4
ELECTRICAL UNION NEWS
September 3, 1948
Skilled Crafts Vote to Continue Refusing Overtime Work |
This meeting of skilled craft groups at 301 Hall Aug. 25
protested against the company’s refusal to correct the
inequities in their rates, and voted overwhelmingly to con-
nue to refuse overtime worl.
The meeting instructed
i SteGriti¢ committee to call for a government conciliator
Co enter the wage dispute case.
U.S. Conciliator «Boulware Wants You to Believe Corporations
Are Really Controlled by. Little Stockholders
An advertisement reprinted by GE Vice-President L. R.. Boulware
in the Schenectady Works News Aug. 27 tries to disguise the fact that
a very few people control the great corporations of America,
In Craft Dispute
Federal Conciliator John Rooney
of Albany got in touch with Leo
Jandreau Monday with regard to
the pending skilled craft wage dis-
pute with GE, Later he advised
Jandreau that he was trying to ar-
range a meeting with George Pfeif
of the national GE management.
He said that Pfeif had to check
with Vice-President L. R. Boul-
ware.
The joint craft steering commit-
tee met Wednesday night (after
this paper went to press) to con-
sider the situation.
In the meantime, the crafts in-
volved in the fight are refusing to
work overtime, in accordance with
the decision of the craft member-
ship meeting lust week. Some shop
stewards have- been kept busy
checking rumors that one or an-
other group of craft workers was
uccepting overtime, Most of the
rumors proved to be false.
A bulletin sent last week by the
union office to all shop stewards
pointed out that the decision to. re-
fuse overtime was made by the
craft; members themselves, and that
‘it is the personal responsibility of
every shop steward to. get crafts-
men within his group to comply
with this decision.”
A meeting of representatives of
GE locals to consider action on the
craft rate question has been called
for Saturday, Sept. 11, the day aft-
er the UE national convention ad-
journs, in New York City. Leo
The advertisement claims that
people with less than $5,000 a year
income are the “real capitalists’, in
the United States, on the basis of
figures (reportedly from the U. S.
tax returns), lumping together all
dividends, interest and rent.
The July issue of the Economic ©
Outlook, published by the CIO, has
some interesting figures which
would have been embarrassing to
mention in the Works News “ad”.
Economic Outlook quotes the U.
S. Treasury Department figures
taken from income tax return for
1946, the latest available figures.
Income tax returns filed by about
417,000,000 people with incomes of
less than $5,000 showed they re-
ceived about $1,063,328,000 in divi-
dends and interest (including bonds
as well as stocks). In the $5,000 to
$10,000 group 1,885,471 people te-
ceived $625,912,000.
group of $10,000 and over, there
were 754,856 people who received
2,161,450,000.
Of every $3 spent in the United
States, $2 goes to corporations.
About 5 per cent of the adult pop-
ulation, or less than 6 million peo-
ple, own stock in corporations, A
handful of these 6 million own-:a
Jandreau and Board Members
Charles Ferris and James Cognetta
will represent Local 301. :
And in the.
great deal of stock. Most of the
stockholders own only a few
shares.
Corporations are supposed to be
controlled by all the stockholders,
but in practice the handful who
own the large blocks of stock have
complete control, One corporation
will control the stock of many
others. And you will see the same
names on the board of directors of
various corporations, banks and in-
surance companies,
The American Telephone and
Telegraph Company, the largest
corporation in the world, boasts
that on the average each A. T. and
T. stockholder owns about 30
shares. They forget to say that
each of the 30 largest stockholders
owns an average of more than 36,-
000 shares! The latest estimate
shows that 5 per cent of the stock-
holders own about half the total
shares.
The figures show that 88 million
people with yearly incomes under
$3,000 received on the average $17
a year from interest and dividends.
This amounts to 32 cents a week.
But the 71 people with a yearly in-
come over $1,000,000 received on
the average over $750,000 a year.
from interest and divjdends. This
amounts to $14,428 each week.
WEAR YOUR UE BUTTON
Inspection Brings
Raise for Leader .
A two-step (10%-cent) raise was
won for a machine repair group
leader. in Building 77 last week as
the result of a joint union-com-
pany inspection of his work.
