The potters herald. [volume], November 06, 1941, Image 1

About The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982

Image provided by: Ohio History Connection, Columbus, OH

                
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POTTERY GUILD
ON WEST COAST
SIMILAR TO USPA
Conference, Standing And
Discharge Committees
Arranged
N. B. OF O. P. IS BOOSTED
Early Suspicion Is Broken
Down By Results In
Eastern States
The manufacturers on the Pacific
coast have organized an association
called the Pottery Guild. This or
ganization, under the direction of J.
J. Stein, industrial consultant of wide
experience in ceramics throughout the
nation, has been extremely active in
research in all matters pertaining to
the advancement of the industry in
the locality.
A milestone for the new organiza
tion as well as for the National
Brotherhood of Operative Potters was
reached October 23 when representa
tives of 20 clay production concerns
met in Los Angeles. Among the firms
represented were those with collective
bargaining arrangements with the N.
B. of 0. P. and a number of those
whose employes are not members of
this union.
After a thorough discussion of
employer-employe problems as affect
ing west coast plants, it was the con
sensus of opinion of all those present
that the methods in vogue in the east,
as practiced by the National Brother
hood of Operative Potters and the
United States Potters' Association
during the past 50 years had been
proven sound in the matter of de
veloping maximum production while
maintaining an excellent standard uf
quality.
Accordingly, in the best interests
Of both the employers and the em
ployes, it was concluded that this
group would become a party with the
Brotherhood in establishing in the
coastal area the complete arrange
ment as is now enjoyed in the dinner
#are *nbtel and restaurant chinaware
trade.
Arrangements were completed to
establish a standing committee for the
settlement of all disputes a dis
charge committee to review all dis
charge cases, and a regular biennial
joint wage conference. Conferees
would be selected by the subordinate
local unions of the territory and head
ed by Brotherhood officials. The
Guild would be represented by its ex
ecutives.
This is the fruition of the seed
Donee Scheduled
For Clarksburg
U. November
7
Plenty Of Work—Nearness
Of Christmas Fails To
Scare Potters
Clarksburg, W. Va.—The D. E. Mc
Nicol China Company is working full
time with some time and one-half be
ing paid the members of Local Union
No. 99. We are still working on the
Q. M. C. orders.
The firm has installed electric
water coolers throughout the shop,
which I am sure will be appreciated
by all of the workers.
Christmas is only four pays away
and no one has been crying about its
nearness this year, which is a sign
they have had a good year.
The potters of Local Union No. 99
will be holding their second dance of
the season November 7 at the Wil
low Beach night club from 9 until the
wee hours of the morning. From
downtown Clarksburg will come the
"Brown Buddies," Clarksburg's sun
tanned music masters, who will fur
nish the jive for dancing. Due to the
fact that this dance is only two days
after pay day all should have the ad
mission fee of 25 cents. If not, you
should see "Two-point" Ward, as he
seems to be the lifter of the boys'
financial worries.
The officers of our local union
would like to see more members take
an interest in their meetings. Some
of our members don't know when we
meet and others don't know where.
One of our members who answers to
the name of "Pug" knew where we
met, but not when. He went to the
meeting hall on an off night and soon
was surrounded by a group of coal
miners attending their meeting. He
finally woke up to the fact and pro
ceeded to leave feeling very much em
barrassed.
We would like to see more members
attend our meetings and also a larger
crowd at the gathering November 7.
It will be a bigger and better affair
than our last one and a good time is
guaranteed to all who attend. O. C.
New York, N. Y.—Organized labor
and fraternal organizations in Greater
New York, responding to the appeal
of Matthew Woll, A. F. of L. vice
president and chairman of the Amer
ican Labor Committee to Aid British
Labor "to strengthen the bonds of
fraternity with our brothers in Great
Britain by extending the hand of re
lief in their hour of need," have al
ready contributed $26,139.59 accord
ing to the committee.
This sum was contributed by brick
layers, carpenters, building service
employes, electrical workers, bakers,
beer drivers, cement and concrete
workers, jewelry workers, laundry
workers, lithographers, machinists,
musicians, operating engineers, sheet
metal workers, typographical work
ers, cloak makers, fraternal organi
zations, particularly the Workmen's
Circle and the Social Democratic Fed
eration.
