The Butler County press. [volume], December 07, 1934, Image 1

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Washington, D. C. (ILNS)—Copies
of a circular letter sent to employes
by the head of the Firestone Tire
and Rubber Company indicate that the
big Akron company is planning to
defy a recent order of the National
Labor Relations Board for a collective
bargaining election at the company's
plant. A similar election was ordered
at the plant of another big Akron
rubber firm, the F. Goodrich Com
pany.
Following the labor board's ruling
in favor of an election, J. A. Thomas,
president of the company, sent a cir
cular to employes, advising that the
policy would be "to deal with any in
dividual employe or any group of em
ployes or whomever they may choose
to represent them."
"We want to assure every employe
now that regardless of any effort or
coercion of any outside organization
we will stand by the Firestone em
ployes' conference plan and the legal
and constitutional rights of our em
ployes who have adopted it, until and
unless a court of last resort should
hold otherwise," he said.
This was interpreted in Washington
as meaning that the company would
either carry the case to the supreme
court or await action on some other
case by that tribunal.
The first step in arranging for the
election will be for the Cleveland Re
gional Board to ask the Firestone
Company for a payroll, to be used as
an election list. In case of refusal the
labor board has authority under con
gressional Resolution No. 44 to sub
poena papers and documents for such
an election.
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Defiance by the company of a sub
peona would mean that the board
would take action in the courts to
compel production of the payroll.
In his letter to employes Thomas
SCANT THQDGHT
War Workers in Canadian
"Business Codes"
Ottawa (ILNS)—Labor gets scant
consideration in the "business codes"
being formulated under the provisions
of the national products marketing act
adopted at the last session of parlia
ment.
Somo of the codes, approved by the
governor in council, make no reference
at all to wages or hours of labor
some suggest that employers should
endeavor to live up to certain stand
ards in no case are minimum wages
and maximum hours made mandatory
Otherwise the boards being set up
to regulate the marketing of natural
products have wide powers. In most
cases, these board are authorized to
require all persons engaged in the
production or marketing of the reg
ulated product to take out a license
from the board to designate the mar
keting agencies, and determine the
quality of the product to be market
ed by each agency and to prohibit
the marketing of the regulated prod
uct of any grade, quality or class at
the beards' discretiion to cancel the
license of any person or agency for
violation of an order of the board.
Some boards, or most, can compel
full reports of the transactions of
licenses and inspect their books. They
can conduct a pool for the equalization
of returns received from the sale of
the regulated products.
In short, some of these boards are
vested with power to set up trading
monopolies analagous to the corpora
tions chartered by kings in feudal
times. There is one provision for the
protection of purchasers—where pos
sible a government inspector is to
certify to the quality of the products
Firestone Seems Ready To
Fight Labor Board Rule
MI
I:
HOT WATER HEATERS $5.95
ANTI FREEZE ...Only $1.00 a Gal.
STORAGE BATTERIES $2.95 up
AT
Savage Auto Supply Co.
636-38 MAPLE AVENUE PHONE 116
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Letter to Employes Interpreted as Presaging Defiance Of
Board's Order By Big Akron Rubber Company
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TJIK BUTI-EIl
said he regretted that the National
Labor Relations Board "has seen fit
to order an election at Firestone with
out, in our opinion, giving due regard
to the evidence submitted by us which
showed clearly that it was unneces
sary and not in the public interest to
have such an election."
Thomas asserted that the results of
the election under the company union
plan showed that 84 per cent of the
employes participated in selecting
their committees to represent them
in negotiations with the company for
the ensuing year.
The outcome of the election was
presented to the National Labor
Board, he added, "and there is not
one particle of evidence in the rec
ords that there was any coercion on
the part of the management in that
election."
HOSIERY
Workers Battle Local Anti"
Union Drives
Philadelphia (ILNS)—A drive to
push legislation that will halt the ille
gal anti-union activities of local au
thorities is being launched by the
Eastern Pennsylvania District Coun
cil of the American Federation of Hos
iery Workers.
