The potters herald. [volume], July 20, 1950, Image 1

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

Image provided by: Ohio History Connection, Columbus, OH

                
b-1
1$
1
'7,
,HBR
A.
#£,*’T *f WASHINGTON,
a, ,.
Mm
District Potters
Back On The Job
After Vacations
District potters employed at the
Homer Laughlin China Co., Edwin
M. Knowles China Co. and the Hall
China Co. returned to work this
week after a two-week shutdown
for vacations which begun on July
The three firms which issued
■f* $280,000 in
vapatiqn chwjX^jHW’
pended operations to five all em
ployees vacations ab the £*.5?®
tfMO. «aii
Employees of Taylor, Smith 4
Taylor Co., Harker Pottery Co.,
Louthan Manufacturing Co., Pione
er Pottery Co. and Wellsville China
Co. returned to their jobs last
week when the vacation period
ended.
The annual two-week vacation
period for employees of the W. S.
(George Pottery Co. in East Pales
tine returned to work on July 17.
Clayshop workers at Plant No. 1
and decorating shop workers at
both Plants No. 1 and 4 returned
to work on that date.
The plants- were closed oh July
1, at which time $45,000 in vacation
pay checks were issued to workers
at the company’s plants in East,
Palestine and Canonsburg, Pa.
During the vacation period,
maintenance crews worked, mak
ing various repairs and improve
ments to the plants.
Union Approves
5-Year Contract
With Briggs Corp.
Milwaukee (LPA)—The 15-week
strike this spring at the Briggs
Stratton Corp, and 73 other brief
stoppages have paid off for Local
232 of the United Auto Workers
AFL. The local has just unanimous
ly approved a five-year settlement
which the union estimates is equi
valent to a package of 51M: cents
for the next year.
Chief features are: Ten cents an
hour retroactive to Sept. 11, 1947,
estimated to be equivalent to 251
cents an hour for the next year a
straight increase of 10 cents across
the board a pension plan costing
the company 13% cents an houY a
health and insurance program cost
ing the firm 4 cents an hour. I
In addition the workers will get
pay for four holidays lost as a re
sult of strike activities. This, esti
mated to average $58 per employe,
is in addition to the retroactive
pay, which may go as high as $700.
he retroactivity cost is estimated
$1,000,000.
A union shop was won subject
to an NLRB election July 20. Thej
company met the union demands
for grievance procedure and com
plete overhauling of the seniority
and transfer clauses. The company
also agreed to make all data on
time study and related matters
available, and has agreed that time
study results shall be subject to
collective bargaining.
Other gains include dues check
off, triple time for holidays work
ed, call-in pay, and a guarantee
that the work week will not be re
duced. A wage reopening each year
is provided^
.' .-3Ut«
1 ...k'. —..J.,
itftH, A. F. OF L.
or L. BUILDING v?.
c.
I ?,'?•
AFL Labor News Service
International Labor News Service
and Labor Press Association, Inc.
I kHM
& KOI
|TFj
•ft V
rv I
Ja -|p\ ^6 w
tr ghr 4 1
Teamsters Union
Plans Boycott
Of Entire Town
Reno, Nev. (LPA)—This gamb
lers’ paradise may be “the biggest
little city in the world”, but as far
as organized labor here goes, the
entire city is going on the “unfair
list”. Potential visitors and vaca
tioners will be advised to spend
their money instead at a resort
like Las Vegas, which is 90 per
jwnUftrganized.
The move to boycott the entire
^pwn is labor’* answer to the erfi
pfoyers’ city-wide and open anti
union campaign. The decision came
after the Employers’ Council Ad
visory Board sent a letter to all
Reno businessmen urging them to
patronize firms which are being
picketed
The city’s cab drivers, members
of the Teamsters’ union, have been
on strike eight months. Recently
union attorneys and members of
the employers’ group met to dis
cuss an overall labor program in
an effort to settle the cab strike
and lay a foundation for stability.
