. Honor Roll
Continued from page 2
H. Taylor
S. .Gorzynski
G. Blowers
R. Tomaschek
Pp. Hill
J. Blaser
CG. Snyder
Building 60
M. Janetakz
V. Emspak
J, Marongelli
8S. VanAllen
Building 81 i
W. Woodman
_. 4. Onorato
Building 8&9
D. Brashear
Building 85
J. Ruscitto
W. Tomski
Building 27%
A. Kotarski
R. Burtt
E. Criscuolo
J. Antonelli
H. Bukoff
A, Bactens
R. Hutton
A. Feser
1, Martel
P. Piechowski
J. Caarnecki
R. Griffin
J. Mitchell
H. Pope
R. Greiner
W.. Danylak
. M. Messineo
'G. Haviland |
T. Carroll
KF. Emmett
H. Sawetkowski
D. Fonda
N, Jacohsen
O. Thuener
P. Raviele,
S. Taszycki
H. Adams
8. Macherone
R. Duell
A, Merenda
Building 285
J. Abiko
Building 73°
CG, Barthelmas
J. Catulfamo
D. Ciampino
D. Fanelli
W. Garrison
G. Gretten
J. Koztowski
G. Kuder |
i. Murtlow
Building 269
Helen Nichols
G. McKoene
Campbell Ave,
Floyd Thomas
Cable Workers
Continued from page 2
agree to more than 60 demands to
destroy wage rates, and contract
_ conditions.
Only two. real concessions had to
be made by the Cable workers. In
one, they gave up the past prac-
tices clause, ind in the other they
changed the, basis of vacations
from 48 to 40. hour weeks, How-
ever, the latter was partially off-
set by the granting of a third.
week’s vacation to workers with
15 years of service or more.
_.. Most important of all, every at:
tempt to break the union at Gen-
eral Cable failed,
Protests Mount Against Hike Delay
A. rising tide of protest against the Wage Sta-
bilization Board’s failure to. act on the ‘wage in-
crease negotiated by UE with’ General Electric
brought to more, than 8,000 the number. of signa-
tures collected on petitions to the WSB demanding
that it-approve the full boost immediately,
Hundreds of petition signatures poured into the
, 801 office every day in the past week as the anger
of the men and women in the Schenectady works
over the WSB maneuvering grewe -, .
At the same time, the union took further action
to press for approval of the wage increase by send-
ing messages to WSB chairman Archibald Cox and
to Congressman Bernard Kearney. A wire to Cox
pointed out that WSB passing on the’ pay hike
should be.a completely automatic thing since the
increase follows closely on. patterns already set by
the board. A letter to Kearney urged that he use
his influence to bring board: action.
At the same time, board actions served to justi;
fy the warnings of the UE Washington office that
a teal threat to at least part-of the increase exists.
Following initial pressure from the union, the
board finally places the UE-GE case. on its agenda.
But-just before reaching it, the WSB members de-
cided to recess for a- two-week Thanksgiving
“veekend.” It. will return to session Monday.
‘The board situation. is especially dangerous
since the IUE-CIO lawyer-is a member of the panel,
and Carey appears to be using every trick he knows
to delay action on the UE-nevotiated raise. In this
-way the LUE dictator hopes te escape the anger of
his. membership for his. fantastic maneuvering
whieh cost the union more than one month’s pay
boost. Of course the industry and public members
of the board are only too willing to cooperate with
the LUE’ since, inthis way, it may possibly deprive
thousands of workers of the bigger paychecks
which were won through collective bargaining...
However, if UE members here and elsewhere
through. the country continue the fight: they are
now making, there can. be little doubt that the
WSB will be foreed by public opinion to give ‘ap-
proval to the wage inerease within a very: short
time, perhaps even in. time to bring union mem-
hers their pay boosts and retroactive checks before
Christmas. a
Executive Board to Represent 301 Sunday
' At Schenectady State Legislative Parley
UE Local 301 will be represented by its entire executive board at the statewide legislative
conference of the union whichsis to be held in Schenectady on Sunday. The board, which acts
as the union’s legislative’ sub-committee, will join with delegates of UE locals from New York
Jury. Decertification
Smear a Publicity Act
Recent New York {ederal rand
jury recommendations that the Na-
tional Labor Relations Board de-
certify the Uli was nothing more
nor less than a crude publicity
stunt.