Previously the company repeat-
edly insisted that all the work un-
der the man consisted of B machine
repair work, and therefore his
leader’s duties did not entitle him
to any more than the two steps
above the B rate, or the same as
the A rate of $1.675. The joint in-
spection was handled by two Class
A machine repair men, Sidney
Friedlander of Building 17 and
James Petraske of 269, along with
Board Member Joseph Mangino.
They argued that there was A
work being done. The company did
not admit this, but acknowledged
that the group leader’s duties were
such that he rated a special classi-
fication and rate.
Can't Find a Home
A member of the 801 Executive
Board has reported that he may
have to resign from the Board and
other union activities because he
is about to be evicted from his
home. The landlord wants the
house for his own purposes. The
Board member, who is concentrat-
ing on home hunting, says nobody:
seems to want to rent a house or
an apartment to a family with four
children. If you know of a home
he can rent, please notify the un-
ion office,
UR AER TANT TRL
©
(
LLECTRICAL —
THE VOICE OF LOCAL 30! - - - - -
U. E.R. & M. W. A,
Vol. 6 — No. 36
SCHENECTADY, NEW YORK
September 10, 1948
No Thanks, Mr. St. Louis
Peterson Opposes City Sales Tax
Because he is opposed to increasing the tax burden of low income
groups, President Andrew Peterson of Local 301 has refused to serve
on a Schenectady committee to study the advisability of enacting a sales
tax or another “permissive tax” in the city.
‘In a letter to City Manager Ar-
len T, St. Louis last week turn-
ing down appointment to the com-
mittee, Peterson wrote:
“I am opposed to any sales tax,
any payroll tax and any form of
taxation which will add to the bur-
dens of the low income groups
which have been hit so badly by ris-
ing prices. I believe that the solu-
tion of our city’s tax problems lies
in a determined effort to.get the leg-
“lature to allocate substantial aid
~to municipalities out of the state
surplus and revenues. Funds avail-
able for this purpose can’ be in-
creased by increasing the income
tax on higher incomes.”
Peterson also told St. Louis that
he believes his view on taxes is
shared by the great majority of the
people in Schenectady. He said
that because of his feelings on the
tax question he must “respectfully
decline” to serve on the committee
to study permissive taxes and the
advisability of niaking>use of one
or more of them in Schenectady.
«The Dewey-controlled state legis-
lature turned down pleas of cities
and counties, for increased aid from
state funds and instead authorized
them to enact sales taxes and cer-
tain other taxes.
1000 Delegates
At UE Sessions
The thirteenth international UE
convention opened Labor Day at
Manhattan Center, New York City,
with approximately 1,000 delegates
present, Immigration officials had
refused to allow 11 Canadian UE
delegates to enter the United
States. One of the first actions of
the convention was an overwhelm-
ing vote to protest to the federal
government against’ this action.
Reports of the general officers
showed UE membership at a new
high. During the year since the
last convention the’ membership
average was six per cent higher
than in 1946-47, UE has signed-up
120,213 new members, ineluding
23,000 World War 2 veterans, dur-
ing the year. There are 570,000
employees covered by UE contracts
at 1,501 plants.
Wallace Again Speaker
Henry A. Wallace, Progressive
Party candidate for president, who
was principal speaker at last year’s
UE convention, addressed the Mon-
day session.
Praising UE for fighting “for the
needs of your members and the
viehts of free labor,” he warned
“at “you now face a new and a
Hreater fight — a fight to preserve
your gains by political action.”
At Tuesday’s session the conven-
tion voted 3,484 to 912 to endorse
(Continued from Page 2)
Members Inspect
Xmas Tree Supply
Two members of the Local 301
Christmas tree committee Satur-
day inspected the Christmas trees
which UE members can buy
through the union. Elliot Roose-
velt, who is selling Val-Kill Farms
trees planted by his father, Frank-
lin D. Roosevelt, showed Fred
Pacelli and Joseph Saccocio around
the acres of spruce, pine and fir
near Hyde Park.
“They are good looking trees,”
Pacelli and Saccocio , reported.
“They'll be delivered with each tree
tied separately sc «the branches
won't break.”
Members wishing to order trees
should notify their shop stewards
at orice, Executive Board members
must know by next Wednesday
how many trees are wanted. The
price won't be higher than $1.50:
HAS EVERYONE IN YOUR
SHOP SIGNED THE
CHECK-OFF?
