Santa With anion Label...
E-0 Local 301 Served |
ne
~ Merry Christmas...
Santa Claus took over the
Mont Pleasant .High Schoo!
auditorium’ last Sunday, .di
tributing over.three tons
candy and gifts for the ki
. dies. Pictured on this page
are some of the record crowd
of over 7,000 children in at.
tendance. Santa and his help-
ers on 301’s Activities Com-
mittee were kept busy from
9:00 am. to 9:00 p.m. to
carry out the affair success-
fully. Many members ex-
pressed their pride that Local
301 took this time spreading
Christmas cheer, while en-
gaged all year’ in the job of
improving the living condi-
tions of Schenectady workers
and their families.
18
ae
weer saree
Re Se
. yaign of disruption by confus-
“ems affecting G.E. workers.
fo All Our Union Members and Their Familie
The Voice’ of GE Workers, Local 301, Schenectady, N. Y.
December 31, 1954
THING TO THI
Taken from. the last Verse of the “Boulware Bible” as to
how Lemuel proposes to lead the poor working men: and
women out of the bulrushes and into the swamp, the G.E.
’ Works News. of Dec. 17 published an article entitled “Some-
thing to Think About”. .
Phe article attempted to cover up the real plans of Gen-
eral Electric by featuring the Union as the “Big Bad Wolf”.
The Works News article could have been given a more ap-
propriate title, such as “Some Things We Don’t Talk About”.
4,000 Jobs to Move Out
The article was very defensive and tried to show the com-
munity the GE. was anxious to have Schenectady a pros:
perous town, because they plan to spend a sum of money over
the next five years in improvement of sewage systems and
expansion of their laboratories that will give very little, if any,
work to local people. However, during the next two years,
they will not tell the community the following:
1, Pouring of foundations and erection of steel has
begun for the Industry Control’s large new plant
at Roanoke, Virginia, (This means 1,500 Jobs leay-
ing Schenectady.
lost each week.) |
> O U TT"
(This means 60,000 man hours
At Waynesboro, Virginia, Specialty Control De-
partment plant construe
schedule. Both office
ally one month ahe
December 1, 195:
Schenectady or another
week, )
tion progress is ahead of
and factory were substanti-
ad of schedule to be completed
(This means 500 jobs leaving
20,000 man-hours lost each
Work is well under Way for general prading and
foundations for the proposed new plant and depart-
ment headquarters of the Industrial H ‘ating De-
partment at Shelbyville, Indiana. Bids are under
way presently for a super-structure which em-
braces approximately 171,000 sq. ft. of manufac-
turing space. (This means another 500 jobs leaving
Schenectady or another
week.
20,000 man hours lost exch
In Bloomington, UL, the buildings are completed to
house the General Purpose Control Department.
(This means another 1,500 jobs Ieaving Schenee-
tady or another 60,000 man hours exch week.)
National ULE.
Plans Campaign
Of Disruption
U.E. announced last week
that they will start a cam.
ps the issues on any prob-
In a paper distributed at the
Subway Gate on December 21 -
by National organizers, U.E.
advised the G.E. workers to
follow the plan to stop trans-
fer of jobs that was used in
the A.S.R. Safty Razor plant
in Brooklyn, N.Y. They say,
adopt a slogan: “Not one
wheel ‘will turn until com.
pany stops transfer of jobs.”
They called avstrike in A.S.R.
——.
HELP
Wastes
SCIENTIST]
ONLY ye
(Continued on Page 2)
The Works News talked
about spending 80 million dol-
lars over a period of five years
on improving’ the’ drainage
system as an outstanding
contribution to our commun-
ity, The real problem of drain.
age ean be better understoad
When you convert the lost
jobs in terms of wages and
loss of purchasing power in
our community, 4,000 jobs
equal a weekly payroll af ayy:
proximately $280,000) or a
yearly payroll of 15 million,
In fact the millions of los!
payroll and purchasing powe1
to many communities ‘ean be
vharged to the ‘General Elee-
tric decentralization program
which is briefly explained in «
statement made by a General
Electric executive, A. FP. Vin-
son, Vice-President of Manu-
(Continued on Page 3)
“These Boy Scouts
Were Prepared
This story is based on an actuai
. happening and the names. hate nol.
