The Butler County press. [volume], January 05, 1934, Image 1

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Washington, D. C. (ILNS)—An in
crease in unemployment gives the im
pression that industry is not doing all
it might to provide work, President
William Green, of the American Fed
eration of Labor, declared in making
public a statement on unemployment
based on reports from trade unions.
"Both in November and the first
part of December, unemployment has
increased," President Green said. He
continued: "It is quite normal at
this time of year for men to be laid
off, both from farms and industries,
but labor had hoped that this year,
with all the emphasis placed by the
administration on creating jobs, lay
offs at the year-end would be much
less severe than usual. Instead, more
were laid off from mid-October to
mid-November this year than last
year, and trade union figures for the
first half of December show that
again in December unemployment
has increased slightly more than last
year. Trade union weighted figures
show 22.8 per cent of membership
unemployed in ,December compared
to 22.0 in November and 21.7 in Octo
ber. Unemployment is increasing fas
ter now than at any time since Jan
uary.
Industry Not Doing Its Part
In Making Work, Green Holds
1
Reporting Disappointing Increase in Unemployment,
Labor Head Says November and December Figures
Give Impression Private Employers Are Slackening
Efforts to Create Jobs.
I
"These figures give the impression
that industry is slackening in its
efforts to create jobs and put men
to work. Developments in November
and December are in striking contrast
to the steady employment gains from
April to September when men went
back to work by the million even
though business was declining from
July forward.
"The worst lay-offs in November
were in manufacturing, where over
330,000 lost their jobs. These factory
lay-offs are much larger than in any
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normal year for which we have rec
ords larger also than in any year
since depression. It would be a se
rious matter indeed, if the manufac
turers of this country fail now to do
their part. These factory lay-offs rep
resent over half the increase in un
employment from October to Novem
ber, which was in all about 580,000.
"An increase in industrial unem
ployment from 10,122,000 in October
to 10,702,000 in November is serious
indeed were it not for the jobs given
under the federal relief program, suf
fering would be worse than ever this
winter Last December 12,124,000
were out of work. Industtry is giv
ing about a million more jobs this
December than last, and the govern
ment furnishes at least temporary
work for about 4,600,000."
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New York Regional Labor
Board Ends 143 Strikes
New York.—Since it began opera
tions on October 24, the Regional
Labor Board here disposed of 171
industrial disputes, involving 21,087
workers, George W. Alger, chairman
of the board, announced. Included in
the settlements were 143 strikes.
Twenty-two strikes were averted by
the board through amicable adjust
ment resulting from the board's in
tervention. The board {also settled
six disputes by arbitration.
In its efforts to uphold the right of
the workers to bargain collectively
under the guarantee contained in the
national industrial recovery act, the
board succeeded in bringing about the
reinstatement of 552 workers after
hearing charges of discrimination for
union octivity.
Ohio
Copyright, \V. N.
Commenting on the demand for the
six-hour day, A. F. Whitney, chair
man of the executives' association,
said investigation by the unions has
revealed that, beginning with 1920,
the railroads were foremost in creat
ing a large army of unemployed
workers.
Since then, he declared, more than
300,000 rail workers have been dis
placed as a result of technological
changes in the industry, and this
number has been further augmented
by 500,000 men laid off as a result
of the industrial depression.
Any program for improving the
efficiency of the railroad industry,
Whitney contended, must comprehend
a progressive shortening of the work
ing time, without any reduction in
compensation in order to provide work
for railway men. Unless the indus
try shortened the work week he saw
no hope for the 600,000 unemployed
rail workers.
Says More Men Are Needed
At a dinner of the labor heads,
Whitney said the day might soon
come when a majority of the Ameri
can people would be dependent on
private or public charity unless
shorter working hours were adopted.
The union executives want a legal
limit of 70 cars on freight trains,
making them about half a mile long,
and of 14 cars in passenger trains.
In support of this proposal and that
for a full crew bill, Chairman Whit
ney said that trains are now from
175 to 200 cars long. The standard
examination on railroads require
trainmen to be able to interpret sig
nals only at a distance of 45-car
lengths. Signals given at a distance
of 70-car lengths or more are seldom
understood, he said.
A feature of the meeting of rail
road labor executives was the demand
of George M. Harrison, president of
the Brotherhood of Railway Clerks,
for a scaling down of the capital ob
ligations of the railroads and the
financing without profit by the gov
ernment of all credit needed for rail
road operations."
VOL. XXXIII. No. 39 HAMILTON, OHIO, FRIDAY, JANUARY 5, 1934 ONE DOLLAR PER YEAR
(3Olvy,
&
Only the drain of a topheavy finan
cial structure prevented the railroads
from supporting their workers in de
cency, Harrison charged.
Union Heads Vote to Press Shorter Hours Cam­]
paign at Coming Session of Congress, Which
Will Also Be Asked to Pass Full-Crew,
Train-Limit and Other Bills.