The grand jury, and the judge
who prodded it inte its phony rec-
ommendations, knew ° that the
NLRB has no power whatever to
decertify Ul or any other “union
on recommendations of this kind.
During the hearings that pre-
veded the grand jury’s move, UL
national officers identified their
signatures on Taft-Hartley affida-
‘vits and showed. that this union is
in full compliance with the law in
this respect. ;
Nevertheless, the jury saw fit to
mike its. iNegal recommendations
on the basis of this testimony, Ob-’
viously, the only purpose’ was to
get headlines in the union-hating
press across the country, and in
this it succeeded. :
The attack is by no means. fin-
ished, The arrest in Dayton, Ohio,
of two former UE loeal officers on
charges growing out of their sig-
natures on T-EH affidavits is an-
other -phase of it.
national leadership has been suim-
moned fora second round of, grand’
jury hearings, this time in Wash-
ington. They will appear today.
The newest smear attacks are di-
rected, not only aganst UE and
other militant. independent .unions,.
but also against several ClO “and
AFL unions.”
4 ®*-° Thursday, December 4, 1952
And the UK”
‘City to Buffalo. The conference
was called jointly by UI District 8,
which represents. workers in up-.
state New York, and. UE “District
4, which groups together locals in
the Metropolitan area.
The question of improving com-
pensation laws will occupy: an im-
portant place on the agenda. Pres-
ent laws are outdated and provide
benefits far below those. to which
injured workers are actually en-—
titled.- The compensation issue as-
sumes particular importance in the
light of the disclosure of plans by
the big corporations to weaken,
present ‘compensation legislation
with a “Hughes-Brees_treatment.”
The Hughes-Brees bill last year
was the big corporations’ club to
cripple | unemployment
benefits. UK joined with many
other unions in an all-out fight
against this piece-of anti-labor leg-.
islation.
However
the same intere@’)
which Jammed Hughes-Brees do¥ p
the throats ‘of the people of New
York are now trying to do.a sim-
ilur job on workmen’s compensa-
tion, . The Chamber of Commerce
is spearheading the attack.
UE will seck to have bills intro-
luced into the state legislature
which are aimed at improving and
not at tearing down social welfare
provisions, me
t
| oa
‘i Dour
| eoToR
insurance , ~
”
7,
“Cognetta Wins with
ELectrricaL UNIO
Vol. 10 —=-No. 49.
’. SCHENECTADY, NEW YORK
Friday, December 12, 1952
For Stewards Slated:Monday
| Balloting in Shops
To Elect Stewards
‘Elections to fill the 680 key shop
stewards’ jobs..will. be held in the |
Schenectady works on Monday and “
Tuesday of next week. The vot-
ing will be conducted by the Ul
Local 801 elections committee,
iach group of workers will vote
separately for the man or woman
who-is to represent it in everyday
union matters during the coming
year. Where it is not possible to
hold the voting on either of the
designated) days, the committee
will arrange for elections on other
dates. ‘ ; .
in, all cases, persons elected’ will
§. }rotes of his or her fellow workers.
“In: cases where there are more
Chon to receive a majority of: the
than two candidates, and a major-
ity is not obtained by any single
person on the first ballot, runoff -
elections will be held. .
In many respects the shop stew-
ards’ elections are the most im-
portant. of the year for the local.
The people chosen will form the
foundation for all union activities
in 1958. It is the stewards in Lo-
‘ul 801 and in other. UL loeuls
throughout the country who handle
grievances, deal with the foremen,
enforce the contract, carry out pol-
icies set by the membership, and by:
their elected leadership and bring
the views of their co-workers to
the union hall,
The G80 stewards meet onee a
nionth to coordinate the activities
of the 17,000 members ‘of .801.