‘been changed.
When Billy Seott went ice fish-
“ing Saturday, December 18th, ne
one, knew that his training.'as a
Cub Scout, coupled with two trained
Boy. Scouts, would play a part in
saving his. life.
- Seoutmister Caprara had taken
“some o Scouts ice fishing also,
Two of them, Peter Bernardi and
James Dayolio, dv, were returning
to shore for gear when they heard
Billy’s shouts, While Billy kept a
level head, the Seouts rushed to
form.a human chain to reach him
with, one of their jackets. The
water was about 7 feet deep wher
the ice had given way under his
weight. é
Bro, Caprara is Scoutmaster of
Troop G1, sponsored by Our Lady
of Mt. Carmel Church, and works
in Bldg. 69. The. boys’ dads are
also all members of IUE Local
301: Charles Seott, Bldg. 66; Peter
Bernardi, Bldg.»2738, and .James
Davolio, Sry Bidge-73.
Motor Generator
Contract Violation
Can a former Shop Steward
and Executive Board Member
forget the provisions of the
Contract when the Company
makes him a foreman? Ap-
parently Joe Belak could. Mr.
Belak has been a foreman for
. some time now in Bldg. 60,
Large Motor-Generator Divi-
sion.
When Shop Steward R.
Ginac approached Mr. Belak
for an answer to a written
grievance, he was told to
refer to the Contract. Article
XUI, 2 (a) (2) requires that
the foreman give his answer
within one working day after
presentation of the grievance,
or advise that additional time
is needed, in which case the
answer must be given withir,
one week thereafter. This had
not been done.
This arbitrary attitude on
the part of Large Motor-Gen-
erator Division toward griev-
ances has been brought to the
attention of plant manage-
ment in the past. Inexperi-
ence is certainly: not the ex-
cuse for the Company rep-
resentative in this case. Ob.
Viously, it is a result of lack
cf authority through Decen
tralization as the Union has
stated previously — it should
be no mystery to’ Company
officials as to the cause of the
resulting labor trouble.
Peter Bernardi, William Scott and James Davolio, Jr., who
participated in the ice rescue December 18th are Shown with
Scoutmaster . Elmer Caprara.
National UE.
Plans Campaign
Of Disruption.
(Continued from Page Ly
In another seciton of the
same paper they plead—don’t
buy A.S.R. products, the com. «
pany fired 1400 U.E. members
with service ranging up to 40
years; closed their plant and
moved South. The entire
paper consisted of similar
contradictions with some suk.
tle political twists included.
The issue served notice to
the Schenectady G.E. work.
ers that National U.E. is
again about to start spread-
ing rumors, lies and distor.
tions. While they will talk of
saving jobs for G.E. workers,
they are actually battling
desperately to save their own
jobs — to further their own
interests.
SCENE AT CHRISTMAS:
Part of the crowd that,
made a success. of TUK
Local °301’s annual mem-
bership Christmas Party.
Dominick Gentile and Allen
Townsend collected the
door prizes,
Retroactive
Adjustment Won
On. 11/30/54, — Foreman
Pugliese, Bldg. 77, demoted
Robert Fuller from Class “A”
Electrician to Accumulator
for alleged incompetence.
When the matter came to
the attention of the Union
representative, a case was
brought up to management to
correct the injustice.
The case was investigated
by Union representatives Wil-
liam Templeton, Charles Fer-
ris, George Diemer and L.
Galliger, "The facts as they
found them convinced man-
agement that Bro. Fuller
should be returned to the job.
Management agreed to re-
store the Class “A” Elec-
trican rate to Bro, Fuller, ef.
fective 11/30/54, with full re-
troactive adjustment in rate.
WE Organizes
The Unorganized
‘In. its: persistent drive to
organize. the . unorganized,
IUE-CIO. was | victorious, in
O
three small shops. within’ one
week’s period this month.
On December’ 16 ‘at the.” e
Humphryes Manufacturing
Co., Mansfield, Ohio, IUE won
bargaining rights by a vote-of
188 for IUE against 160 for
uo union. Three ballots were
challenged. This shop had
once been UE, but a no strike
clause was used by the com-
pany to break the strike and:
the union by firing the leader-
ship.
