The Butler County press. [volume], January 01, 1937, Image 1

About The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946

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Br A. P. of Ik News Service.
The right to picket, to advertise a
union label before places of business
of non-union employers and before
their customers, with signs also call
ing upon the public to purchase union
label products, was recently re
affirmed in a bitterly contested court
action in Brooklyn, N. Y.
Anti-Picketing Injunction Quashed
In May, 1934, the company brought
an action in the supreme court, get
ting a temporary injunction against
the Bakers' Union, the infamous
Faber injunction, which aroused much
criticism throughout the nation
among those who contended that it
was an infringement on the rights of
free speech, free press and free as
semblage, virtually imposing invol
untary servitude. Regarded by many
as the most broad and drastic in
junction ever issued in a labor dis
pute, the Faber injunction contained
38 prohibitions on the activities of
workers who were enjoined. Among
these 38 provisions was one which
presumed to prohibit continuing the
strike and another which forbade an
nouncement by members of the union,
or those in sympathy with them, that
the Standard Baking Company had
secured an injunction. The new
anti-injunction law, passed by the
New York legislature in 1935, was
aided very materially by the massed
protests of organized labor over the
liberty-destroying Faber injunction
Judge Meier Steinbrink, of the
Brooklyn supreme court, on appeal
of the union, subsequently reduced
the 38 restrictions to eight. This
modified injunction specifically per
mitted the union to have its members
to walk up and down in the vicinity
of the stores and customers of the
Standard Baking Company, bearing
signs advertising the union label and
calling upon the purchasing public to
demand bread and rolls bearing the
union label.
An appeal was taken by the com
pany for the purpose of having the
38 original Faber injunction pro
visions reinstated, in which it was
claimed, among other things, that the
advertising of the label constituted a
"secondary boycott," one of the slave
driving type of employers' usual ar
guments. But the union contended
that, instead of a secondary boycott
this was merely an exercise of the
right of free speech. After a long
and keenly contested struggle, the
union won its contention when the
appelate division unanimously over
ruled the plea of the Standard Baking
Company and affirmed the judgment
of Judge Steinbrink.
JSK
Organized Labor's Right
To Picket Clinched By
N. Y. Court's Decision
Local Union No. 505, Bakery and
Confectionery Workers' International
Union of America, whose members
were victims of a lock-out by the
Standard Baking Company, which be
gan May 1, 1933, has borne the brunt
of battle to come through with a gal
lant victory. A strike of union mem
bers followed the lock-out, and the
then Regional Labor Board of the,
NRA sought to settle the strike.
Although the union agreed to pro
posed terms, the company refused to
be bound by them and the struggle
continued.
Fight of Brooklyn Bakers' Union to Patrol Employer's
Plant and Advertise His Goods As Unfair to Labor Won
After Judicial Test Lasting Over Two Years.
VOL. XXXVI. No. 39 HAMILTON, OHIO, FRIDAY, JANUARY 1, 1937
Jury Trial in Contempt Cases Upheld
An offshoot of the case was noted
when the baking company sought to
punish the union and officei's for al
leged contempt of court. This proved
the first test case of the law granting
jury trials in labor contempt ci
tations, the constitutionality of the
law" being upheld, setting a precedent
which has since been widely recog
nized and followed in similar actions
throughout the state. Thus through
sustained determination, the union
membership, fighting for the right
eousness of their cause, have not only
gained victory for themselves but
they have helped to tear down bar
baric barriers that have forever im
peded the emancipation of organized
wage earners.
WAGE INCREASE
AGREEMENT
Negotiated by New Haven
Aluminum Workers' Union
New Haven, Conn. (AFLNS)—Offi
cers of Aluminum Workers' Union No.
18738 of the American Federation of
Labor announced the renewal of the
working agreement between that un
ion and the United Smelting and
Aluminum Company of New Hayen,
which was signed by representatives
of the company and the union on De
cember 18, for another year, up to
December 31, 1937.
The new agreement provides sub
stantial increases in wages for most
of the classifications and also includes
provision for all employes in the pro
duction department to be members of
Aluminum Workers' Union No. 18738.
An eight-hour day and 40-hour
week are established under the terms
of the agreement, with overtime at
time and one-hall' to be paid for all
Sundays and specified regular holi
days.
The agreement carries with it a
seniority clause giving preference to
the older men in point of service in
the reduction of forces as well as in
the restoration of forces after any
lay-off period.
An arbitration provision has also
been provided for the adjustment of
disputes which cannot be handled
through direct negotiation.
Great Steel Spy
System Charged
CHICAGO MARKET CO.
Phone 5000
Washington, D. C. (ILNS)—Phillip
Murray, field commander of the Steel
Workers' organizing committee, told
the National Labor Relations Board
here that the steel industry not only
uses an elaborate spy system, but
that in the steel "company towns,"
municipal officials, appointed by the
company, do their utmost to block or
ganization.
