January 23, 1948
4 ELECTRICAL UNION NEWS
301 Committees
Named for 1948
New Year Commenced with Prices Still Rising
As Republicans and Truman Stall on Problem
There's no relief in sight from high prices.
THE VOICE OF LOCAL 301. - - + U. E.R. & MW. A.
Appointment of the following stand-
ing committees was approved by the
combined meeting” of--the--membership-
and the Stewards’ Council Tuesday’
night, on recommendation of the Exeeu-
tive Board.
Constitution Committee: Frank Ems-
pak, Bldg. 46; George Walker, 73; Ed-
ward Wallingford, 60; Roy Lash, 60, and
Anthony Campriello, 52. © .
Grievance Committee: President An-
drew Peterson, Chief Shop Steward Wil-
liam Mastriani, Recording Secretary
Helen Quirini; Buiness Agent Leo Jan- ,
dreau or an assistant, and the Board
er, Bidgs. 85-109; Marie Sweeney, 59;
Gordon Belgrave, 17; Vincent Iovinella,
10; Sadie Iovinella, 89; Mr. and Mrs.
Lanson Cole, 89; E. J. LaBombard, Jr.,
97; Joseph Scardino, 28; Manuel Fern-
andez, 269;-Stanley Bishop, 69; Anthony
Villano, 87; James Cognetta, 52; Samuel
Scott, 285; Helen Nichols, 269; Belle
Baxter, 14; William Mastriani, 73; Helen
Quirini, 81, and George Judway, 18.
» Finance Committee: Treasurer Mar-
shall White, Bldg. 18; Albert Davis, 10;
Edmund Tanski, 40, and William Downs,
15, trustees.
Editorial Committee: Victor Pasche,
William Templeton, Bldg. 11; Mary. Me-
Cartin, 28; William. Landau, 81, and
Clayton Pudney, 273,
House Committee: Sidney Friedland-
er, Bldg. 17; Michael Tedisco, 17; Alfred
J. Pelrah, 64; Henry Busse, 68, and
Joseph Hils, 89.
-PAC-Legislative Committee: Officers—
with authority to enlarge.
Food Committee: James ‘Cognetta,
Bldg. 52; Henry Busse, 68; Albert Davis,
10, and Helen Nichols, 269.
Transportation Committee: Andrew
Peterson, Bldg. 52; Anthony Villano, 37;
Mary McCartin, 28, and Willard Kuschel,
. 46.
Install Officers Next Month
Because of the full agenda at the 301
membership meeting Tuesday night, in-
stallation of officers and Executive
Board members was postponed until
Feb, 17.
Activities Committee
Edward J. La Bombard, Jx,, secretary
of the old Activities Committee, has call-
ed a meeting of the new committee for 8
p.m. Monday at the union hall.
The U. S. Commissioner of Labor
Statistics admitted that 1947 ended with
retail prices still rising “and no indication of a break”. He predicted that “con-
sumer prices will’goeven-higher” —-———
Both the Truman Administration _and
the Republican party let the special ses-
sion. of Congress end without seriously
tackling the high cost of living. The .
phony Republican “price” bill which
President Truman finally signed gives
freet rein to monopolies that are re-
sponsible for today’s high prices, The
preat corporations can now get together
to “share” serfce materials without fear
of an anti-trust action. ;
Both Democrats and Republicans have
_introdneed. some.new_bills_since Congress
returned’ this month, but there’s no sign
that the session will produce any real
price control.
Truman Program
In November President Truman pro-
posed a 10-point “anti-inflation” pro-
gram which would give him power to
freeze wages and would allow “selective
controls” to be applied to prices in the
future. It didn’t call for a price roll-
back or for taxing excess profits of Big
Business. .
The conservative financial writer, d.
A. Livingston, whose syndicated articles
appear in the Schenectady Union-Star,
said recently that “you can now write -
off” the president's programas “Mr.
Truman’s own team laid it low.”
Livingston pointed out that Mr. ‘Tru-
man himself last fall told a press con-
ference that price control was, a “police-
-state” tactic.
:“¥et only four weeks later he was to
risk Congress for authority to impose
price controls if necessary,” Livingston
said.
“Assumably in the interim, the Presi-
---tlont-bought -a--bill_of goods-from_som
one, But apparently he wasn’t sold.
And apparently he didn’t sell the men
who had to sell Congress. The president
himself didn’t work fox it.”