On December 17 IUE won
its 62nd GE local, the GE
Service Shop in St... Louis.
Formerly UE Local 818, this
shop is now chartered as IUE
Local 818. UE pulled off the
ballot there and the result
was 47 for IUE,° 1 no union
and 2 void.
On December 21 dnother
dent was made in the South
with an IUE victory at Atlan-
ta, Georgia, the Elliott Adr,
dressing Company. Here tht:
vote was 40 for IUE against ~
27 for no union.
These examples of acca
victories were in’ small. shops,
proving the thoroughness of
IUE-CIO’s drive on unorgan- .
ized shops. Many - of these
plants are scheduled to em-:
ploy thousands in the near
future and are important An
that respect. .
Meanwhile UE continues
its miserable failure ‘in this
mest important job: of trade
unionism, while IUE-C1O con-
tinues. to pile up. victories,
large and small shops regard-
less.
Alabama Paper
Refuses CIO Ad
The CIO Textile Workers,
conducting an. organizing
campaign at the Avondale
Mills in Sylacauga, Ala.
placed an ad in the town
paper, the Advance. The {
and the money were accepteu-"”
and then the publisher, W. A.
Moody, Jr., cancelled the deal.
- His alibi: He “knew the mill
owners’ stand against unions,
and did not want to mess with
union advertising.”
In. protesting, Boyd E. Pay- .- -
“ton, the union’s southern or-
ganizing director, wrote
Moody that the latter evident-
ly feared to let his readers
know. about unions even in the
_advertising columns.
: Something to :
&
Think About . oe
(Continued from Page 1)
acturing, in a Meeting held in
Schenectady in April 1954.
“Asa matter-of fact, 55 per-
cent, of our people are in only: .
“1 plant. cities where we em-
--ploy10,000 to 40,000 (Sche-
-hectady,
Lynn, Erie, Pitts-
field,, Syracuse, and Fort
Wayne). So far as decentrali-
zation of people we have
merely scratched the surface.
So. ‘we may expect to hear.
“more of G.E. plants like Ed-
more,
“Michigan; Limerick,
Maine; Jonesboro, Arkansas;
Linton, Indiana and Waynes-
. bero, Virginia.”
‘The .Works News article
stated it wondered how busi-
hess might consider Schenec.’
tady as a location for future
s Jobs,..We wonder too—why
should ° ‘small business locate
in Schenectady when big busi-
~ ness, such as. G.E., moves out
¢ :
to take advantage of low
-Wage communities,
Don’t:blame labor trouble—
the record speaks for itself—
ote strike in 18 years.
; ) The real attitude of G.E. on
jobs and community interest
‘is ‘best expressed by another
executive who attended the
April 1954 meeting that was
held in: Schenectady. “Right
here, suppose we bury a dan-
‘gerous fallacy, which is being
voiced by many business men
and by many labor leaders
and politicians, that it is the
function of business to fur-
nish JOBS. From the eco-
nomic and from the engineer-
-ing angle, such a statement is
sheer ‘nonsense. Rather it is
the function of ‘sound indus-
_ trial management continually
‘to DECREASE
the number
of nian hours required to pro-
duce a given amount of out-
“put.”
The Works News says mis-
representation of issues — to
. this we reply, the above is a
matter of record taken from
G.E. publications, and on the
question of misrepresentation
we suggest the article di-
rected at. a Union official’ in
.December 17 issue of the
forks News be awarded the
prize of the year for distor-
tion of fact. Make it a bou-
quet of scallions. ‘
WE-ClO LOCAL 301 NEWS
”. QRRICIAL ORGAN OF LOCAL 201,
REPRESENTING SCHENECTADY
GE WORKERS
Published by tho Editorlat Committee
Rocording: Secretary...
* Asa't. Recording Sacratary___-Rudy Rtssland
Chief Shop Steward wll Mastelanl
Businass Agent 10 yandreny
Le
SCHENECTADY 5, N.Y.
vhas filed a
machine man,
301 LIBERTY ST.
UE Local 301 handles ihou-
sands. of grievances at all levels
each. year,
examples of cases, not settled at
steward-foreman level, to be pro-
cessed at management level.
