘Deportation °
Try to Pact Talks.

The latest persecution attempt:
wgainst Mrs. Antonia Senter, wife |
of UE International Representa-
tive Bill Sentner, was linked this

‘month with union negotiations at

the Servel Corporation in Evans-
ville, Indiana, At the height of
these negotiations, now successful-
ly completed, the. government
issued a warrant for the arrest and
deportation of Mrs, Sentner,

UE District 8° President Don
Harris immediately charged that
the publicized issuance of the war-
rant during the Servel talks’ was
designed to provide the company
with an “ace-in-the-hole to under-'
mine the fight of the Servel
workers,” ‘

Mrs. Sentner, now 47 years old,
has been in this country since she
Was 8-She is the mother of 3 chil-
dren and 4 grandchildren, all born
in this country and American citi-

-2ense The government-has clamed

that Mrs. Sentner was a Com-
munist Party member in 1935,

PAT McCARRAN,: The Nevada

witch hunter whose latest attack

on American democracy is de-
“seribed on this page.

New NLRB Ruling

A recent ruling of the National

Labor Relations Board held that w

union which wins a representation
election must immediately be
given bargaining rights, and that
a long-term contract can not. be
used as un excuse.to keep another
union in, 6
The decision, first of its kind
ever made by the NLRB, ranted
the AIL pattern makers bargain-
ing. rights for workers previously
represented by the CIO autowork-

301 Women Meet

To Hear..of Gains

Women members of Local 301
met lust night as the UID national
women’s fight:bore important fruit
in 2 large Ohio, shops: The meeting,

‘of the Schenectady women, the 4tk

in a monthly series, was held too

late to be reported in this: week's

EU News, but: will be covered next
week, . a Sen :

Meanwhile, the union could boast
long strides’ toward eliminating
sex at the Master
Eleétrie Co. plant in Dayton and
the Picker X-Ray" Co. shop “in
Cleveland, —

discrimination

At Master, a new contract com-
pletely eliminates all women’s dif:
ferentials on jobs not restricted by
the state luws, In order to aceom-
plish this, management was forced
to grant special pay boosts of.4c¢
to 7e an hour to women workers.
These increases came on top of Be
to 15¢ hikes negotiated in a new
contract with’ UE Local 754.

The Picker victory was scored us
part of a settlement of a. 4-week
strike by UE Local 735. Chief fea-
ture of the settlement for women

workers was the elimination of ay

rates below that. of common labo

aan MAA ir itt edatreh ok

Bldg. 52: Supervision has cut
the standard prices of work on
the drill press operated by A, Col-
andra, This. is a clear violation of
the union contract, and the union
demands that management | in-
vestigate und properly adjust the
prices, »

Bldg. 53: Roger De Filippo is
classified as an electro-plater with
arate of $1.78. For the past
two years, he has been preparing
dip tank. solutions, The union. de-
mands that he be reclassified as
a solution specialist with proper
rite adjustment. .

Bldg. 69: Sophie Wasniewski
has.a G test. classification. She is
testing size three magnetic
switches. These switches are
heavy, and in order for the com-
plainant to keep up with the line-
throughout the day, she must lift
them. continuously, The union de-

‘mands that this job be given to

a man, and that the complainant
be given another G test job,

Bldg. 73: Group under Fore-
man Gerling is entitled to pay-
ment, of 11 hours. for doing the «
work of material moveman and
another 11 hours for performing
the work of material handlers dur-
ing a two-week period. At. present,
there is only one ‘material Kandler |
in this. wroup and he has far more
work. thin he can ‘possibly de, so
that the workers in the group have

Thousands’ of grievances are handled by UE Local 301
each year at all levels from the steward up to final appeal
in New York City. To keep members posted, we shall
rach week list some of the grievances that have not been
settled at the steward-foreman level and have been re-
ferred to the executive board-management lenel

to move and handle their own
materials. The union demands pay-
ment of the 22 hours and the ad-
dition. of a second material handler
to the group.

" Bldg. 268: Winslow Klopot has
been reportingy to workeat 6:80
aam., 80° minutes before his repu-
lar shift begins, for approximately
one yer He has been receiving
time and one-half for the halt
hour, but under contract article
V-8, he has been und is entitled
to double time, The union de-
mands payment of the additional
money due to this worker retro-
active to the date on which he
began to work ‘early.