NAM Program
The National Association of Manufac-
turers claims that prices are high be-
cause people have too much money. The
NAM wants workers to produce’ more
goods without getting more money. This
plan calls for speed-up, abolishing the
40 hour week and abolishing overtime.
pay. Then presto, prices. will come
down, according to NAM. ‘
During the war, under. President
$74 SERS
AED TRV 2h
Vanesboress
. Roosevelt, the American people saw
OPA keep prices down in spite of knif-
ing by the NAM and its representatives
in Congress. The record of -price con-
trol and the reasons OPA was killed
will be. discused in the next two issues
of EU News.
GE Efficency
Frozen Stiff ~
Heating was restored in the front
part of Bldg. 17-A Tuesday, but here’s
the record before it happened:
Complaint was made to, the works
management Jan, 2 that the ceiling heat-
ing unit had. broken down. The spot is
cold and near a door which opens fre-
quently, On Jan. 5 the company said.
the armature was burned out, but they
would try to install a new motor, On
Jan. 14 there still was no heat. It seems
the armature on the motor had to be
rewound. The men began to think there Q
was nothing to do but go home. The
case was taken up with A. CG. Stevens, —
assistant to Louis Male, general superin-
tendent, and then with Male himself.
The lapsed time between the complaint
and the repair was 18 days. ..The num-..
ber of cold waves was not counted.
SCHENECTADY, NEW YORK
January 30, 1948
Ferri and Helen Quirini.
fl.
wr
ouri- GE
Meet the Loca! 301 girls’ basketball team. Left to right, Jennie Tescione, Antoinette
“Tony” Nebolini, Helen Porter, Rose Mary Budka, Marge Bohringer, Captain
“Bonnie” Evans Avery (1947 field day queen of Local $01), Betty Purcell, Mary
Wanted — New Quarters.
For Local 30! Food Center
No place has been found yet to move
the Local 301 Food.Center which can
of weeks more.
Once more, the Food Committee has
asked union members to suggest build-
ings to rent, It’s a crisis!
Last weéele union members bought $8,-
482.91 worth at. the Center; $2,056.04
Thursday; $3,812.01 Friday and $2,614.86
Saturday. Hours are 8 am. to 6 p.m
Thursday; 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and 9
aa, to-6 p.m, Saturday.
To Collect for Polio
Envelopes for donations to the March
of Dimes polio drive will be handed to
Ixecutive Board members at their meet-
ing Monday night. Board members will
ive the envelopes to shop atewarda for
collections in the plant, The deadline tor
the denationa iv Feb. 10.
~~ Say at’ 1027 State Sto for “only-a couple”
Washington's Birthday
Schedule Announced
_.. .. management. has. notified the
union that in observing Washing-
ton’s Birthday, Feb. 22, which is
not a paid holiday, the Works will
be shut down on Monday, Feb. 23,
and up to the beginning of the first
shift Tuesday, Feb. 24. There will
be only a few exceptions.
The third shift will come in at
midnight Tuesday, Feb. 24, except
that where there is a 6-day op-
eration on the third shift, the men
will come in Sunday night as us-
ual, because of the fact that Sun-
day is the sixth day for the third
shift,
UE contract proposals for 1948
ask that Washington’s Birthday
and Klection Day be added to the
lit of paid holidays at @B plants.
Procedure
z s .
In. Injury Cases
ios ° :
Investigated
As a result of complaints made by Lo-
cal 301, state authorities have found cer-
tain irregularities in the General Electric
Company’s practices in connection with
Workmen’s Compensation.
Mary TH. Donlon, chairman of the
—State—Weork men’s Compensation Buard,
recently thanked Business Agent Leo
Jandreau for bringing the GE conditions
to her attention. A state check-up show-
ed irregularities at GE and at. other
large plants in the Capital District, she
told Jandreau. She ordered the investi-
gation after Jandreau and Michel Per-
lin, 801 attorney, conferred with her in
New York City several weeks ago.
Waivers Not Signed |
The. state investigators found that the
GE Medical Bureau at Schenectady has
not asked injured workers to sign waiv-
ers of their right to choose their own
physicians, before sending them for
treatment to doctors selected by the
company.
Such waivers are required by the
Workmen’s Compensation Law _ before
a worker agrees to be treated by a doc-
tor chosen by the company. At any
time a worker may insist on having his
own personal physician treat him.