Teamsters’ attorneys waited for an
answer. They got none, but the
Employers’ group then sent out the
letter urging patronage of picket
ed firms. The unions’ decision to
put the whole town on the “unfair
list” was the result.
The boycott program will not be
confined to the Teamsters, but will
include every labor organization in
the west. All organized labor will
be informed of the anti-labor tac
tics of the Reno Employers’ Coun
cil.
“Reno is the only city in the
west, to our knowledge”, said one
union attorney, “in which an open
appeal has been made to oppose
labor by patronizing concerns
which af^ having labor trouble.”
State Federation
Convention Will
Open On Aug. 21
The Sixthy-Fifth Annual Con
vention of the Ohio State Federa
tion of Labor will take on added
significance from the fact that it
will weigh the results of political
action thus far and press with de
termination the drive to defeat
Ohio’s senior senator and every
reactionary Congressman in the
state.
Sessions are to get under way
Monday, August 21 in the Grand
Ballroom, Neil House, Columbus,!
Ohio. The gavel will be wielded by
President Michael J. Lyden, who
has piloted the organization
through many critical years.
A very heavy budget of business
awaits action by the convention,
which is expected to last four days.
Promihent speakers and fine en
tertainment will round out the pro
gram. American Federation of
Labor President, William Green,
will again address the convention.
Phil Hannah, secretary of the
state body, will give the conven-:
tion a report on the latest develop
ments affecting the, political pro
gram.
In a pre-convention statement,
Secretary Hannah said “Politics
(Turn to Page Three),
v-
W?
7' -./. -4-A
Dissident Potters Denied
Court Case'.1
New Trial In
Brotherhood officials were
advised this week the Seventh
District Appellate Court over
ruled a motion for a new trial
on the decision recently hand
ed down by a Special Appeals
Court regarding salaries of
President James M. Duffy and
Secretary-Treasurer Chas. F.
Jordan.
The appeals court previous
ly reversed a decision handed
down by Judge Joel H. .Sharp
in Cohunhiana County common
pleas court, withholding pay
increases granted President
Duffy and Secretary-Treasurer
Jordan by action taken at the
1944 convention
In reversing Judge Joel H.
Sharp, the appeals judges up
held the officers* rights to the
higher salaries and ruled the
union membership had legally
approved the increase in salar
ies in a referendum vote of the
trade.
The long litigation began
back in 1948, four years after
the increase was granted when
a group of dissident potters
including Larry Finlay, Local
Union No. 12 Norman Whip
pier, Local Union 124 Edward
Jones, Local Union 44 Shell
Johnson, Local Union 4, and
Clyde McDaniels, Local Union
9, challenged the national of
ficers’ right to higher salaries
and Judge Sharp ruled in their
favor and ordered their sal
aries be rolled back to the 1944
level.
The Brotherhood officials
immediately asked for a new
trial which was denied by
Judge Sharp, and the case was
referred to the Seventh Dis
trict Court of Appeals. While
the case was pending in this
Union Bars Use
Of Helicopter
To Repair Line
San Francisco (LPA)—An inex
pensive but dangerous method of
repairing a broken transmission
line of KWID, government operat
ed “Voice of America” broadcast
ing station, was ruled out by the
AFL Electrical Workers. The brok
en line is atop the 200-foot antennal
tower.
The station operators wanted to
sa^e money by lowering an elec
trician. from a helicopter hovering
above the transmitter. That they
said, would take only 20 minutes.
Otherwise, the station would have
to shut down for two days while
the entire elaborate antenna sys
tem is lowered to the ground for
repairs.
Charles J. Foehn, union business
agent, said the union had not yet
been approached by the station
with regard to fixing the line but
the union would not approve risk
ing a man’s life by lowering him
from a helicopter just to save a
few dollars.
NOTICE LOCAL UNION 29
All members are urged to at
tend meeting on July 22, to
hear the report of our dele
gate to the recent convention.
7
3'**
4/'r\ ',,
I'' *llg i
Shefitter# jjerald
t.
•s?