Workers in test area do not
have enough space to move around
without constantly bumping into
trays of work piled up all around
them. Tubes are piled up in trays

ELECTRICAL UNION NEWS

UNITED ELECTRICAL, RADIO’ & MACHINE
WORKERS OF AMERICA (UE}

Local 301

Published by the Editorlal Committeo
Prosidont......e-----.-James J, Cognetta
Vico Prasidant. oS

Business Agent-............loo Jandroav
301 LIBERTY ST. SCHENECTADY 5, N, Y.

under henches restricting leg roam
severely, Finally, the heat in the
area is excessive because of poor
air circulation, The union demands
immediate. management action to
improve these sub-standard work-
ing conditions.

Bldg. 285: D. Plage was laid off
becuuse of lack of work on 6426,
During his week’s notice time, he
spent about 12 hours looking for
work elsewhere in the plant. Fore-
mun Hollenbeck has refused pay-
ment for this time. This is a clear
violation of contract. article XI-6
under which a worker is entitled

to look for comparable work in’
“the plant without loss of earnings.

The. union demands immediate
payment for these 12 hours.

Group of wiremen working un-

der Foreman Ritchie protest a new

departure, under which supervision »
wlows only 80 minutes for going
back and completing a job re-
vgardless of how many sections ane.
involved. When a job is bei
worked on the floor, more thas
one wireman becomes involved in
the different sections, and the half
hour allowance is then completely
inadequate. The union demands
‘that supervision allow” one-half
hour to-every -operator- on: every
section which is priced as an in-
dividual job, a procedure which
had been standard practice for the
past five years,

ELECTRICAL UNION NEWS

“Injury Awards Make
family farm‘in Calabria.

a laborer: ‘

window ‘in 1951,

would have been |

Dream Come True

On August 17, Christopher Di Frango! will realize a 42-year-
old dream—thaniks to the. UE Local 301. free compensation service.
On‘that day, the former: Schenectady’ GE worker’ will “board’‘a

‘ship to return to his native Italy and settle down on a small

Di Frango’s: return. is. possible only beeause the union’s free
compensation service has won him’ $13,368 in compensation awards
for three injuries: sustained in his-work in thé“Peek Street plant :
and ‘in Building 89. The first of these .injuries was suffered in
1947, when the worker strained his: back while doing his. job as

Another back injury was suffered. in 1948, a third injury, this
one to. the right shoulder, resulted from being ‘hit by a falling:

Di Frango, long a UE member, took his problem to his union
‘and immediately was given free legal ‘service to gain the fullest
possible coinpensation for his injuries. As a result, he received
$2,995 in a scheduled award for a 30% disability to his shoulder;
$3,373 to make up for time lost on his job, and a $7,000 lump.
sum payment for permanent injuries. :
This money will enable the 59-year-old widower to return to
Htaly and spend his declining Years on a farm which otherwise
just a fond memory from his youth,

| Westinghouse Workers Beat

Philadelphia Sellout Attempt
Westinghouse workers in the big Essington plant near

. Philadelphia last. week thwarted the efforts of a small clique
to turn the union cver to IUE-CIO. Francis Bradley, who had

led the sellout effort, was forced
to resign as. business agent of
Local 107. , ,

More than “1,000: workers » jam-
med the meeting hall, to crush the
}eession move sind to vote over

“whelming confidence in UE. This

was done by ratifying the new UI-

Westinghouse contract — almost

unanimously, So obvious was the
joyalty of the members to UE, that
the IVE-CIO agents didn’t even
dare bring up their secessionist
proposals, and Bradley faced no
get out or be
kicked out by ‘the ‘irate workers.
Leading the fight for UE wis
Director of Organization James
Matles and Local 107 President
dohn Monaghan, . ;
Thus, for the second time in
recent weeks an attempt to split
Westinghouse workers away from
Uls failed. Previously, a similar
move had been made by the then
president of Local 426, in Newark,
Marty Veneri. Veneri held an jil-
luzal secessionist meeting at which
ull CE people were barred, and
then announced that the local had
awitched .alfiliation. ;
However, in an emergency legal
alt meeting held the following
3 caht the Westinghouse workers
Pledged their continued loyalty to
UN and ousted Veneri, whose sell-
out had been prompted by a $20,-
O00-a-yenr political job.