Not Posting Enough Notices
Certain forms informing workers of
their rights under the Workmen’s Com-
pensation Law have not been posted in
enough places in the. plant or with
enough prominence, the investigators
discovered. Workmen’s Compensation
notices have been posted at the gate-
house, the infirmary and the compensa-—
tion office, but the major buildings have
not been covered adequately.
As a result of the union’s report to
the state and the state investigation, GE
workers should be more aware of their
rights under the Workmen’s Compensa-
tion Law from now on, and the procedure
at GE should be tightened.
Stewards to Meet
The Shop Stewards Counail will meet
at 7:30 pan, Tuesday at 801 Hall =~
eee
HPAES
ROS
sen i a
2
ELECTRICAL UNION “NEWS
January 30, 1948
$546 Collection
For Joseph Giello
A contribution of $546 from his fel-
low-workers in the Punching, Tool &
Adam Boss Makes Plans
To Open Own Business
After four years as Local 801 book-
keeper, Adam Boss has resigned because
he plans to open a business of his own.
The resignation will not take effect yet.
-oo- Die division (Bldgs--15, 17, and-19)- was
tuken Tuesday to Joseph Giello at Ellis
Hospital by a committee of 801 mem-
bers. -Giello lost his right forearm in a
punch press in Bldg. 17 on the third
shift, Jan. 16,
Board Member Michael Tedisco, Stew-
ard James Mangino, Jessie Gregory, and
Michael Peceri, took’ up the collection.
‘Office and supervisory employees. joined
in giving. .
The unicn’s complaint that piece price:
conditions and cluttered-up space around
however, as he is staying in the office
to help break in his successor, -Emil
Radosevich.
The Executive
Board and Business
Agent Leo Jandreau
have thanked Adam
for the “outstanding
job” he performed
in his four years’
service.
For helping or-
ganize the United
arare cramer eT
the- machine were.responsible for the Office and Profes-
accident was discussed with the company
labor relations department at length
last week.
Frank Schaa{f, of the works manager’s -
office, contended there was no negli-
gence, and he: found nothing new that
could be done to avoid a repetition other
than to insist that operators never put
their hands in presses. He said that the
‘eompany would: check all the evidence
produced by the union to see if any ad-
ditional safety measures could be taken.
Several men from the department told
Schaaff that punch press operators in
the group quite frequently put their
hands in presses when something went
wrong, and that on the particular job
on which the accident occurred, it was
impossible to “make out” without tak-
ing risks. They complained of the fore-
man’s attitude on their difficulties. One
man testified that both sides of the
punch press were -blocked by loads of
‘sheet. iron when the accident occurred,
- and that he was ordered by his fore-
man to move the loads because super.
vision was going to take pictures.
One die-setter with long operating ex-
perience said that “you have to take
crazy chances to make a dollar,” and
that if the men followed all the safety
rules, they would not make $3 a day.
ELECTRICAL UNION NEWS
Unirep Exectricat, Rapio & MacHINE
Worrers or Amrrica, CIO
Scuenectany GE Loaar 301
<>
Published by the Editorial! Committee
William Templeton, Chairman
Mary McCartin, Secretary
William Landau Victor Pasche
Clayton: Pudney
Editorial Office - Electrical Union News
301 Liberty St. - Schenectady, N. Y.
Telephone 3-1386
\ gclenen SCHENECTADY PRINTING GO. ING. meee!
,
sional Workers of.
America, he was
fired by the Metro-
politan Life’ Insur-
ance. Co. in 1938.
His State Labor Relations Board case
resulted in payment of back pay, In
1940 he became a UE organizer, assign-
ed to Revere Copper and Brass at Rome
and to the GE plant at Elmira. In 1941
» he obtained a job in the transmitter de-
partment at Schenectady GE and took a
leave of absence in 1944 for his 301
work.
Adam Boss
Volunteers Asked
For Blood Donations
A number of 801 members, with ob-
ligations to repay blood donations at
Ellis Hospital, have requested the union
to ask fellow members to volunteer as
blood donors. In the past, union mem-
bers have answered many emergency
calls.
of members who owe blood payments to
the hospital. Volunteers are- needed im-
mediately to repay the hospital blood
bank for transfusions given a long-time
member who was operated on during the
strike. He is being pressed to repay
the blood bank. Volunteers should con-
tact the union office.