ILO Conference Hears Two Programs
For Better World Order After The War
New York City.—A joint appeal for
the expansion of the world's developed
resources to create a good standard of
living for all nations was made by
Secretary of Labor Perkins and Mayor
Fiorello H. LaGuardia at the opening
session of the 1941 conference of the
International Labor Organization.
To the 160 delegates of 33 nations
who unanimously elected her confer
ence chairman, Miss Perkins said:
"We do not live in a world of fully
developed and unlimited resources.
We know that there is not enough cot
ton produced in the world for each
person to have the equivalent of three
shirts, two pairs of overalls, half a
dozen socks each year.
"Our problem is that of finding
some way to stretch existing re
sources and to develop new ones to
produce a more abundant life for peo
ple who have suffered the privations
of war, from Chungking to London."
Mayor LaGuardia said that the I.
Wage Act Has Increased Earnings
Of Well Over One Million Workers
Washington, D. C.—More than a
million of the nation's lowest paid,
sweated workers—many of whom had
toiled for starvation pay—have had
their earnings boosted to well above
30 cents an hour, thanks to the Wage
Hour Act.
That was one of the many remark
able gains cited on the occasion of
the third birthday of the law by Gen
eral Philip B. Fleming, its adminis
trator. Fleming listed these other im
pressive benefits:
"Hundreds of thousands of Ameri
can workers who once got so little for
their labor that they could not live
without charity or relief have been
made self-supporting.
"Responsible employers who pay
fair wages have been partially freed
from the competition of irresponsible
employers.-
New York Labor, Fraternal Units Give
$26,139 To Help Workers In Britain
Declaring that the "1941 Free
Convention Of Electrical Workers
Is Largest In History Of Union
St. Louis, Mo.—One of the nation's
strongest and most progressive labor
organizations, the International
Brotherhood of Electrical Workers,
opened the biggest convention in its
history here.
Nearly 1,300 delegates, from all
parts of the United States and Can
ada, as well as from Alaska, New
foundland, Hawaii and the Canal
Zone, were on hand when President
Ed J. Brown called the session to
order in the impressive Thomas Jef
ferson Hotel.
The convention marks the fiftieth
anniversary since the founding of the
Brotherhood by 10 courageous line
men in this very city.
When the international was born, it
had a total of 300 members. Today,
its rolls include far over 200,000.
Wages then averaged about $1.50 for
a 10-hour day. Now they are nearly
that much per hour. Electricity was
then in its infancy. Today it is the
nation's mightiest source of power.
This marvelous progress of both the
union and the industry will be drama
tized by a huge electrical exposition
at the Municipal Auditorium by Local
No. 1, the first to be chartered by the
Brotherhood.
Every phase of the giant electrical
industry is represented by exhibits,
and government power agencies, such
as the Tennessee Valley Authority
L. O.'s job was to set a living stand
ard for all countries and that the job
"has got to be done in terms of 'ros
braten,' spaghetti, goulash and beef
steak."
The LaGuardia plan, as he sug
gested it:
"The formula for the reconstruc
tion of destroyed areas in Europe is
very simple: I would make the Nazis
rebuild everything that they de
stroyed."
"The world cannot continue in peace
with some countries prospering and
other countries hungry. Nature has
provided sufficient food to satisfy all
now work out the formulas and
insure centuries of peace and happi
ness."
The Perkins formula:
"The three fields in which there
must be a great extension are those
of health, nutrition, and housing.
There can be no excuse for inadequate
curative and preventive medical serv-
"More than a hundred million dol
lars additional is being paid to labor
this year because of this law.
"The reasonable and just principle
that extra long hours of work should
be paid for with extra overtime pay
has been firmly established.
"In enforcing the law, we have
made employers pay about $16,000,000
in back wages legally due to about
500,000 workers."
The Wage- Hour Administration
plans to make the 40-cent "bottom
universal in industries covered by the
act, as rapidly as possible, Fleming
declared.