choice except to

Attempts» by -the-FUB-G10 =-to:

‘aid both shops are expected, and
the Westinghouse workers are pre-
paring to repulse them. °

ELECTRICAL , UNION NEWS

Beer Workers Settle

A settlement of the 11-week ClO
brewery workers’ strike in. Milwau-
kee was reached this’ week with

_the workers ‘winning wage boosts
of 20¢ an hour. ;

The strike had tied up beer pro-
duction at the Blatz, Miller, Pabst,
Schlitz and Gettelman breweries

*. ment

Two Men Win 20c I costs;
In Bldg. 269 Grievances

Two Building 269 workers have received wage boosts of

‘20c an hour and retroactive pay checks amounting to about

$200 each as the result of -grievances filed by Local 301.

Unemployment Office
Misinforms. Workers

Local 801 has been infornted
that the Schenectady ‘unemploy-
insurance office has been
telling worker's who are out of
work because of plant vacation
shutdowns, but who do not have
enough service for vacation puay-

ments, that they are ineligible to

receive unemployment compensa-
tion becuuse of the UE-GE con-
tract. .

This is-a completely false state-
ment, The ‘only reason,.that’ these
workers are-not getting unemploy-
ment benefits is that the courts
have ruled that such workers. werd
ineligible. ;

-This union, ‘along with many
other unions in New, York. State,
is appealing this «decision and -ad-
vises all people who might be af-
fected to apply:for henefits pend-
ing the’ disposition af “the appeal.

which together turn. out .15

the nation’s beer.The strikers had

been demanding a -35-hour week
With no loss in ‘pay and a 25¢
hourly, wage hike. Insurance and
health improvements were alsa
secured,

PRESENT PRESPERITY RESTS ON A FIRM FOUNDATION

OF GNSUMER PURCHASING Power’

BUSINESS
REPORT

» Management agreed to pay the

two workers Robert Rider and
Robert Kynick, -both on second
shift, rates of $1.64 an hour- in-
stead of the $1.44 they had been
making. Their classifications have
been changed from . assembling
Hlystron and trigatron tubes to
“brazing | furnace-helium. . atmo-
sphere klystron and © trigatron
tubes.” ;

The increases were won only
after supervision had long refused
to move on the dockets, Retro-
active payments went back ‘to the
date of hiring of the two men,
March 4 for Rider, who came to”
GE. after completing army serv-
ice, and April 27 for Kyniek, © |

Chief union argument in -the
‘use Was the fact that on first
shift, the same job: had the higheis -
classification and rate, Supervision
attempted to use minor job ‘dif-

ferences to justify the-huge dif-

ferential,

However; Shop Steward Andrew”
Lima and the union office showed
minagement that the difference.
inv rate’ was on plain case of diss
crimination,

NLRB Orders Vote
At Louisville GE

An election to determine the
union to represent workers at the®
Louisville Gl plant has been or-

-dered by the National Labor Re-

lations Board. The vote will be
scheduled within the next month.

UE has been engaged in a long
sunpaizn to organize the Louisville
plant. This drive has been making:
progress despite heavy odds. GE
has been doing everything pos
sible to prevent organization of
the Louisville GI plant including
sureful screening of job applicants
for any past union affiliations, The
company has also spent millions of
dollars inva campaign .to frighten
the workers into voting “no union.”

However, UT’s organizers have
been assisted in their efforts by
4,500 union members at the Louis-
ville International Harvester plant,

oas well as by GE workers through-

out the chain. Recently Local 804
Chief Shop Steward William Mas-
triani went to Louisville to talk
with GI workers. and tell them of
the gains scored by UE in Schenee- ©
tady. :
There are
workers in

1,000
plant.

how | abouut
the Louisville

“This toree is expected: to grow to

more’ than 15,000, when. all GI
major appliance work fs concen-
trated In the Kentucky works.

Friday, July 31, 1953 ®