To Address Pensioners
A speaker from the Social Security of-
fice will address the UE-CIO 301 Pen-
sion Organization at 2 p.m. Wednesday
at 301 Hall.
. GE Contract Sessions
. Contract negotiations with GE are ex-
pected to start during February in New
York City. ,
The ution “office is ‘collecting a list’
Local GE Directed
To Apply Step Rates
The national GE management has giv-
en instructions to the local works man-
agement to apply the step rate plan,
__which increased_a_number__oftiming__.
rates, to tables, in accordance with the
recent settlement of that dispute.
‘James W. Burnison told the local man-
agement that it should “take immediate
steps to change all existing piece rate
tables” to reflect the step rates, and price
all new jobs on the new tables, leaving
existing prices on record unchanged.
The adjustment will apply also .to
prices on new work set by comparison,
when the comparison was with old. pric-
es set from time study, but not when
they were set otherwise, if the earnings
are satisfactory,
Capital District CIO Leaves
Action on Wallace to Locals
The Capital District CIO Couneil vot-
ed unanimously at Amsterdam Jan. 22
to take no stand on the presidential can-
didacy of Henry A. Wallace on a third
party ticket, because of “an honest dif-
ference of opinion” in the CIO. The
delegates decided that any action should
be left to the locals affiliated with the
Council, but that there should be* full
and free discussion of the issue at Coun-
cil meetings.
Union Publicity
An appropriation for a public rela-
tions campaign in connection with the
1948 contract negotiations with GE was
voted by the Local 801 membership
meeting Jan, 20,.on recommendation of
the Executive Board.
on
O 9
~~ Center'sy even al we losy to” the “supers
Third Week *
Of Vacation
The UE-GE contract provides
that if a man is entitled to three
weeks vacation, the third week
must be scheduled immediately be-
fore.or after the annual shut-down,
if there is a shut-down in his de-
partment,
A. C. Stevens recently notified
the union office that a worker had
asked if he could take his third
week now, instead of in the sum-
mer. Stevens said the arrange-
ment would be all right with him,
if the union didn’t object. The un-
ion office said it would approve
any such arrangement satisfactory
to the worker involved. : 2
January 30, 1948
ELECTRICAL UNION NEWS
3
Food Center Report
Appreved by Local
Members.of Local 801 using the un-
jon’s Food Center are saving from $2
bership meeting Jan. 20.
The report, which was read by James
Cognetta, chairman, pointed out. two
other results of the three months’ oper-
ations.
The existence of the Food Center has
tended to bring prices down in: the city
generally, “because the super-markets
have been watching their prices in com-
parison with ours.” In some cases they
have featured items for sale at prices
as low or even lower than the Food
markets.
Lesson in Profits
_ The Center is showing the union mem-
bers what-can be done by cutting out
middlemen’s profits.
“Let's remember that we are mainly
saving the retail profit and that the
main remedy for high prices is ‘to elim-
inate the exhorbitant profits of the food
concerns, the big canners and packers”,
the report said. “The main lesson to
draw is the need for political action to’
restore price control.”
The report mentioned the problem
small storekeepers have competing with .
chains and super-markets and empha-
sized that the union sympathizes with
the smal! dealers and wants to cooperate
with them. The union’s group buying cuts
chiefly into the business of the super-
markets, the report pointed out.
Substitute for Super-Markets
“Members come to shop at the Food
Center as..a. substitute. for..the weekend ._.
shopping at the super-markets, and not
in place of the occasional purchases at
the neighborhood grocery. In fact, many
members have increased their purchases
from neighborhood stores, because the
Food Center-does not carry everything a
super-market does, and therefore mem-
bers will do their week’s shopping at the
Food Center and supplement it at the
neighborhood store,”
- The Food Committee plans to write a
cireular to the small storekeepers of ©
Schenectady explaining the union’s posi-
tion and inviting consultation with them
on the problem of high food costs.
The committee reported that efforts
have been made by some chains and sup-
er-markets “to enforce a boycott against
us by threatening wholesalers with logs
of thelr trade if they sold: to us.”
The report emphasized that the Food
Members of Local 301 Staff —
Standing,
Jeft_to right,
7
Victor Pasche *
and
William Kelly,
reappointed
ag assistants
to
Business Agent
Leo Jandreau
at. the
Jan. 20
membership
meeting.