This step was decided upon at
meeting of the District Council held in
the federation office here with dele
gates in attendance from the follow
ing branches: Quakertown, Lang
home, Lansdale, ....orristown, Spring
City and Philadelphia.
This move which the District Coun
cil is making was decided upon afte«
hear'ng reports on the Lansdale and
Allentown situations, where local au
thorities by one means or another are
attempting to suppress all union activ
ities. It was pointed out that two
boroughs in Lehigh county are plan
ning to pass resolutions similar to
those adopted by the Lansdale Bor
ough Council which would virtually
make a strike impossible. In Allen
town, the mayor and his police force
were assuming the right to prevent
picketing at two plants.
In view of the fact that the incom
ing legislature in Pennsylvania will
be democratic and committed to a
program designed to make the state
safe for trade unionists, council
members decided to mobilize its full
strength in an effort to enact laws
that will forbid subsidiary governing
bodies from violating constitutional
rights.
The campaign which the hosiery
will conduct will be carried on through
the State Federation of Labor, and
in conjunction with all other organ
ized groups in the area where the hos
iery workers have branches.
Officers of the district council in
structed Representative Walter Bram
ley and Research Director John W.
Edelman, of the federation, to frame
necessady recommendations for legis
lative action, and to work out plans
for pushing the drive before the legis
lature convenes..
Peaceful Picketing Legal
Cheyenne, Wyoming.—District Judgt
Sam. M. Thompson, in handing dowr
a decision refusing G. W. Plummei
an injunction against employes on
strike picketing his place of busi
ness, ruled that picketing is legal when
conducted in a peaceful manner. Mem
bers of Culinary Workers No. 337 are
on strike against the Moffatt Cafe and
Cafeteria, operated by Plummer. The
decision is in keeping with similar de
cisions in different parts of the coun
try.
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By A. F. of L. News Service.
Washington.—William Green, pres
ident of the American Federation of
Labor, issued the following statement
on unemployment:
"We are entering the winter of
1934 with 550,000 more out of work
than we had at this time last year.
The American Federation of Labor
estimate shows 10,671,000 without
work in industry in October, 1934, as
compared to 10,122,000 in October
1933.
"Business activity in October this
year was 2.6 per cent below last year
and this accounts partly for the in
crease in unemployment. Partly,
however, it is due to the fact that the
effort to increase employment in in
dustry is not so general as it was at
this time last year.
''The serious implications of this
increase in unemployment cannot be
overemphasized. Relief need this
winter is already higher than it was
last year. Reports from urban areas
show that in October, 1934, the num
ber on relief rolls was 30 per cent
greater than in October, 1933. In
August, the latest month for which
we have complete figures for relief
in the country as a whole, there were
900,000 more cases or nearly 3,000,
000 more persons on relief rolls than
in August last year, an increase of
20 per cent. The total financial ob
ligation for relief had increased from
$61,470,000 to $149,426,000, or more
than doubled. This means that, in
addition to the increase in unemploy
ment, those who have been unemploy
ed for a long time have exhausted
their resources those who once had
savings are now wholly dependent
on relief. Food prices have increased
and the cost of relief is greater also
relief in some cases is more adequate.
"Unquestionably our relief problem
this winter is the most serious this
nation has ever faced. Trade union
unemployment figures show a greater
increase in unemployment from Octo
ber to November this year than last
year, and part time work in Novem
ber (first half) is higher than ever be
fore in the history of our figures. In
building, water transportation, the
atres and all the manufacturing
groups, there are more on part-time
than last year. Thus many of those
who have jobs are finding their in
comes lower than last year.
"Government emergency work
was provided in October as follows:
608,000 on PWA, 362,000 on CCC.
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VOL. XXXIV. No. 35 HAMILTON, OHIO, FRIDAY. DECEMBER 7, 1934 ONE DOLLAR PER YEAR
I'LL SAY
THEY ARE./
PRESENTS OF THE
§EST QUAyX*
ARE made under
UNION
UNION LABEL
Statistics Show 10,671,000 Out of Work Relief Needs
Growing, Already Higher Than Last Year
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CONDITIONS//
I S A S 1 9 3 4
They are becoming Union Label-conscious!