Rdg. 273: Ivan Barnes has been
refused payment for Thanksgiving
holiday in violation
Article VII-4-(1). Shop Steward
R. Serafford has filed a case for
proper payment.
Bldg. 273: William Vetter, Large
Layout, has not been offered prop-
er bump when reached on lack of
work, Union demands: proper
placement.
Bldg. 273: Shop Steward A. Ko-
tarski has filed a grievance pyo-
testing the improper displacement
of Louis Pannone, Lathe Operator
with 31 years of service.
Bldy. 273: Shop Steward J. Alois
grievance to secure
proper bump for William Powers,
Planer Operator, reached on lack *
of work.
Bldg. 60: Group under Shop
Steward C. MeCabe demand equal
distribution of work .among all
three shifts,
’ Bldg. 49: Group under Shap
Steward G. Smith protest foreman
doing production work, Union -de-
mands this practice be corrected at
one.
These are just @ few |
of Contract, |
E-ClO 301
On the J
Bldg. 269: Shop Steward L.
King has filed a grievance to se-
cure upgrading for the longest
service employee on recent open:
Camera
ing on Exhaust job in
Tube Section. @
Bldg. 269: Group under Shop
Steward. R. Nedvidek protest su-
pervision’s attempt to have handy-
man perform. painting, drilling and
grinding, Union demands manage-
ment investigate and correct situ-
ation, immediately.
Local 301 !UE-CiO
‘SHOP STEWARDS |
MEETING
Monday, Jan: .3,1955
2nd Shift
1:00 P.M.
(Bofore Werk):
Ast and ‘3rd Shifts
7:30: P.M,
LOCAL 301 HALL
Reports’ of. Committees
Regular Order of Business
“EXECUTIVE, BOARD
LOCAL 301 IUE-CIO..
Greedy NAM Plans To Seek
More Tax Cuts
More tax cuts — for th
rich. That's the program o
the National Association of
Manufacturers, as revealed
by Fred Maytag, the washing
who heads a
special NAM committee. on
taxation.
Maytag told the 1954 Con-
gress of American Industry.
and NAM whizzbang, that.
now is the time to “make a
direct frontal assault” on the
present tax system, which he
said ‘was taken out of the
book ‘of Karl Marx.”
For the Rich
é ‘NAM is. no\
ie, drum: fora five-year plan.
place’ a ceiling of 35 per
nt:on federal income -taxes.
nder present tax rates, this
would:mean a loss to’ Uncle
Sam.of ‘about $8.4. ‘billion.
That loss will have to be made
up. somewhere. A national
sales tax?. Well, Maytag
didn’t spell that out, but
that’s. wines the NAM has
been ‘advocating . for some
time “now. And’ whom does 2
sales ‘tax hit? ‘You guessed it.
It’s yothe |
Plastic Consumers
Discussing the
automation in a new auto
plant ‘in Cleveland, CIO Presi-
cent Walter Reuther told the
JUE-CIO District 8 subregion
meeting that he was shown
how an engine block was
bored and shaped in 13,
minutes, whereas before it
used to. take, 12 hours, When. .
the plant manager boasted of
this efficiency Reuther com-
mented: “Now what you neet
is a parallel line producing
plastic consumers to buy the
products of the first.
incredible
nent
Jerry Eigata, Bldg. 56
oe .
Our. Loval’s record. of. vespuns!-
bility, one: ike in 18 years, is
one the metiibers .are proud of.
Letter wiiting won't solve labor
troubles, negotiations in good faith
und authority to enrry out setlle-
re heeded.
Membership Meeting Dec. 20
John J: Murray, Bldg. 107
No Contract—No. Work in 1955, °
will be -the’ members’ answer to
Boulware propaganda ‘letters. No
letters “can. cover up Company
plans to. double production with
the same number of workers, or
even less.
. Anthony. Maddalone, Bldg. 52
Predicting want and ton for
Schenectady because some mem-
bers take an hour off to vote seams
pretty ridiculous. Mr. Stevens
should answer the question of what
is to happen to the 4,000 workers
the Company has slated to Jose
their jobs.