Seated,
bookkeeper,
and
Michel Perlin, -
full-time 301
attorney
formerly with’ _
the UE District
3 office
Center is “not a store”, but is simply a
way of “using the facilities of the union
for group buying for union member-
ship.”
The Center is operated to run at neith-
er a profit or a loss. Prices are set just
high enough to cover the cost of the
merchandise plus the necessary expens-
es. Goods are handled only if they rep-
resent a substantial saving to the mem-
bers.
_ About 2,500 families of Local 301 _
“members are using the Food Center.
“Let’s continue’ to save what we can
through. the Fodd Center,” the report
ended, “But let's concentrate on fight-
_ing for lower prices by political action,
and higher wages through effective col-
lective bargaining.”
The report was approved by the mem-
bership committee,
301 Attorney's Hours
Michel Perlin, 301 attorney, has
moved his office from the UE Dis-
trict 3 headquarters to 301 Hall.
He is available for consultation
from 2 pm. to 5 p.m. Mondays
through Fridays, and at other
times by appointment.
Grievance Case Filed
On Veteran's Service
The union is fighting for the right of
a Navy veteran, Charles L. Chase of
Bldg. 46, to an unbroken service record
with GE. Although he applied for work
three times at the Schenectady plant
and three times at the Fort Edward
plant during the 90 days after his dis-
charge from military service, manage-
ment broke. his service record on the
grounds he “didn’t try very hard” to get
back. oe “
After working here three years, Chase
left on military leave in 1944 and was
discharged from the Navy June 1, 1946,
GE ‘finally rehired him Oct. 30, 1947, but
broke his service, Frank Schaaff of the
labor relations staff and George B.
Woods of the personnel office admitted
to a union committee that Chase had
applied for work within the 90 day limit.
However, they insist he should have
kept returning. :
As Chase lives in.Glens Falls each of
his three trips to Schenectady cost him
several dollars bus fare.
The union will take up the case at the
Howell level. os
MAKE YOUR SHOP 100% UE -
4
“BLECTRICAL UNION NEWS
January 30, 1948
More 301 Shop Stewards Take Their Oath of Office
George Walker, 301 guide, administering
the oath of office to
if xt A SS eet iby:
Springer, 28; William Huiskes, 28; Armand De Lorenzo, 10C;
a group of newly elected shop stewards, including Sidney jimer Miller, 60; David Cornell, 61; Charles Ruff, 49 Patrol;
Friedlander, Bldg. 17; Peter Strock, 59; Jack Reiner, 50; John.
Maietta,.60; Ethel Halterman, 69; Helen Pisano, 60; Joseph
De Cerbo, 60; May Law, 28; Ross Lighthall, 46; Marvin
Harold Simpson, 28;
Warren Bonesteel, 50, and Leo Petre, 50.
George Benoit, 49; Edmund Paska, 93;
United States Had Effective Price Control During War,
Here’s a Step-by-Step Reminder of How It Was Killed
(This article is summarized from an analysis by Russ Nixon, UE Washington
representative.) .
As far back as last August, wholesale prices in general were 105 per cent
higher than at the outbreak of the war. Wholesale food prices were 157 per cent
higher and wholesale meat prices, 218 per cent higher than at the start of the
war. They have been climbing ever since.
Contrast these figures with price con-
trol days. Despite the fact that the Na-
tional Association of Manufacturers and
its representatives in Congress ‘succeed~-
ed in weakening and finally scuttling
price control, the record of OPA shows
that it DID keep living costs down.
Without effective price control: .
August 1989 to May 1948 (45 months)
—wholesale prices rose 89 per cent.
With effective price control:
May 1943 (Roosevelt’s Hold-the-Line
Order) to February 1946 (when Truman
began decontrol) 34 months—wholesale
prices rose 8 per cent.
Without price control:
February 1946 to August 1947 (18
months)—-wholesale index rose another
42 per cent.
This history shows why Big business
wanted OPA killed, The profit rate for
the first half of 1947 was 80 per cent
above 1941-1945 after taxes, and 830
per cent above. 1936-1989.
Triple Play
Price control was killed by a triple
play of Big Businesa, aided by both |
paxties and the Truman Administration.
1. The NAM and the Republican
Party spearheaded a propaganda drive
to abolish OPA. Big Business backed
this drive by plant shut-downs in the
winter of 1945-1946 to create artificial
shortages and to throw the blame for
scarcity and high prices on labor. The
General Electric Company and other
corporations -picked this:time fora show-
down with unions, and forced strikes
rather than grant pay raises. They were
practically insured against financial
loss by the “carry-back provisions” of
the tax law.