Among the most important qualifi-
cations for each, steward, will be
willingness to participate in these
meetings, and the_willingness and
ability to protect the interests of
those they represent against su--
pervision on a day-by-day basis.
C drewards Meet Monday
When the shop stewards meet in
their monthly gathering on Mon-
day, a new system of issuing but-
‘tons to those committeemen who
attend will be put into effect.
New buttons will be issued every
month so that the members of the
local will be able'to tell whether
their stewards represented them at
the meeting. ;
hole Slate; Voting
Tuesday
The membership of UE Local 301 voted overwhelmingly to give James J. Cognetta. a
second term as president of the union in secret ballot ‘elections held last Thursday and Fri-
day. Cognetta’s victory was shared by the complete slate on which he ran.
Newly Elected Officers
PSS
RN
LEADERS FOR ‘53. Pictured above are the 12 members elected by UE
Local 301. to posts of leadership in last week's. balloting. ..On the top-row. -
are President James J. Cognetta, Business Agent Leo Jundreau and Chief
Shop Steward William Mastriani. Second row—Recording _ Secretary
Roy Schaffer, Vice President Joseph Alois and Assistant Recording Sec-
retary Rudy Rissland. Third row—Treasurer Joseph Whitbeck, Guide
Mario, Bagnato and Sergeant-at-Arms Joseph Saccocio. Bottom row—
Trustees Vincent Palazeke, Edward Luberda and William Garrison.
The veteran Building 52 union-
ionist polled 1,239 votes, more than
twice as many ballots as those cast
for both of his opponents together.
John Clune, Bldg. 278, ran second
with 404° votes, and Dewey Brash-
‘our, 89, was third with 204 votes.
The elections: also saw the
return to office for another’
year of Business Agent . Leo
Jandreau. Jandreau without
opposition, garnered . 1,521
votes. ° —
‘In the contest for the key office
vf chief shop~ steward, William
Mastriani, 73A, easily won anothei
term. He polled 1,354 votes against
447 for Rodney Bardin, 273. The
local vice presidency ‘was avon by
a veteran executive board member
fron turbine, Joseph Alois, Alois
received 1,851 votes, as against 445
for William MeColl, 273, ;
The posts of recording sec-
retary and assistant recording
secretary were won by Roy
Schatfer, 60, and Rudy Riss-
land, 2738. Schaffer; running
withoul, opposition, got 1,485
- Votes, while Rissland defeated
Robert Popowitz, 273, by a
vote of 1,268 to 395,
There was a three-cornered race
or the treasurership, with Joseph
Whitbeck, 69, elected over Henry
Kaininski, 76, and William Fisher, .
81, ‘The count was Whitbeck, 1,253;
Kaminski, 237; and Fisher, 125,
Joseph Saccocio, 52, was reelec-
ted as sergeant-ut-arms, polling
1,507 votes, and Mario Bagnato, 52,
was returned as guide, with 1,502
votes. Nether had opposition.