MO ws autncey
Judges Man on Acts,
Futsgerald States
UE judges its members by their
actions and not their political affil-
iations or beliefs, President Albert
J, Fitzgerald teld-the House Labor
- Subcommittee “investigating” UE
Sept. 2 at Washington, -
“Ts your organization concerned
about the activ-
ities of the Com-
munist party?”
he was asked by
Chairman
Charles, J. Kirs-
ten,
“Our job is to
be concerned
about the wel-
fare of our
‘members and if
any member
acts against the
union or the
country we'll
take care of
him,” Fitzgerald relied,
“Suppose the policy (of the un-
ion) was dictated by the Commun-
ist party?” Kersten demanded.
*T can’t accept the supposition
because I would not permit it to
happen and omy © organization
wouldn’t permit it,” Fitzgerald
said.
“T judge men by their acts, not
their beliefs,” he snid later in his
testimony. :
The UE president was called to
the stand after James B. Carey,
CIO. secretary-treasurer and for-
mer UE president, made red-bait-
ing attacks on UE, Carey even
charged that some employers with
UE contracts were discriminating
against “non-Communists” in dis-
missals.
Fitzgerald ridiculed this testi-
mony about so-called “Red influ-
ence’” with employers. He pointed
out that the union had to strike 16
weeks against Westinghouse in
1946 and nine weeks against GE.
Chairman Kersten read aloud ex-
tracts from the writings of Stalin
on Communism and trade unions.
‘T'm afraid, Mr. Chairman, you
are trying’ to indoctrinate me,”
me,” Fitzgerald said. “I don’t care
whet Stalin or Lenin said.”
Witagerald last week issued a
statement attacking the motives
of the “investigation” which was
timed just before the national UE
convention was to open. He point-
ed out that Kersten and Represen-
tative C. D, Kearns of the subcom-
Fitzgerald
GE Contests
Jobless Pay
Of Pensioner
Bad working conditions which
GE management refused to correct
caused Frederick Hemboldt, metal
spinner in Bldg. 19, to go on volun-
tary pension in May at the age of
60. Now GE is fighting his right
to receive unemployment insurance
payments from the state while he
looks for a new. job.. Hemboldt had
worked 23 years for the company.
Metal spinning is a highly-skilled
craft, and there are only two men
doing the work*now in Bldg. 19.
One of them testified with Hem-
boldt and with Shop Steward Sid-
ney’ Friedlander’ of 19 about the
objectionable working . conditions
ata hearing last week before an
Unemployment Insurance Division
referee, The other metal spinner
was also present to testify if neces-
sary: Marshall Perlin, Local 301
attorney, represented Hembolt,
~General Foreman Testifies
GE produced as a witness Gen-
eral Foreman Max Thybault. who
claimed conditions “weren’t too
bad.”
The referee reserved decision on
the case.
Working conditions were fairly
decent until 1940, according to
Hemboldt, when the metal spin-
ners were transferred to a small,
overcrowded room in Bldg. 19. He
complained of dust, fumes, bad
ventilation and poor lighting,
No Action on Complaints
Hembolt said that because of the
importance of his work he stayed
on the job during the waz, in spite
of the working conditions, When
he complained about the conditions
at that time he was told improve-
ments would have to wait until
manpower and materials were
available. Last spring when he re-
newed his complaints, he was in-
formed the improvements couldn’t
be considered for about two years.
He told the company he would have
to give up the job at once, if the
conditions weren’t corrected.
On leaving GE, he filed for un-
employment insurance and gave
(Continued on Page 2)
mittee both have been opposed by
ULE in political campaigns.
The hearings were adjourned till
Sept. 28.
2
ELECTRICAL UNION NEWS
1000 Delegates
At UE Sessions
(Continued from page 1)
wo candidate in the presidential
election, but to uphold the right of
UE members to “work for the ad-
vancement of the new Progressive
Party, or any other political par-
ty.’ (See resolution on page 4).
Raiding Condemned
The convention--Euessday -also
passed a resolution condemning
yaids by CIO unions on UE and
other C1O unions. The resolution
demands that the national CIO for-
bid such raids and withhold finan-
cial support from raiding unions.