Unemployment Greater Than Last Year
Less Effort By Industry Is Blamed
In addition an average of 1,392,000
had work each week on the ERA
work program."
TO RENEW FIGHT
For Election of President
By Popular Vote
Washington, D. C. (ILNS)—Sena
tor George W. Norris, whose reforms
in government already include aboli
tion of "lame duck" congresses and
acceptance by his state of a one-house
legislature, is going to renew his
fight to do away with the electoral
college system of electing American
presidents.
He says he will press in congress
for acceptance of his plan for elect
ing presidents by popular vote. The
proposal was defeated at the last
session.
A switch of two votes from the
previous «*ount would be suffiicent to
obtain senate approval.
"I expect to reintroduce my pro
posed amendment in the form we vot
ed on before," Norris said. "I'm go
ing to try again to have it written
into the constitution.
"With the electoral college abol
ished, the country will be able to
vote for individuals instead of party
choices. It will give us a chance to
elect more popular presidents."
Refuse to Sign
A
"Yellow Dog" Contracts
Columbus, Ga.—Refusing to sign
sign "yellow dog" labor contracts,
which it is alleged the company tried
to force upon them, all employes of
the Standard Tailoring Company here,
members of the Amalgamated Cloth
ing Workers of America, came out on
strike. When the company learned
that a legitimate labor union had been
formed, the firm is said to have at
tempted to force individual contracts
designating their own "organization"
as the workers' collective bargaining
agency. The Columbus Central Labor
Union has thrown its entire strength
to the support of the strikers.
2,000,000 JOBS BELOW 1929
New York.—American industry
must absorb over 2,000,000 workers
before the employment level of 1929
is restored, according to a statement
here by Isador Lubin, commissioner of
the Bureau of Labor Statistics, U. S.
Department of Labor.
V *". i-i t.
BUY
UNION LABEL
Subscribe for the Press.
Santa
Says:-
Buy
Cedar Chests
Simmons Mattresses
Hoover Cleaners
Secretary Desks
THIftP
••p^rfr
By All Means
This Christmas
NOWHERE IN THIS LAND
can you buy better or more useful gifts than you
can here. For instance—
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RUBBER MAGNATES
WARNED BY GREEN
Akron, Ohio (ILNS)—If rubber
manufacturers continue to oppose the
right of their employes to strike, they
will face the danger of a strike, Presi
dent William Green, of the American
Federation of Labor warned in ad
dressing 3,000 rubber workers here.
Labor, Green declared, has the right
to strike if rubber manufacturers "do
not listen to reason."
Green praised the National Labor
Relations Board's decision that the
Goodrich and Firestone companies
must permit an election to determine
what group shall represent their
workers in negotiations with manu
factures.
"No corporation is going to deny us
the fruits of our victory," he declared.
"If corporations know nothing but
the law of force, if reason fails, then
labor still possesses the right to go
out on strike.
"I cannot and will not believe that
these two great companies will dis
pute the authority of the United
States.
"Before the passage of this legis
lation," Green said, referring to the
NRA and particularly Section 7-A,
"the rubber worker existed in a con
dition of individual servitude.
"Labor concedes employers all their
rights ir self-government, but we de
mand that labor have every right to
which it is entitled.
"Every time an employer interferes
with the free choice of representatives
he is violating the law of the land."
Textile Strike in France
Roanne, France.—Over 7,000 textile
workers of Roanne and several adjoin
ing towns, came out on strike here re
cently, in protest against wage reduc
tions. It is said that mill owners, wish
ing to increase volume of production
through larger sales at lower prices,
started their cost-reduction process by
reducing wages of employes. But it
didn't work!
Useful Gifts
Estate Stoves
Whittall Rugs
Studio Couches
Comfortable Chairs
Genuine Frigidaires
Philco or Grunow Radios
Thor or Easy Washers
Grand Rapids Dining Room Suites
Make Your Selections Early
Ukfk im Qumfltq-LmkiJHm
Christmas Checks Gladly Accepted
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