VOL. XLIV, NO. 12* *EAST LIVERPOOL, OHIO, THURSDAY, JULY 20. 1950* *$2.00 PER YEAR
'.
court one of the members,
Judge John Buckley Jr. was
claimed by death and the re
maining two members asked
that the case be assigned to
another Appeals Court. Thia
resulted in the case being as
signed to a Special Appeals
Court who handed down a un
animous decision restoring the
salaries of the two Brother
hood officials, approved by a
referendum vote of the trad(L
-but he|d beck byta deeisfian Mb-
Common Pleas Court Jud^e
Joel H. Sharp.
Significant with the decision
handed down by the Special
Appeals Court, vindicating
both officials who were charg
ed with receiving salaries ob
tained illegally, was the im
plied rebuke that the dissident
potters who attacked the legal
ity of the salary increases,
shouldn’t have gone to court i”
in the first place, stating fur
ther, the plaintiffs in the case,
“by their membership have
adopted the rules created by
the constitution and by-laws as
the basis for conducting the in
ternal affairs of the Brother
hood, and by such rules they
must be bound.”
While it is hoped the recent
decision handed down will
bring to an end once and (or
all the internal strife within
the organization, and our na
tional officials can devote their
time to rendering service
throught the trade which has
been greatly hindered by court
cases, a ruling is still pending
by Judge Sharp in two injunc
tion suits in which he granted
temporary restrainers against
imposition of convention pen
alties.
Rose Denounces
NAM Brand Of
Free Enterprise
San Diego, Calif. (LPA)—With
“free enterprise” the theme of San
Diego’s 1953 World’s Fair, Billy
Rose, world famous showman,
warned Fair officials that “if it’s
the National Association of Manu
facturers’ brand, you can count me
out.” Rose told 650 representatives
of local business, industry and
labor that the Fair is not possible
without labor. “Labor is the quar
terback that is calling the signals
in this country today and these
signals will set the pattern for liv
ing from this time on,” he said.
Rose said that the theme was
fine if it includes the American!
working man and his system of life
as one of its ideals. Such a theme
should demonstrate how the aver
age American is getting a better
break in this country than any
place in the world, he said. “You
are getting up this Fair for the
fellows who will make or break
this country and you’ve got to put
across the idea that we have some
thing better than the Russians
have been attempting to peddle.”
The showman told the gathering
to keep away from $8 dinners and
high prices. He reminded them that
fairs are not held for rich people
but for Charlie Smith, his wife and
three kids—and all like them« I
,■
'77 777 ,/f U('7.
7 \777F' 7 /uh’
7 7^ 7 9S O
Extension of the rent control act
in Sebring to July 1, 1951 was ask
ed of Council when a committee
from Trades Council headed by
President Beckett and including
Russell Kinser and Lester Hawk
appeared before the city fathers to
submit the proposal after discus
sion at their last meeting.
Denham Slapped
On Deal With
United Aircraft
Hartford, Conn. (LPA)—Things
don’t look so rosy now for Robert
N. Denham, general counsel of the
National Labor Relations Board,
and United Aircraft Corp.
The International Association of
Machinists brought charges before
the NLRB against the corporation.
IAM accused UAC of labor spying
and other illegal activities. Den
ham offered to settle on the com
pany’s promise not to violate the
law again, and reinstate and reim
burse IAM members illegally fired,
suspended, or transferred. But the
proposed settlement failed to pro
vide for future court enforcement.
IAM protested, and US Senate
investigator came here to look
over the records. Gerard D. Reilly,
anti-labor lawyer and lobbyist, ap
peared before NLRB Trial Exam
iner George A. Downing to plead
for the Company, and Denham’s
motion. Downing listened, then de
nied Denham’s motion to dismiss
(Turn to Page Threey
Happy Anniversary
A picnic touch was added to the
spirit of a wedding anniversary
celebration last week when Mr. and
Mrs. William Winters of R. D. 1,
Georgetown, Pa., celebrated their
twenty-sixth wedding anniversary.