By an overwhelming vote, the
convention Wednesday went on
record condemning James B. Carey:
of Local 101 for joining with the
Hartley committee “to defame the’
UR” and “to help these enemies
of the union. and of all working
people to gain the widest publiicty
for their attack.” ‘
Carey, CIO secretary-treasurer
and former UE president, was’ a
delegate to the convention. He at-
tacked the union leadership and
policies last week in_testimony be-
fore the Hartley committee in Con-
press,
301 Delegates
Local 801 delegates to the con-
vention were Julius Emspak, UE
peneral secretary-treasurer; 301
President Andrew Peterson; Vice-
President William Hodges; Busi-
ness Agent Leo Jandreau; Chief
Shop Steward William Mastriani;
Recording Secretary Helen Quirini,
and Board Members William Stew-
art, Charles Ferris, James Cognet-
ta and Dewey Brashear.
Officers had not been elected
when this week’s issue of EU News
went to press. The convention was
to close today (Friday).
$25 for Children
‘he 801 membership and stew-
ards’ meeting Aug. 31 voted $25 to
the Maria 8, 8. Della Libera So-
ciety of St. Anthony’s Catholic
Church for a festival for the bene-
fit of Sunnyview Children’s Hospit-
al, Schenectady.
ELECTRICAL UNION NEWS
United Electrical, Radio & Machine
Workers of America, GIO
Scuznrorapy GE Loaar 301
eee
Published by Editorial Committee
Mary McCartin, Secretary
Arthur R. Bertint Clayton Pudney
John G. Grasso Victor Pasche
Editorial Office
EunerricaL Union News
301 Liberty St., Schenectady, N. Y.
Telephone 3-1386
/NtiLLo SAILOR...
REMEMBER us?
US fe _
CORRIPTO AC
wget
)
FeEp
WRIGiIT
TOOtRATED
PRESS
ial
(The Taft-Hartley Board has ruled unanimously that the hiring hall
of the National Maritime Union is illegal.
Before the union secured
the hiring hali clause in its contracts, seamen were at the mercy of
grafting, anti-union straw bosses when they tried to. get jobs.) .
GE Fights Pensioner
On Unemployment Pay
(Continued from page 1)
bad working conditions as the
cause of his giving up his job. He
registered as available for a new
job. If the improvements were
made in Bldg. 19, he said, he would
be glad to return to his old work.
The Unemployment Insurance
Division ruled he was eligible for
unemployment insurance, without
any additional waiting period, but
GE appealed the ruling.
Large corporations like GE have
a financial stake in keeping down
the number of their employees re-
ceiving unemployment. insurance.
The fewer GE names there are on
the unemployed list the bigger the
company’s share can be in the huge
rebate which the Dewey-controlled
legislature voted to give employ-
ers,
Proctor Forces Strike
Members of UE Local 186 went
on strike at the Proctor Electric
Company, Philadelphia, Aug. 20, in
protest against the company's re-
fusal to grant a wage increase and
its proposal for allowing rates to
he cut, Contract negotiations had
_ been dragging.on since April,
Registering to Vote
In order to vote Nov..2 you must
be registered.
Registration days in upstate
cities and villages with over 5,000
population ave Oct. 1, Oct. 2, and
Oct. 8, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m, and
Oct, 9, from 7 a.m, to 10 pm. You
have to register personally every
year in these places.
The towns and all places of less
than 5,000 population have | non-
personal registration, but it’s wise
to look at the books yourself to
see your name is actually listed.
If you’ve moved into your election
‘district this year or didn’t vote last
year, don’t fail to put in a personal
appearance, Registration in the
towns tind places of less than 5,000
population is Oct, 2 from 7 am. to
10 pam. and Oct. 9 from 1 p.m. to
10 p.m. .
In Schenectady and nearby coun-
ties personal registration is re-
quired in the following places:
Schenectady County - Schenectady
and Scotia; Albany County - Al-
bany, Watervliet and Ccohoes; Ful-
ton County-Gloversville and Johns-
town: Montgomery County - Am-
_ sterdam; Otsego County-Oneonta;
Rensselaer County-Rensselaer and
. September lo, 1948
UE's Fighting Record
Praised by Wallace’
“You have won many great bat-
~tles against reaction because your
organizers and members have not
been intimidated,” Henry A. Wal-
lace, Progressive Party candidate
for president, told the UE conven-
tion Monday. ;
“You have built a strong organ-
ization, because you did not give up
a fight.;......