2. The Truman Administration made
a determined effort “to beat the Repub-
Heans to the punch” in removal of war-
time controls. ;
3. Both parties supported a drive in
Congress to strangle OPA through crip-
pling amendments and withholding
funds.
NAM Campaign
The NAM fought price control from
the very start. It claimed that volun-
tary controls would be enough,—the
same argument you hear today. It was
responsible. for delaying general price”
‘eeilings till wholesale prices had risen
88 per cont. Tt inated on wage freez-
301 Member Loses -
His Home in Fire
A fire Jan. 20 destroyed the home and
household belongings of Charles A. Lat-
tereau, a 801 member who is a second
shift erane follower in Bldg. 60. He has
five children, from one year to seven
years old. :
Several stewards have started collect-
ing contributions for the family. Dona-
tions can be made at the union office
also,
Death of Mrs. Bartholomew
Mrs. Cora Bartholomew, 36, of Esper-’
ance died: at Ellis"Hospital Monday. A,
member of Local 301, she was a stock
room worker on the second floor of Bldg.
69, It is the belief of her family that
her death was the result of an injury
suffered at work last summer. The un-
ion is investigating.
ing and on setting ceilings to guarantee
prewar profit margins, —
With the end of the war, the NAM
turned on the full heat to kill price con-
trol. Over three million dollars were
spent on advertisements like this:
“Remove price controls on manufac-
tured goods and production will step up
fast. ,
“This is the way you can get the goods
you want at ‘prices you can afford. to
pay.” E
Next week’s EU News will describe
further atepa in the Iilling of price con-
trol,
‘ages and GE Prices
Who's Fishting Inflation? —
Facts versus Mr. Boulware’s Line
"General Electric Leads in Price Cuts” was Mr. Boulware's New Year headline.
What are the facts behind that announcement? They need to be examined—par-
New Tune — Old Song
lets THIN ae THE POOR PEOPLE
‘ ELEY
SION SETS "Boy,
high prices, that the way for worke
(Do you remember that other NAM theme song of 1946 — remove price controls and
prices will come down?) —
~The record of GE's price policy does tell a story about wages, prices and inflation.
Let's get the real facts:
; __Last in Wages, First in Prices
‘On April 28, 1947, GE, last major company to
ticularly since only three days after Mr. Boulware published a page* of congratulations
to GE, a federal grand jury in Los Angeles accused
General Electric, Westinghouse, and eight other
companies of a conspiracy to keep prices HIGH on
electrical equipment sold to public utilities. And
prices to public utilities go directly into ou
living—we all use light and gas.
Wilson's Vice-President Speaks
Mr. Boulware is Charlie Wilson's new vice-
president in charge of labor relations. His ‘'price
cuts'' ‘publicity bluntly asked GE workers not only to
forego any further pay increase demands," but even
to "help us save at least 5%"' on labor costs. All this
“‘supposedly to ''stop inflation,’' for the good of all."
The "price cut'' announcement is intended to
back up the National Association of Manufacturers’
theme song—that wage increases are responsible for
rs to live better is to work harder and get paid less.
Leading - Where?
settle on the UE's |5-cent “package” increase, was
the first to push inflation by announcing a 6 to |7 per-
cent price rise on all products. Thé union said this
was unnecessary. Evidently GE's competitors thought
so too. They did not follow suit until some months later.
GE's announcement on December 12 that its
‘current contracts allow price increases up to 20%
on generators, turbines, and other. heavy electrical
goods got very little newspaper space. Its 12 percent
rise on radio tubes the same month was not given to
the press at all. It leaked out later.
For all 1947, even without the two increases, GE
admits an increase of 20 percent in prices (New York
Herald Tribune, December 22, 1947).
GE LENDS
SOME Way to do it And the result for GE—an all-time record profit
of $75,000,000—20.8 percent on investment.
\NFLATION, So now we have an average 5% reduction.on
CCR, vision sets. For example, on
washers, which sold. for $69.95 in May 1941, and in
1947 sold for a'minimum of $129.75. An increase of
$59.80, and now a reduction of $6.50.
Did GE really cut prices on these appliances to
"stop inflation?”