“Bill”, who is a member of Local
Union 131, won first prize in the
paid-up-dues event at the potters
annual outing and was awarded a
Fada television set, plus a check
for installing the aerial.
The grateful potter stopped in
at headquarters to extend thanks
to the picnic committee and in
formed us the Video arrived on the
exaet date of his anniversary.
"i"
W.5* .,* 7.*. f..... .................. ... .A .... **.
I
Sebring Lqbor
Unions To Aid
In Flood Zone
V
Sebring, Ohio President Dale
Beckett of the Sebring Trades and
Labor Council announced the cen
tral body at their last meeting
went on record to cooperate with
the National Brotherhood of Op
erative Potters in its appeal for
the destitute pottery workers in
the Crooksville-Roseville oo
area.
This action was brought about
when delegates to Trades Council
from the various pottery union af
filiates in the district, brought the.
matter to Council’s attention fol
lowing action taken at the Broth
erhood’s annual convention in
which the delegates voted a $10,
000 special fund be set up to aid
potters in that district and the
delegates likewise went on record
to bring this matter to the atten
tion of all labor unionists in their
respective districts.
4
tot
Trenton Potters
Attend Meeting
Of Sebring Locals
Sebring, Ohio—Our delegates to
the convention made their report
at the last meeting and it was very
well received and a vote of thanks
extended them for their services.
Three brothers from the Tren
ton area, Local Union 45, had a
little car trouble on their way
home from convention and stopped
over in Sebring to have repairs
made. While in our fair city they
contacted Bro. Clyde Jones who
took them on a tour of district
plants and showed them how it is
done in generalware. In the even
ing they attended our local meeting
and were called upon for a few re
marks.
After reading about the disas
terous flood in Crooksville, Ohio, in
which a pottery plant was burned
to the ground, my memory goes
back to a fire which destroyed the
Scio Pottery not long ago.
How well do we all remember
the wide publicity given the dis
aster at that time. Help came from
all directions and the speed in
which the plant was rebuilt was
featured over all radio networks.
Why is it the same help is not
forthcoming in the Crooksville
case. Could it be the plant employs
union help and the people affected
should not be given the same op
portunity to return to their jobs
and earn a fair and just living
under a union contract. Certainly
the people in Crooksville suffered
much greater hardships than those
in Scio.
There is still room for improve
ment in attendance at local meet
ings. Our sessions are not long
drawn out affairs and since Bro.
Jones has been in the chair, he
makes it a point to keep it that
way. —O.C. 44
Convention Call
Issued By A.F.L.
Washington (LPA)—The Amer
ican Federation of Labor has issued
the official call for the 1950 con
vention at Houston, Texas, starting
Sept. 18. After noting the contri
butions toward the international
welfare of the Marshall Plan and
the creation of the International
Confederation of Free Trade
Unions, the call reviews the econ
omic and social gains in this coun
try, and “the development of a fav
orable public sentiment in support
of adequate retirement legislation,
the social and economic welfare of
the masses of the people”.
“In fighting for the realization
of these social and economic gains”,
says the convention call, “we have
learned that we must continue to
fight as agressively and militantly
as ever for the preservation of
(Turn to Page Three)
7
This fact was brought to light
at the last meeting of the local
when the financial secretary in
submitting her report, read a list
of delinquents who have ignored
previous warnings about their ar
rearages.
The local went on record that
the time is at hand to take action
and passed a motion that all mem
bers in this category must clear
up their arrearage by
meeting on July 27 or
pension. This will be
warning so if the axe
have no one to blame but yourself.