The administrator stressed the fact
that the law hasn't been a boon solely
for the employes.
"Employers seem to have profited
from the law quite as much as the
workers," he said.
Labor Fund is an obligation which Or
ganized labor has assumed volun
tarily," Mr. Woll said: "We have al
ways been in the forefront of the
struggle against totalitarianism and
know how closely our fate as trade
unionists is tied up with those who
are fighting Nazism and Fascism
abroad. In addition to providing the
tools of defense for these active
fighters, labor has undertaken to re
lieve the sufferings of the civilians,
particularly the workers and their
families in the countries now engaged
in war against the axis powers and
suffering from their unbridled horrors
of the axis aggressions.
"I urge labor everywhere to work
as hard and to contribute in propor
tion as New York labor is doing, since
we all recognize that our future as
trade unionists and as Americans will
be the same wherever we may live in
so far as Hitler's aggressions are con
cerned."
and the Rural Electrification Admin
istration, are also participating.
The convention will be the first in
12 years, and for that reason will
have a record amount of business to
transact. It won't be surprising if un
friendly newspapers and other foes of
unions make adverse comment about
the lapse of time since the last con
clave, but the explanation is simple.
Shortly after the 1929 convention
the worst depression in history de
scended on the nation. Nevertheless,
officers of the Brotherhood felt that
conventions should be held each four
years, as provided by the constitution.
They so recommended to the locals,
but each time the proposal was made
it was turned down, because many
members were out of work and local
unions' funds were too low to meet
their share of convention expenses.
In all, five referenda were held on
the subject, and the vote was nega
tive in each case, up to the present
convention. In the interval, the Ex
ecutive Council efficiently transacted
the union's business, but many impor
tant matters were submitted to mem
bers for their decision by referendum.
Despite the severe economic crisis,
the Brotherhood not only held its
ranks firmly, but steadily advanced,
and today its membership is three
times as great as at the last conven
tion. Financially, the organization is
in an unusually sound position.
Official Organ
the 'National Brotherhood of Operative Potters
EAST LIVERPOOL, OHIO, THURSDAY, N
Gray Denounces
Currier Bid As
Plot To Raid AFL
Exposes Anti-Labor Record
Of Firm Choices CIO Ib
Working Below Scale
Washington, D. CL—Testimony be
fore the Senate Committee investigat
ing defense contracts exposed the
"sweetheart agreement" between the
Currier Lumber Company and the
CIO Construction Workers' Union as
a plot to harass the A. F. of L. build
ing trades unions and to embarrass
the national defense construction pro
gram.
Facts submitted to the committee
by Richard J. Gray, acting president
of the A. F. of L. Building and Con
struction Trades Department, dis
closed that the Currier firm has a
long record of anti-labor practices
which should effectively bar it from
receiving any Government contract.
Mr. Gray took up one by one the
charges made before the committee
by A. D. (Denny) Lewis, little brother
of John L. Lewis, and head of the
paper union known as the United Con
struction Workers (CIO), and punc
tured the arguments put forward in
support of the raiding tactics of this
organization.
In view of the whole record of ob
struction to the defense program en
gineered by John L. ^Lewis and the
obvious fact that Denny Lewis is his
brother's willing tool, the Currier in
cident was regarded by informed per
sons as merely another in the chain
of attempts by the Lewis coterie in
the CIO to get President Roosevelt
and the defense program into hot
water.
Mr. Gray warmly defended the role
of Sidney Hillman, Associate Director
of the OPM, in helping to bring about
the stabilization agreement entered
into by the A. F. of L. building trades
unions with Government defense
agencies. He denied this agreement
gave the A. F. of L. unions a mon
opoly on defense Construction jots
and "^proved -4h*t i*%fge number of
these projects were awarded to non
union contractors.