Al Cadger,
Bide. ae
Decentralization in Schenectady
GJS. has pretty obviously made the
“ant Manager? .a figurehead in
lubor relations, Our financial re-~
ports show thousands of dollars
paid in lost time to bring eases
to his attention. He should have
the authority to make settlements.
Deminick Freseatore, Bldg. 56
With. the.stock market. soarings.
to new heights, Union contracts ©
guaranteeing wage levels,-are one
bulwark against depression. Yer
Ce; tells people they don’t -need a
union -— what's) the’ Company's
object t
+
s
5 ‘ :
PO IE Ee Prt ek & B, eter as oF.
+ eee
~~ Executive Board ©
Election Jan. 5th
Notice went out in the
tails this week to all Show
Stewards of the coming elec.
lien for xecutive Beard
members on January) Sth.
The elections will be held at
Vhion Hall on Mie Blvd. ane
Liberty St. under the super
visienrral the TUM Loeal-3ad
lection Comunittes, Phe Jer.
tes onotiiy: cach steward: os
Teoctime the eleetion wilh be
helel for Board Member ct dis
section,
Candidates for Board Meni.
ber must bea Shep Steward
with a tutal experience as a
steward of at) least six
months. The successful) ean-
didates will serve a one “Your
term until January 1, 1956,
Kach steward will be paid
lost-time by the Union for the
time involved in coming to the
Union Hall to cast his ballot
The Local's Constitution does
Not permit: proxies or. substi
Lute stewards to cast ballots,
Results of the election will be
published in the TUER-CIOQ
Local 201 News,
re
u
Injured Workers Must Report All
Accidents Promptly _
This article deals with an
aspect of compensation which
is so important that it ean
make the difference between
having full) protection under
the law after an aecident has,
iehen place or of having to:
procection af all. Phe subjee
is Chat of notifying your fore:
or the G1 Hospital about.
ccldent immediately after
troenecident has taken place,
He makes no difference how
small the accident may be.
everyone knows that serious
consequences can result) from
even small accidents. 1f you
fail to report a small accident
and then claim a year or two
later that you have a serious
condition from an unreported
accident, it is natural for even
honest men to find it hard ta
believe that vou had an acci-
dent at all. On the other hand,
ho one is hurt if you report
every accident pramptly even
elf vou do not need treatment
immediately or even at all. AL
least you have made a reeerd
that the accident has taken
place and no one cin say later’
that you are trying ta make
Wp feof frets tosuit a eain-
pensation claim,
Do net forget this rule, Pe.
every aecident promptly
it-cecurs!
WELTINGS ReGuLARcy
Support Strikes,
Cardinal Tells Wives
When a worker is on strike.
the wife's place is to back him
up, Cardinal Bernard Griffia
fold a Young Christian Work-
ers’ rally in London,
“Families must stand to-
gether and the wife must
share the burden with her
husband,” he told a girls’
meeting.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS: Some
of the groups are shown
here that
attended) TUE,
Local 30Us Christmas
Party December 18th.
Musie was
furnished hy
Tony Villano’s orchestra,
Congratulations to. t he
Comunittee on an excellent
Jeb,
Balloting in Shops
Elects Stewards
John Saccocig, Chairman a’
HUE Loeal SAMs Ketion
Committee, reported ta thi
executive Board last Monchias
night on the results of th
Shop Stewards elections held
in the plant December 1) ind
If,
Approsimately 906. of the
heecals Shop Stewards wer
reelected, an indication of ty
membersnip’s confidence jr:
thei TU Staverds’ handlin
of their grievances this pas
your "Press iembkers, alone
With Stews of other HIP
Locals throurhout the coun
try, will continue to enforce
the Contract, and in 1955 wiil
carry out the pelicies set hy
the membership and their
elected lenders.
The 25-man [lection Con’
mittee with only a few ¢ COP:
tions, succeeded in carrying
out the plant elections in the
lwo days designated for over
600 Shop Stewards. Prepara.
lions are already underway &
conduct the Executive Boar:
election on January 5th,