.JUL24WW jy
IMM
Owned, Controlled and Published
by the National Brotherhood of
Operative Potters
7
Delegates Told How Imports From
Low-Wage Nations Can Curb Job
Opportunities of American Potters
Finishers* Local
Gives Warning To
All DelinquaatL
The old saying, “All things come
to those who wait”, dMrwoWpgiy
to the financial status of Local
Union 53.
the next
face su8
the final
falls, you
Action was also taken regarding
members on the sick list. The local
feels that it is only fair that mem
bers being carried on the sick list
should make a report to local every
month and inform the secretary
immediately upon return to their
jobs. —O.C, 53
Green Urges All
Out Preparedness
Against Comreds
Washington (LPA) Tbjneet
the Korean crisis and to face even
worse Soviet-inspired situations,
“every able-bodied citinyt must
find his responsibility and make
good,” AFL President William
Green writes in a forthcoming is
sue of the American Federationist.
‘To all-out strategy for world
peace, we must add all-out prepar
edness for any eventuality,” Green
says. “We cannot send out soldiers
to the fighting front without train
ing equipment and regular sup
plies. We must provide quick trans
portation which will increase mo
bility. Above all else we must put
back of this supreme effort unity
of purpose and the constructive co
operation of every group of citiz
ens.”
Consequently, Green declares,
labor will have to be mobilized.
However, he continues, “we should
make plain our preparedness is to
protect freedom and to provide op
portunity for freedom for all peo
ples.” Subject people in other lands
must not “be deluded into think
ing communism brings freedom
when we know it results in com
plete slavery of the. individual—
body and soul.”
Green says the US tried to ne
gotiate with the Communists in
diplomatic conferences and the
United Nations but the decisions
reached were not observed. Only
proposals backed by force were
effective, he reminds Federationist
readers. To drive his argument
1 (Turn to Page Three)
W W 'V:
-c'|
4
u
1
The flood of imports of pottery
products from low-wage nations
and the harmful effects it will
bring about in job opportunities for
the American potters, was very
1 plainly brought home to the dele
gates seated in the fifty-sixth na
tional convention in a stirring ad
i dress by Mr. O. R. Strackbein,,
secretary of America’s Wage Earn
ers Protective Conferences.
Successor to the late M. J.
(Mike) Flynn, a man who made
many friendships in Brotherhood
ranks over the years he attended
national conventions and his ef
forts in our behalf on tariff issues
in the nation’s capitol, Mr. Strack
bein, is a man well qualified to
carry on the great work of his pre
decessor. He has served in many
government positions, and traveled
in many foreign lands, making him
unusually qualified to discuss pro
blems df foreign competition.
President Duffy in introducing
Mr. Strackbein to the delegates,
stated we are unusually favored by
having his services in these times,
and he might well be termed “a
good servant of labor.”
Mr. Strackbein who is also chair
man of the National Labor-Man
agement Council on Foreign Trade
Policy, which was recently set up
as a cooperative effort by several
AFL unions and which President
James M. Duffy is a member of
the executive council, told the dele
gates the council is not concerned
with taxing or otherwise restrict
ing imports from other nations
that do not provide fair competi
tion by reason of differences in
wages paid.
“This was made clear”, he added,
in a statement, prepared recently
by the council for the Hon. Gordon
Gray, special assistant to the Pre
sident. It is undersood that Gray’s
mission includes the shaping of
bur foreign trade policy, especial
ly as it is influenced by the con
tinuing dollar gap and the coming
expiration of the congressional
grant of aid to European countries
under the Marshall plan, in 1952.
Conditions Vitally Important
“Our interest in the character of
this policy is direct and vital,” the
statement emphasized. “The condi
tions under which competitive im
ports are admitted into this coun
try are of the utmost importance
to us. We wish to place special em
phasis upon the conditions under
which importation of competitive
goods take place.
“Those conditions can determine
whether imports will be helpful to
our economy, or indifferent, or in
jurious whether they can be ab
sorbed by the market with a min
imum of disruption, or whether
they will break the price structure,
depress wages, curtail employ
ment, and lead to stagnation and
retrenchment of industry here in
America.
“Obsession with the idea of re
moving the dollar gap and over
eagerness to balance our foreign
trade account, by the simple device
of increasing imports, ean endanger
millions of jobs in this country,”
according to the council.
"It can reduce the flow of money
(Turn to Page Three},