Mr. Gray also submitted proof that
the rejected Currier bid for a housing
project in Detroit was not $400,000
lower than the next lowest bidder. He
showed that the actual difference was
only $216,000 and added significantly:
"If the committee prefers to inves
tigate this point further, it would be
interesting for them to subpoena from
the Social Security Board the records
of the social security taxes paid on
the employes of the Currier Lumber
Company. This would, to say the
least, establish one particular point—
that is, what were the wage rates paid
by the Currier Company to their so
called 'union employe??' I have heard
it alleged that the wages paid their
miil workers ranged from 60 to 70
cents an hour in most cases. If this
is so, that is from 20 to 30 cents be
low the wage customarily paid by em
ployers of union labor for mill work
ers in the Detroit area and would, in
a certain degree, account for some of
the difference of the questioned $216,
000.
"In view of the large publicity
given in the public press and by radio
commentators to this matter and the
fact that the difference in the bids
was freely stated as being $430,000, I
think that the committee owes it to
(Turn to Page Two)
New Scale Won By
Local Union No. 140
Louthan Co. Grants In
creases To Employes Fol
lowing Request
Members of Local Union No. 140
of the National Brotherhood of Op
erative Potters were granted wage in
creases as a result of a series of con
ferences held with their employers,
the officials of the Louthan Manufac
turing Company.
The present two-year pact, signed
January 2, 1941, was reopened upon
the, request of the Brotherhood mem
bers exercising the regular 60-day re
opening clause contained in the
agreement. The new scale will go
into effect the pay beginning Novem
ber 16.
Members employed on hourly wage
will receive from three to seven and
one-half cents per hour increase
while all piece work employes with
the exception of those on stilts, spurs,
etc., will receive a flat four per cent
over the present rate. Any increase
for the excepted articles will depend
upon results of negotiations in other
shops.
The friendly relationship which has
always marked the attitude existing
between this company and its em
ployes remains unchanged.
Fleming Hits Any
Proposed Increase
Of Working Hours
Favors "Workable" Pay
Stabilization Program*
Hits Pay "Freezing"
Seattle, Wash. (ILNS).—A pay
standardization plan was suggested,
"wage freezing" emphatically con
demned and proposals for lengthening
the workweek to more than 40 hour
sharply criticized, in an address pre
pared for delivery here by Gen. Philip
B. Fleming, administrator of the
wage-hour law.
Standardization of wages for the
national defense emergency could be
put into effect through the use of the
industry committee process which has
been found successful by the Wage
and Hour Division of the U. S. Labor
Department in setting minimum
wages by wage order, Fleming said.
The address was read by Baird Sny
der, deputy administrator of the
Wage and Hour Division, before the
Pacific Logging Congress.
"I am opposed to wage control, if
by wage control is meant the 'freez
ing* of the wage structure at a level
existing at some particular prior
period," General Fleming wrote. "To
'freeze' wages is to freeze as well all
the wage injustices and inequalities
now existing. But you can't 'freeze'
the discontent and resentment of the
man in one factory who is being paid
far less than a man in some other fac
tory doing exactly the same kind of
work.
"I am, however, in favor of a
reasonable and workable program of
wage stabilization, which is a far dif
ferent thing. A program of that kind
should start by first ironing out exist
ing inequalities and injustices, and it
should involve also the necessity of
adjustments from time to time to in
creases in the cost of living.
"If a program of this kind is to be
attempted—and I do not believe any
thing short of it will meet the situa
tion—I would modestly suggest that
the Wage and Hour Division of the
Department of Labor has perfected a
mechanism that can well be adapted
to the purpose. I refer to the indus
try committee process which we have
used so successfully in raising mini-
IT urn to Pagr Two)
Ford Breaks Labor
Law Unions Charge
Advantage Is Given Lewis
Union In Election Drive,
NLRB Told
Washington, D. C. (ILNS).—The
Ford Motor Company has violated the
National Labor Relations Act by
favoring the Congress of Industrial
Organizations in various ways, 14
American Federation of Labor local
unions charge in a complaint to the
National Labor Relations Board.
In the middle of October the NLRB
ruled that the union shop contract
made by the Ford company and the
CIO United Automobile Workers was
no bar to an election asked by the
A. F. of L. The effect of this ruling
v. as to deprive the CIO of that part of
the contract covering 14 Ford feeder
plants in Michigan, for the agreement
had covered all Ford plants, though an
election, won by the CIO, had been
conducted in only two plants the big
River Rouge and Lincoln factories.