“But now: you face a new and a
greater fight—a: fight to preserve
your gains by political action.”
He outlined the.aniti-labor legis- ‘
lation that has been enacted since
the death of President Roosevelt,
and condemned the use of injunc-
tions against strikers. .
_ Referring to the fact that UE
President Albert Fitzgerald was
called before the House Labor sub-
committee last. week, Walliice said:
“P-pead that a“ proup” of -Con=
gressmen tried to gang up on him
and incited:the throwing of some,
rotten eggs. Even though the
_ were only verbal eggs, we worried
about Fitz all alone in Washington
exposed to the hostility of a crowd
of Congressmen,
_“T knew Fitz would handle them
with his usual good humor and
fighting spirit. But egg throwing
is dangerous. It spreads like a dis-
ease. You don’t know who will be
caught up in the mob hysteria.
And you don’t know who the next
victim will be.”
Wallace said the. UE was under
attack “because you fought for the
needs of your members and the
rights of free labor, as you have
fought for them with courage and
determination from the very first.”’
Carey Didn't Volunteer,
But Try and Stop Him
Newspapers gave a big play to
the “refusal” of James B. Carey,
CIO. secretary-treasurer and for-
mer president of UE, to accept
an invitation of the House Labor
Subcommittee to testify in its “in-
vestigation” of the union, He
wouldn't testify till «a subpoena:
was served on him. ,
But once he’d built up this record
of not appearing voluntarily, he
got along fine with Representative
Charles J. Kersten and his commit-
tee members. He took the oppor-
tunity to make a typical Carey-
Block attack on the union and its
officers.
Troy; Saratoga County-Mechanic 2)
ville and Saratoga. Springs. Yo
ean. enroll in a political party when
you register in these places. In
the towns, however, you enroll on
election day,
September 10, 1948
Farmer Not Getting
Those Food Profits
The cost of buying food for a
family reached a new high in June,
figures from the U. S. Department
of Agriculture reveal. The increase
in expenditure for food during the
first half of 1948 was greater than
for all other goods and services,
and was more than the increase in
average income.
But the farmer has not benefitted
from these sky-high food prices,
the federal figures show. The gov-
ernment report provides an inter-
esting answer to Big Business pro-
paganda that farmers are to blame
for the food costs.
In June the farmer was getting
only 61 cents of the consumer's
food dollar as compared with 55
cents last January. Most of the
remainder went to the middleman,
vailroads, chain. stores, packers,
and food profiteers. ;
Or The Agriculture Department fig-
ved out the mounting cost’of farm
food products purchased during a
single year by a family of three.
Such a “market basket?’ cost $317
in 1940 and rose to $528 in 1946.
It climbed to $695 by January,
1948, After a slight wobble last
spring food prices went still higher,
to a new record, in June. The $705
June cost of the family “market
basket” was 15 per tent higher
than the peak after World War I.
In those notoriously high-price
days the same food was $615.
Of the $705 for farm products
paid by a family of three members
in June, only $359 went to the
farmer, The middlemen got $346,
~The “market basket” figures are
based on a family of three, but the
average American family is usual-
ly figured as four. So the average
tood cost is even higher than $705.
“UL ndws seRvice
Newspaper Item: General Electric Company this. week will present to supervisory
personnel in its Scheriectady home office the first performance of its company-
developed "theatrical show," covering efforts to improve employee and community
relations, L. C. Bulware, vice president in charge of employee and community rela-
tions, disclosed last week... . The
ware stated.
By BILL CAHN
National UE News Staff Writer
Because we know just how busy
General Electric executives are, we
hereby také the liberty to offer a
few suggestions for GE’s theatrical
“show which is to be-shown “in £26
GE plants before some 25,000 GE
supervisors and selected personnel,
“Act One:—The first act of this
show we suggest should explain in
simple, graphic style how the typi-
cal GE worker feels after he has
celebrated eating his 100,000th
bean, following GE's advise to “eat
beans” and thus ignore the rising
cost of meat. Perhaps the show
might start with an award—a pot
Taft-Hartley Justice!