There were five nominees in the
race for three trusteeships., ‘Those
elected were. Vincent Paluzeke,: 60,
with 1,489 votes; Edward Luberda,
17, with 1,469 votes; and William
Gartison, 783A, who polled 1,311
votes, The other candidates: were
Anders Christensen, 273, and Nich-
olas Bioriti, 63. They got 447 and
123 votes respectively. :
All of these union members will
take office on the first of the year
and will serve one-year terms. The
elections were supervised by a 25-
member elections committee under
the chairmanship of John Saccocio,
eA tn NR AE rT TE
sarge
AEE OCA ETE Te Ne TNE OO bt AEE TIRES
Honor Roll’
‘This week 56 more members of
UIE Local 301 join the “$5 Club. '
This brings to 426 the total num-
ber of union members in Schenee-
tady who have contributed at least
$5 to help their UE brothers. and
sisters who have been on strike in
yecent months, and to build a un-
ion defense fund large enough to
meet the needs of the difficult
times ahead. The new additions:
Bldg. 16
J. Califano
Bldg. 69
Harry Wright
Patsy Caffarella
Bldg. 46
John Belwevich
Bldg! 84:
R. Wilkic
Bldg. 17
Carl DeCesare
Bldg. 52
J. Audi
A. Campriello
S. Friello
A. Colandra
W. Wormer
W. Looman
A. Young
F. Stanton
W. Ratajesak
F, Palleschi
H. Clothier
A. Demi
©, Doherty
A. Peterson
V. Martino ~
P. Cognetta
M. Loudis
J. Donadio
L. DeAngelis
M. Bagnato
L? Rasch
A. Tebano
R. Burns
Bldg. 273 -
L. Underhill
C. Geer
F. Kokosa
HH. Clark
L. Blumhagen
¥, Palma
H. Playford
K. Duglin
K. Kerr
J. Hedlund
C. Vitilli «
M. Prignar
J, Keefe
B. Sackett
Vv. Kodra ~
N. Ward
W. Decker
K. Huening
Cc. Dahlam
F, Adamec
T. Duck
J. Hall
C.. Dress
J. ‘Tajkowski
S: Witcombe
J. Miller
‘J. Leahy
UE LOCAL 301
STEWARDS
MEETING
2nd SHIFT
Monday, Dec.-15, 1952
1:00 P.M. (before work)
1st and 3rd SHIFTS
..Monday, Dec. 15,1952.
7:30 P.M.
Local 301 Hall
-mands that the higher
~maintained -regardless: ofthe: type
Three Leading City Government Officials 7
Will Greet Big Xmas Parties This Weekend —
Three top city officials will greet the children of union: members -this weekend at what
promises to be the biggest set of Christmas parties ever sponsored by UE Local 301.. Mayor
Archibald Wemple, City Manage
the threé’ government leaders to ~
attend the big affairs in the audi-
torium of Mont Pleasant High
School.
There will be three parties spon-
sored by the union, with-the first
one getting underway at nine
o'clock Saturday morning: The
others will be at 1:30 in the aft-
ernoon on both Saturday and Sun-
day. .
The 8,500 children who are ex-
pected to attend will be treated to
a first rate variety. show as well as
to candy and nuts. To top off the
festivities, each child will be given
a Christmas present to take home.
While it is hoped ‘that every
ticket holder will be taken. care of
by the three parties, the activities
committee has made arrangements
so that any kids who might be un-
able to get in will not be disap-
pointed. These youngsters: will be
able to get their Christmas gifts
und candy at the union hall on
Tuesday. The same arrangements
_ ill-he_tumed_away--next—Christ---—--——-=
MARTY LYNCH. ‘The comedy jug-
gler who will star inv the Christmas
Party variety show.
apply to those who asked for Sun-
“day. tickets, but who had to take
Saturday tickets because the oth-
ers -were all gone.. However, only
persons who already have tickets
will be accommodated in this man-
“ner. The hall will be open between
6 pam. and 8 p.m.
Original plans called -for only
two parties, but the demand was
r Morris M. Cohn and Councilman Thomas Moynihan will be
so great that another one, the si")
urday morning event, had to b
added. Even with this addition
the full ticket demand could not be
met. Plans are ‘already in -pro--
gress to make sure that no one
mas. a
The big variety show will fea-
ture three top acts. Sharing star
billing will be Marty Lynch, a
comedy juggler; Madej the magic:
‘jan; and ventriloquist Harlan Mat-
son, All three give performances
that are aimed at pleasing both
children and adults. .
“Most of the funds for the patty
have. come from profits made by
the local on earlier social events,
particularly the field day. How- ©.
ever, the unexpectedly large de-
mand forced the activities com- _
mittee to request an additional ap--
propriation from the last member-
Ship meeting. ‘This appropriation
was granted.