As no collective bargaining election
had been held in the feeder plants
where the A. F. of L. contended it had
a majority of the employes, the labor
board agreed to an election, which was
set for Oct. 29.
In view of the charge of the A. F.
of L. unions, Joseph A. Padway, A. F.
of L. general counsel, filed a request
that the labor board postpone indefi
nitely the election, pending the board's
investigation of the complaint.
The complaint accuses the Ford
company of a number of violations of
the labor act in the period previous to
the election date. It is charged that
supervisory employes in the 14 plants
"talked up" the CIO and "talked
down" the A. F. of L. and threatened
A. F. of L. members with penalties if
they did not vote for the CIO.
It is also charged that the company
permitted the CIO to post union bulle
tins in the 14 plants and to have with
held permission for the A. F. of L. to
post similar bulletins on union activi
ties.
Other Violations Charged
CIO employes, according to the A.
F. of L. charges, were permitted to
go through the plants freely on com
pany time and urge employes to vote
for their organization, while that priv
ilege was denied A. F. of L. members.
When the automobile company made
its closed-shop contract with the CIO
in June there was pending a request
(Turn to Page Two)
He raid
DVEMBER 6, 1941 $2 00 PER YEAR
Sanitary Wages Upped
Per Cent Past Two
Months
The adjustments were made by ne
gotiations between the various man
agements and local union committees
headed by Vice President E. L.
Wheatley in separate shop confer
ences. The increases became effective
in the different plants from Septem
ber 20 to October 16.
A new exclusive bargaining con
tract has been signed by Manager
Rex Lutton of Camden Universal
plant with Local No. 50 which con
tains, in addition to the increase in
wages, features such as a Monday to
Friday 40-hour week, time and one
half for overtime after eight hours
in one day and for Saturday, double
time for Sundays and seven holidays,
a renewal of the one-week vacation
with pay clause.
Recently the Camden management
adopted the two-shift method of cast
ing tanks, granting a 10 per cent in
crease to casters who work at night.
This is the first written agreement ob
tained with the Universal and a sim
ilar contract is about to be signed
with the same company and Local Xo.
133 of New Castle.
The provisions and arrangements
were made October 21 with Mr. Rad
ford Crane of the Eljer Company to
"renew the closed shop contract which
was in effect prior to the recent in
creases which are retroactive from
October 21. The present vacation pro
vision will continue with the under
standing that a new vacation clause
will be negotiated between Local No.
102 and the Eljer Company no later
than March 1,1942. The stoppage of
work that occurred during the de
liberations with the Eljer Company
which was not due directly to the
wage situation was rectified and both
parties to the agreement are in ac
cord and functioning under the new
pact.
An agreement signed during Sep
tember with the Canadian Potteries
Ltd. of St. Johns, Canada, marks the
first time such a relationship has oc
(Turn to Page TVJO)
Costs Up Required
Amount, Says LU 59
Taxes Boost Prices Enough
For Reopening Believes
Sebring Local
Sebring, Ohio.—Local Union No.
59's membership was very much sur
prised by the presence of Seventh
Vice President Charles Jordan at the
last meeting. He gave some very in
teresting information on the organiz
ing activities of the Brotherhood dur
ing the past few months. We are al
ways pleased to see Charlie at our
meetings since we consider him our
own member of the Board. We have
never doubted for a minute his ability
to fill this position and from all in
dications he is living up to our ex
pectations.
Our members are becoming very
much concerned over the rising cost
of living. From all sides one hears
the inquiry, when are we going to
have a reopening of the agreement?
Evidently the question is well taken
and has been in the minds of a ma
jority of our members for sometime
since the local has voted unanimously
for a reopening at the earliest pos
sible date.
We believe the ten per cent in
crease in cost of living which our last
convention limited us to before we
could ask for another wage increase
has been reached. However, the cost
of food, clothing, rent and fuel—the
things most of us consider when
thinking of the cost of living—are not
the only things to be considered. All
too often we overlook some of the
other costs, such as taxes, transpor
tation, upkeep of property and so
forth. We especially forget taxes
which have been levied and, accord
ing to the information we get, more
will be levied in the very near future.