Strikebreakers Can Vote; Strikers Can't
The Taft-Hartley Board ruled
unanimously Sept. 1 that workers
on strike for higher pay can’t vote
in a collective bargaining election
it their jobs have been filled,—-but
the ‘strikebreakers can vote,
This decision stripping strikers
of their right to vote to retain their
union reversed a ruling made 10
years ago by the old National La-
bor Relations Board under the
Wagner Act. :
The Taft-Hartley Board stated
that its new ruling holds only
when jobs of strikers have been
filled, and that if they haven't been
replaced strikers can’ still ‘vote.
However, the Associated Press
story. pointed out that the Board
“may yet alter this escape clause
after a further study of the Tat't-
Hartley Act.”
The ruling concerns only strikes
over economic issues like pay. The
Board hasn’t ruled yet on whether
strikebreakers can vote in a strike
caused by unfair labor practices;
like discrimination and refusal to
bargain. Xi
The decision in favor of strike-
breakers was handed down in a
ease involving the Times Square
Stores Corporation, New York City.
Members of the United Retail and
Wholesale Employees, CIO, struck
for more money. Strikebreakers
filled their jobs and were organized
by the rival AFL Retail Clerks In-
ternational Association, and a Taft-
Hartley election was scheduled.
"show" will be divided: into six "acts," Mr. Boul-
—New York Times, August 23, 1948
of beans — being givén to Mr.
Beaneater of 1948.
GE Master of Ceremonies: And
now let me present the Wilton
award of the year, a pot of beans,
to Mr. Beaneater of 1948 who is
the first, GE employee to eat his
-100,000th bean. Congratulations
Mr. Beaneater! .
(cries from offstage from various
foremen and time-study experts)
Speach, Speach, Speach!
Mr. Beaneater:—Thank you for
this unusual honor, gentlemen.
But I must admit that I really
don't deserve any credit for win-
ning this award. :
L. C. Bullwinkle:—As .public rela-
tions expert for GI, Mr. Bean-
eater, let me assure you that the
company is grateful” for your
beaneating record. You have
been loyal to the company and
the company remembers those
who have served it faithfully. In
addition to the pot of beans which
which you have won, we are also
adding to your award a case of
ketchup to go with your beans.
(loud applause and cries of “good
old Bulwinkle, he always remem-
bers!” from the various foremen,
time-study men and unemployed
GE executives who are in the
wings.) .
Mr. Beaneater: — Thank you Mr.
Bullwinkle. It is typical of GE
that it remembers me with a case
of ketchup at this time. In eat-
ing my first 100,000 beans, I
_must admit, there were occasions
when I stopped and wished for a
little ketchup to flavor my diet.
But I consulted the various news-
paper advertisements, pamphlets, '
leaflets, shop papers and comic
books ‘that the company had
made available to me approxi-
mately two a day, and nowhere
could I find permission to flavor
my beans with ketchup. So I ate,
my 100,000th bean unflavored
and unlubricated.
Mr. Bullwinkle:—I want you to
know, Mr. Beaneater, that the
company appreciates your sacti-
fices in this matter and will not
forget it,
Mr. Beaneater:—There is, however,
one point I must confess before I
accept these lavish gifts which
the GE company, has with custo-
“Mary generosity bestowed tpor
me.
Mr. Bullwinkle:—Can it be that
you have not quite reached the
100,000th bean mark?
Mr. Beaneater:—I must confess
gentlemen, that I did not eat
beans entirely because the com-
pany had advised me to do so.
The fact is that after I had. paid
my vent and electricity and shoes
ul saws Saya
374 4300 EReb
for my kids, I found that T had
just enough money left to buy
beans ...I am in fact Mr. Bean-
eater of 1948 only because GE
pays wages which make pork
chops impossible...
(There is a gasping and moaning
from the assembled foremen, time
study men and executives as the
curtain falls.)
ae By By .
Of course this is just a sugges-
tion for use in the opening “act”
of a GE six-act “show.” It the com-
pany finds this of value, we would
be happy to outline a few more of
our ideas.
Chicago Contract
Pay increases of 10 to 17 cents
an hour are provided in the new
one year contract UM hag signed
with the Warwick Manufacturing
Corporation in Chicago.