, Bldg. 10C: , Borematic operators:
under Foreman Harley ask that
they be properly compensated for
time spent in warming up bearings
and bleeding hydraulic lines., Su-
pervision is willing to pay only .7
of an hour day work. This is en-
tirely inadequate and the union de+
mands establishment of’ price on
this operation in accord with past
practice. ;
Bldg. 24: “Group working under
Foreman Flynn feels that the job
vate of $1.71 is entirely inadequate
for the skills required on their job.
The union demands proper job
evaluation and rate adjustment.
Group working on Sine and Ca-
sine potentiometers feel that the
$1.84 job rate is way below what
is merited by their skills and per-
formance. The union demands
proper job evaluation and rate ad-
justment. ;
Bldg, 28: Frank Massero was out
of work due to a back injury. . He
applied on a number of occasions
for Hmited’ employment but the
employment office was reluctant to
‘ yeemploy him on account of previ-
ous Injury. The union demands
that his service be restored.
Bldg. 40: Group working on. 42”
vertical boring mills on miscellane-
ous details -have -been timed and
classified at $1.11 timing rate, Re-
cently supervision has transferred
some work from lower rated mills
and has required the operators to
work at a $1.01 timing rate on the
$1.11. machines. . The union de-
rate be
of work issued in accord with past
practice,
Bldg. 46: C. H. Chamberlin was
2° Friday, December 12, 1952"
‘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.
each week list some of the grievances that have not b
settled at the. steward-foreman level and have been
ferred to the executsve ovara-management tevel.
rite to $1.71.
yeurs experience, and after 4 weeks
on the job he replaced a B inspect-
or on 8rd shift. He has given nor-
mul performance since.
mands that Chamberlin be given
the full job rate to which he is en-
titled.
Bldg. 49: Shippers group does
not feel that their rate is adequate
when compared to rates being
paid for similar work through the
plant. The union demands proper
reevaluation and rate edjustment,
Bldg. 52: Richard Dunham was
put ona time study on an oil tank
job. The study was halted alleged-
ly ‘because of unsatisfactory per-
formance. At the time supervision
informed him that he would be
paid average exurnings for the rest
of the work. However, he was paid
only AER,
that average earnings be paid in
auecord with agreement.
Albert C. Fonda is classified as
a gas cutter machine operator with
ELECTRICAL UNION NEWS |:
UNITED ELECTRICAL, RADIO & MACHINE
WORKERS OF AMERICA (UE)
local 30t
Published by the Editarlal Committee
President... —-.—....—James J. Cagnotta
Vico-Prosidont 2x ee euenenRoy Schaffor
Treasurer. nanan Helan Quirint
Recording Secretary—....—.—Rudy Rissland
> Ass't Recording. Secrotary—..-Frank. D'Amico
Chief Shop Steward... William Maustrlanl
Business Agont--—--—._..-Loo Jandreau
301 LIBERTY ST. = SCHENECTADY 5, N. Y.
Based on |
ull of these factors, the union de-’
The -union demands,
To keep members posted, we shall
a $1.60 day work rate, He was as-
signed to a machine in May and
transferred to a larger one in July.
At the time he was given the trans-
fer, supervision assured Fonda that
he would be put.on piece work. One
time study was started on his ma-
chine, but in the middle of the
study a much larger machine was
introduced to replace the one Fon-
da’ was working on. Shortly after
this, the study was stopped. The
union’ believes that this operator
is performing work which justifies
a’ much higher rate, particularly
with the additional skills now re-
quired. . Reevaluation of the job
with a 3-step increase to $1.76: is
demanded.
; Blig. 66: The cutting price of
$2.76 on. job 5138699:2 was shown
to be entirely inadequate when it
took operator Louis Mennella 544
hours to do the job. The present
price is based on .a 10-year-old
Standard pricing table and many
factors are. not taken into consid-
eration, Therefore, the union de-
mands an adequate price readjust-
ment and application of past prac-
tices in pricing such jobs.