Chicagt) (ILNS)—Railroad labor
will make an aggressive fight for the
six-hour day at the coming session of
congress. The campaign was voted at
a meeting here of the Railway Labor
Executives' Association, which also
decided on a campaign for enactment
of a full crew bill, a train-limit bill,
amendments to the railway labor act
and other railroad labor legislation.
Starting a Clean Page
I HCPE CAN
KEEP "THE. REP INK
OH Of" rm
PAGe
Railroad Labor to Make Fight
For Six-Hour Day Legislation
Urges Capital Changes
"There must be a scaling down of
the capital obligations of the rail
roads officially fixed changes on
bonds that cannot and should not be
met," he said.
He suggested that the government
take over the job of financing by set
ting up a federal railroad credit cor
poration, operated without profit.
Such a corporation, he said, could
raise the necessary funds through the
sale of bonds at a low rate of interest
and reduce the interest payments of
the carriers one-half.
Harrison said the railroad problem
was entirely one of finances, "a relic
of unwise methods of the past."
"No industry that is mortgaged for
60 per cent of its capitalization," he
said, "can meet its responsibilities to
its workers."
LABOR CONFERENCE
On Organizing Mass Pro
duction Workers Called
By Green
Washington.—William Green, pres
ident of the American Federation of
Laboi*, issued a call for a conference
of the representatives of national and
international unions affiliated with
the A. F. of L. to meet with the ex
ecutive council of the federation at
Washington on Wednesday, January
24, 1934, at 10 o'clock a. m., "for the
purpose of giving consideration to the
question of organizing the unorgan
ized and particularly those employed
in mass production industries."
The call for the conference, Mr.
Green pointed out, was based upon
the action of the 1933 convention of
the A. F. of L. with regard to "the
important question of organization
and organization policies," in connec
tion with the. workers in these indus
tries.
The conference will be held in the
council chamber of the American
Federation of Labor Building.
Bus Drivers Block Ballot
Scheme Imposed by Bosses
Brighton, England.—Employes of
Tillings' Brighton and Hove Bus
Service here administered a drastic
rebuke to the officials of the com
pany who endeavored to impose a
wage reduction ballot on them. Over
300 out of 462 employes deliberately
spoiled their ballots.
The ballot was organized by the
firm in the desire to compel its em-
ployes to agree to the continuation of
the old individual wage agreement in
stead of adopting an agreement with
the Transport and General Workers'
Union.
Three hundred and eleven employes
signed a petition protesting against
the ballot imposed upon them by the
company, and declared their intention
to accept only an agreement nego
tiated with the representatives of the
union.
Teachers Favor Strike
For Unpaid Salaries
Scranton, Pa.—Vigorously protest
ing because the school boards refus
ed to pay them back salaries, 146
teachers in two Lackawanna and one
Luzerne county communities threat
ened to join the strike already de
clared by thirty teachers and close
the schools until the salaries are paid.
Over 900 school children are already
on "vacation" because of the thirty
teachers' strike, and the proposed
walkout will release 4,000 more boys
and girls from classes.
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Necessary to Provide Work
For 600,000 Rail Jobless
Chicago, 111.—The officials of the
Railway Labor Executives' Associa
tion, representing twenty-one stand
ard rail unions, in session here, will
conduct an aggressive campaign for
the six-hour day for railroad em
ployes, it was announced by Alex
ander F. Whitney, chairman of the
association.
In explaining the demand for the
six-hour day, which the association
holds should be applied without re
duction in pay, Mr. Whitney said in
vestigation by the unions has reveal
ed that, beginning with 1920, the
railroads were foremost in creating.
a large army of unemployed workers.
Since then, he declared, more than
300,000 rail workers were displaced
as a result of technological changes
in the industry, and this number was
further augmented by 500,000 men
laid off as the result of the indus
trial depression.
Any program for /improving the
efficiency of the railroad industry,
according to Mr. Whitney, must com
prehend a progressive shortening of
the working time, without any reduc
tion in compensation in order to pro
vide work for railway men. Unless
the industry shortened the work week
he saw no hope for the 600,000 un
empn y I rail workers.
EMPLOYER LOSES
Blue Eagle For Putting Ban
On Unions
Washington, D. C. (ILNS)—For
the first time, the national recovery
administration has withdrawn a Blue
Eagle from an employer for viola
tion of Section 7 (a), the collective
bargaining section, of the recovery
act. The action was against the J. J.
Martin Company, furnjiture movers
of West Roxbury, Mass., which pub
licly asserted "no union or union men
would be tolerated in the business."
Charges that employes of the West
Roxbury firm had been discharged be
cause of union affiliation were filed
with the local compliance boai"d by
Local Union 82 of the International
Brotherhood of Teamsters. The dis
charged employes were told by a
member of the firm, it is charged,
that "no union or men would be tol
erated in the business and that the
three men were through because of
their union affiliation."
Officials of the firm were notified
of the complaint and appeared before
the local board with an attorney who,
after the conference, assured the
board a satisfactory adjustment
would be made. No adjustment has
been made and repeated messages, in
cluding a warning that the board
would recommend withdrawal of the
firm's Blue Eagle, were ignored.
WM