The Real Reason
For the last three months of 1947 the business
papers, the Wall Street Journal, New York Times,
Journal of Commerce, Business Week, had been re-
porting selling difficulties, competition, ‘consumer
~ “resistance to high-priced gadgets’’ on electric ranges.
; And GE was out of line with its competitors. So one
large distributor told the New York Times on January |, 1948:
"The reductions, among other things, served to bring GE into line."
GE led the parade for inflation by pushing prices up beyond the reach of the people.
Now it brings some prices down a little, for the only reason it knows, to keep on selling.
. Price increases are NOT caused by wage increases. When Big Business busted price
control, it raised prices by many times the amount of wage increases. It would have done
so if there had been NO wage increases. For their only,guide in setting prices is ‘All that
the traffic will bear." . oo .
Big Business pushes prices up just as long as people will buy, regardless of wage
costs. It will stop when people can't buy, wien it's too late to do you and me any good. |
That's what led to the big depression of 1929. And because food, automobiles, elec-
trical appliances, and just about everything is controlled by a handful of big trusts, there
is very little competition left. Prices are pushed up fast, but come down very slowly.
The danger to the country today is that purchasing power cannot keep up with
production—because of record prices and profits.
Wage increases will not affect prices. They will 2. the THY) CoH
offset to some extent the hardship of high prices. Profits Just TOO Small
They will lessen the danger from the depression which
Big Business profiteering is bringing on.
Mr. Boulware’s Weekly Dose
Of NAM Propaganda
The National Association ‘of. Manufacturers
spent millions of dollars in propaganda to kill price
control, win huge tax refunds for GE and the rest,
and. put over the Taft-Hartley law. Today it’
more millions to sell its line to churches, schools, small
business men, women's-clubs, doctors, lawyers, and
particularly to the workers themselves.
It's the line that workers will be well off if they
__refrigerators, ranges, washers, electric blankets, tele- / 7
standard wringer type be
accept low wages for
themselves,. higher prices
Maybe Mr. Boulware Believes It. . .
IT SANS WERE THe REASON Yau») and profits for their, em-
CAN'T AFFORD MEAT ONE: HELE 3 ployers, and a speed-up
: seer called."productivity.!'
, This line brought on 1929,
but people are supposed
to forget that. Mr. Boul-
ware pours this out week-
ly in the Works News, in
full page advertisements, |
on the radio. We cannot
match the cost or quan-
tity of stuff. But union
members can recognize
ae + he-metho ale ballin a half.
at ai— i aS ied RO
truths so that they be-
come untruths. We den
meet half-truths with the
FACTS:~For-examplesy
Mr, Boulware says wartime savings are pushing prices up. He does not say that the
top 30 percent of the people have 87 percent of the savings, the lowest 30 percent
have NO Savings. That is the Federal Reserve Board's finding. ro
Mr. Boulware says workers should "produce more... with same effort." He does
not say that GE wants more effort through speed-up, as with carboloy tools.
Mr. Boulware says "conquer inflation" through "increased production". He does
not say that prices went uo HIGHEST where production went up most (meat, electrical.
appliances), because trusts largely control meat packing and electrical appliances. °
Always Against Wage Raises
Mr. Boulware says the’ wage increases were cancelled out by price increases. He
does not say that the prices were going up and would have gone up regardless. |
Mr. Boulware says it is okay to pay lower wages in some GE plants than in others.
He does not say that the difference in living costs between -Lexington, Kentucky and
Cleveland, Ohio, is very small, but the difference in basic wages is..24 cents an hour.
GE sells lamps for the same price whether made in Cleveland or Lexington. And the
newer plant rates threaten standards and jobs in the older plants. ‘
“Mr. Boulware says GE*makes only 7 cents on a ‘sales dollar’. He does not say that
this "'sales dollar’ already had paid other super-profits to trusts all along the line.
The biggest fable of all is the phony “impartial poll,” which misrepresents the Taft-
Hartley act, and "'proves'’ that it is what the workers want. So you are to beliéve
that the NAM, which fought social security, unemployment insurance, the 40-hour
week, child labor laws, the Wagner Act, price control, now wants the Taft-Hartley
act for "the good" of the workers! Every provision of the act is aimed against unions.
The people's welfare is threatened by the current inflation—prices racing ahead of
purchasing power—wages.
Big Business and its Boulwares fight FOR inflation. UE fights inflation in every way,
political action, for price control, against Taft-Hartley—and Just Now by Demanding
A Substantial Wage Increase