Bldg. 84: This group of tractor
_ trailer operiitors protest. the ad-
dition of new duties to their
without any. increase in rate,
do not feel that the new systenRe?
checking and signing for contents
of the loads is practical and they
ask a‘retum to past practice,
Bldg. 105: George A. Schoneich
demands an inereuse of the $1.01.
‘Liming rate on the hydro-tel in or
der to bring the rate in line with
those tor. similar machines in the
plant,
So Tn ee nent eeRT ee
, ELECTRICAL UNION NEWS
a
i t
ee
”~
ed
SPEAKERS
Two of the key
speakers- in’ the
UE State’ Legis-
lative Conference
were Leon Novak,
UE Local 301 at- .
torney, and ‘Russ
Nixon, the un-
ion’s Washington
epresent ative,
t the right No-
rak discusses
compensation. ‘as-
District 3 Presi-
dent Lewis King
and District 4
Secretary = Wil-
liam..Wallace_lis-
ten. Below
makes a’ point.
State
Legislative Conclave
Maps Fights on Local Level.
A 19-point legislative program and a plan to concentrate
on key issues locally was devised by the UE New York State
Legislative Conference held at the Schenectady union hall on
Sunday. Delegates from UE }o-
cals representing 55,000 workers .
throughout the state: attended the
wathering. :
Following the confegenee, the
pe
Local 301 executivechdard Monday
‘night -voted- to devote the-union’s
first efforts in 1952 to. bringing
about improvements in the work-
Pressure Rises for Boost
OK as Group Visits D.C.
UE Local-301 joined with union locals across the nation
this week in applying mounting: pressure on the wage freeze’
artists to approve the wage increase negotiated by UE with
GI before Christmas. Here were
some of the major dévelopments in
the campaign:
1. Local 801: had collected 9,500
. Signatures on its petition demand-
Free Harold Ward—Company
Murder Frame-up is Defeated
Cy ‘Complete freedom was won last week for Harold Ward,
Negro leader: of the International Harvester strikers and vic-
. tim of a vicious company-staged murder frameup. Ward was
Carey Maneuvers rk
Even Top ClO Bigwigs
IUE-CIO dictator Jim Carey
would have walked away with the
honors had. a poll been taken” to
determine the “most unpopular
man of the hour” at°the recent
CIO convention, according to re-
ports made by newspaper men. and
women who covered the Atlantic
City conclave, |
Carey’s maneuvering and *bald-
faced ambition were too much for
even many of the other top CIO
leaders to stomach, these reports
reveal. Muny’ were. particularly
bitter because the ace union-split-
ter deserted his chief benefactors,
the CIO steelworkers and CIO Di-
rector of Organization Alan Hay-
wood to support Walter Reuther
for the ClO presidency. The rea-
son was-an obvious deal by Carey
to keep his job as secretary-treas-
reser, a job which most CIO offi-
() ils wanted liberated from the
Carey grip.
Despite this, Carey’s opportun-
ism is likely, to prove costly, since
the steelworkers and Haywood
haye been the IUE’s chief “angels”
in providing raiding funds. It
looks as if “Jim-boy” may have
dried up his own well.
acquitted of any guilt in the death
of a non-striking worker by a Chi-
cago jury.
The jury took only two hours to
set Ward free after Uls-hired ‘de-
fense attorneys completely riddled
the case concocted by the Chicago
police in an effort to break the
Harvester strike. The Ward de-
fense showed that the union leater
could not have committed the crime
and that the witness who. claimed
that he saw Ward do it was influ-
enced.by the Harvester company’s
$10,000 reward to. anyone who
would help frame the UE fighter.
In this way, Harold Ward was
returned to -his wife and two chil-
dren, and the UE contention that
this case was strictly a company
publicity stunt was completely up-
held. .