These alone will pass the ten per
cent limit by a considerable margin.
(Turn to Page Two)
NBOP's Convention Delegates
Attend Joint Coast Meeting
Brotherhood Gains
In East Are Noted
Increased wages of approximately
seven per cent on total payrolls have
been negotiated in conferences held
with the Universal Sanitary Pottery
Company of Camden and New Castle,
the Eljer Pottery in Ford City, Tren
ton Potteries Company of Trenton
(Equitable Plant), and the Canadian
Potteries Ltd. of St. Johns, Quebec,
all manufacturers of vitrified china
bathroom fixtures.
Sunday, October 26
PRESmENTAD VISES
Assures Coast Potters They
Will Have Proper
Service
El Cerrito, Calif.—History was
made in the potting industry of Cali
fornia when fifty delegates from the
state's eight locals held a joint meet
ing at Paso Robles, Sunday, October
26. The meeting had been postponed
from October 5 to enable President
James M. Duffy, Second Vice Presi
dent Frank Hull, Eighth Vice Presi
dent Joshua Chadwick-, and Ray
Dickey of L. U. 24 to attend.
Brother Bill Bailey acted as chair
man of the meeting, the purpose of
which was to formulate plans to
further the aims and purposes of the
organization. Unquestionably a closer
cooperation in solving our problems
will result. Each of the fifty delegates
were called upon to state the condi
tions in his shop and particularly that
branch of the trade that he repre
sented.
President Duffy answered all ques
tions and advised the delegates on
ways and means to improve the con
ditions. He is also to make a report to
the Executive Board upon his return
east and it is certain that the Cali
fornia area will receive proper recog
nition in the future.
President Duffy further compli
mented the delegates on the earnest
manner in which they have been car
rying the banner of the National
Brotherhood of Operative Potters,
stressing the inevitable accomplish
ment.- of the future providing the
coast membership continues to dis
play the same high type enthusiasm/
Advancements made appeared
greatly impress the national presi-' V
dent who brought out in his talk that
it is much better to obtain 98 per cent
of the aims and objectives of the or
ganization while retaining the friend
ly feeling and open door for negotia
tions than to force the issue for 100
per cent and jeopardize the funda
mentals of collective bargaining. He
climaxed his remarks by declaring
that the problems of the west coast
members will always be the concern
of all members of the Brotherhood
and definitely said that proper service
would be available when necessary to
preserve the best interests of the
Brotherhood's Pacific coast personnel.
Brothers Hull and Chadwick gave a
report of recent coastal developments
which was of special interest to the
delegates. Our three national officers
gave sound advice and certainly em
phasized the principles of organized
labor with particular stress placed
upon the policies of the National
Brotherhood of Operative Potters
which have made this organization
the outstanding representative of
labor in America.
Ray Dickey, delegate to the Ameri
can Federation of Labor convention in
Seattle, produced a straight-from-the
shoulder talk, characteristic of mem
bers of the organization when over
whelmed with some new experience
such as attending the sessions of the
Federation.
It was with regret that we had to bid
these brothers goodby but their sound
advice and counsel was inspiring to
all of us and renewed our confidence
in our leaders. As one brother so
aptly put it, "Thank God for leader#
who are not cheap racketeers, striv
ing for self aggrandizement and
drunken with power but men whose
one purpose is the advancement of
our organization and the elevation of
our trade." We sincerely wish that
the members of our Executive Board
and especially Brother Duffy could
visit us more often.
Everything seems to be under con
trol at the El Cerrito shop. There is
more business than we can handle at
the present itme however the firm is
constructing a two-story building
where most of the clay shop will be
moved. A new kiln is also under con
struction. Committees are very busy,
putting over the insurance plan
which, at this writing, looks as
though it will be accepted almost 100
per cent.
Local 165 sends greetings to the
entire trade. O. C. 165.
CORRECTION
In the tabulation of the vote on the
increase for the office of president of
the National Brotherhood of Oper
ative Potters there appears two list
ings for Local Union No. 59. The first
should be Local Union No. 50.
1