The victory was the signal for a
terrific celebration on the part of
thousands of , Harvester workers,
many of whom escorted Ward to
the UE Hall. There the heroic un-
ionist told them, “never was there
any doubt in my mind that the un-
ion and its friends would rally be-
hind me 100 percent, That confi-
dence kept me going.”
Funds for the Ward defense.
_ were supplied by the national UE, _
“nided by strike contributions from
locals throughout the U. S. and
Canada,
ing that the increase be. approved :
by the beginning of this week.
2. A national UL delegation, in-
‘cluding 301° Business’ Agent Leo
Jandreau, went to Washington on
Wednesday to put the union’s de-
mands" before Economic Stabilizer
Roger Putnam. The delewation in-
cluded representatives of UE lo-
cals: in the GE, Westinghouse and
Sylvania chains, all of which are
affected by the General Electric
case, Putnam pledged quick action
on the increase. ;
3. A campaign developed to put
pressure on the corporations to
“use their influence to make sure
that the full wage increase which
they agreed to is given -Washing-°
ton OK,
The resignation of the industry
members of the Wage Stubilization
Board, an action dictated by the
National Association of .Manufac-
turers, posed a new threat to our
wage increase. The wage freeze
machinery has already stalled the
boost for three months, and this.
may offer a new exetise for more
‘stalling. ;
There cun be no doubt that the
vompanies wre now banking on the
incoming Republican administra-
tion to tighten the wage freeze,
und possibly to beat UL! members
out of the wage increase they won.
Unfortunately, although the re-
vent CIO convention finally came
out against the wage [reeze, lubor
members of the board. have been
playing polities with our increase;
and have failed to apply pressure
‘Lov its approval. In this, they have
been encouraged by IUE-C1O dic-
tator James Carey, who is trying
to éseape the anger of his own
membership,
from the Carey maneuvering which
vobbed IUE members of a. full
month's wage increase.
This. anger. ‘stems _
men’s compensation law. These
eorts . would include ' using al!
available influence on local politi-
cal groups. Among the improve-
ments outlined were the inereas-
ing of maximum benefits from $82
to $40: a week, the raising of the
badly inadequate sums allowed for
major, permanent disabilities, and
a provision to pay workers for time
lost in compensation courts. /
These were aniong the sugyes-
tions brought.to the conference by
UE 801 attorney Leon Novak,
Novak, one of the three major
speakers at the conference, told of
his experiences in handling hun- -
dreds of: compensiition , cases a
week. a, F
The other speakers were Russ
Nixon, UH national: legislative rep-
‘vesentative, and Clifford T. Me-
Avoy, who handled union legisla-
tive'problems in New York State.
Nixon warned the conference of «
the increasing attacks:-on the labor,
movement which. can be expected
iv the coming year from the new
administration. He asserted that
“united. political action by the en-
tire. Iubor movement is the only
“possible way for unions to defeat
the pliuns:of big business to destroy
“the rights of working men and
women,”
Among the important points
on the UE state legislative
program are establishment of
a $1.25. state minimum wage,
repeal of the Hughes-Brees
amendments, inereasing of
slate unemployment insurance
benefits to $40 a week, with an
additional $3 for each depend-
ent, turning the State equal
pay law into a really enforee-
able statute which would end
the “pay the women less”
racket, and a determined fight
to rediice taxation. for work-
ing people and to bar all in-
fringemetts on the.civil rights
of labor and the people of the
state...
On the national level,: the pro+
gram outlines a campaign to re-,
peal Taft-Hartley, end the wage
. freeze, establish ~ effective price
contyols,. pass a Fair Employment
“Practices act and to restore the
Bill of Rights to its full meaning.
In addition to this positive legis-:
lative program, this union and all
other unions will be faced with a
major defensive struggle. There
‘an be little doubt but that the
new, Congress will: seek to impose
many’ new anti-union laws on the
people, These laws must be.block-
ed if organized Inbor is to survive.
i
Friday, December 12,1952 * 3.