Men are urged, sor«ietimes threat
ened, and promised rewards to betray
anyone with whom they work if he
commits the crime of "talking union,"
Murray said.
The hearings have been adjourned
to January 11.
Pork Chops 18!/£c Juicy Oranges, 5 lbs. 19c
Cube Steak .15c Onions 2 lbs. 5c
Overhaul That Truck, Tractor,
Automobile or Stationary Engine Now
Get All Your Parts, Supplies and Service at
SAVAGE AUTO SUPPLY CO.
636-840 MAPLE AVE. HAMILTON, OHIO
A Home Owned Store
Where they have parts for Automobiles, Trucks and Tractors
MOTORS REBORED PINS FITTED SLEEVES INSTALLED
.1.
(Copyright, W. N. u.)
THE BUTI,ER COUNTY PRESS.
By CHESTER M. WRIGHT
Washington, D. C. (ILNS)—The
year-end holiday week brings to light
one of the most amazing industrial
situations ever recorded in national
history.
Approximately 100 Southern textile
mills have declared their need for ma
hinery to fix standards, as NRA did,
declaring this necessary to their life
and stability.
Meanwhile the great steel and auto
mobile industries have made it clear
that they are determined to resist any
"interference" with their "right" to
do exactly as they please, which is
primarily a declaration of resistance
to unionism.
The automobile industry likewise
has made clear a similar position.
Though doing a record-breaking busi
ness, both of these giants of industry
have declared their determination to
stick to company unionism.
Tobacco in Same Group
But another .giant has been ignored
in this casting up of the situation.
The great tobacco group that has
fought labor as hard and bitterly as
steel and automobiles have fought it,
stands today in exactly the same po
sition. The big cigarette group, known
as the Big Four, are united solidly
against unionization. With the clever
and astute Clay Willians as chief
diplomat, they seek to keep out of the
front row in the controversy, evidently
preferring to cover their warfare un
der a cloak of silence while steel and
automobiles "take the rap" of public
discussion and condemnation. But they
occupy the same position as tlje more
open opponents of labor in the nation
wide line of conflict.
While in steel and automobiles
there is not outstanding recourse
for consumers, in the field of to
bacco and cigarettes there are
fully unionized brands. Those
made by Brown & Williamson are
making nation-wide appeal, be
cause of the union label, empha
sizing that the company uses the
label on all its brands of tobacco
and cigarettes. The cigarette
brands are Raleighs, Kools, Vice
roys, Wings and Avalons.
In the field of automobiles, the La
Follette senate committee is prepar
ing for a thorough investigation of
anti-union tactics. Labor expects im
portant revelations.
Oil Party Anti-Union
Lined up with these union-hating
giants there is a portion of the oil
industry, notably the Rockefeller, Mel
lon and Pew interests, with Standard,
Gulf and Sun. But here also there
are the companies across the line,
The Annual Non-Stop Flight
9
Steel, Auto and Tobacco Stand United in Resolve
To Continue Fight on Unionism to Last Ditch
Organized Workers and Their Friends Can Strike
Effective Blow at Anti-Labor Cigarette Big
Four By Buying and Boosting Brown & Wil
liamson Unionized Brands.
unionized, led by Sinclair, with the
best agreement of them all.
Big Developments Coming
A notable break in the anti-union
line came with the election in General
Electric, with the company announce
ing in advance that it would abide by
the results of an election under NLRB
auspices. In the election the company
union was badly beaten.
The coming two or three months
will see tremendous developments,
without doubt, in this battle of giants.
But those giants that have dealt with
unions know that the coming of union
ism brings into industry a fairness
and a spirit of co-operation that is of
inestimable value, with all of the
fruits so often proclaimed by the Bal
timore & Ohio railroad, pioneer in
labor-management co-operation and
marked as an outstanding road, large
ly for that reason.
TELEPHONE
MONOPOLY
Accused of Big Equipment
Overcharge
Washington, D. C. (ILNS)—The
federal communications commission
charges that the $2,500,000,000 equip
ment investment account of the Amer
ican Telephone & Telegraph Company
includes an overcharge of at least 20
per cent, or $500,000,000.
Cyrus G. Hill, engineer in charge
of the telephone inquiry, testified that
all the two and a half billion dollars
worth of telephone equipment of the
A. T. & T. was bought from the West
ern Electric Company. The Western
Electric is a subsidiary, entirely
owned by the A. T. & T. Therefore,
the A. T. & T. could have got its en
tire equipment at cost, just as if the
Western Electric had been in form
what it was and is in fact, the manu
facturing department of the A. T.
& T.
Instead of that, Mr. Hill reports
that the overcharge was at least 20
per cent $500,000,000 probably
more. This overcharge is capital
ized, and is a basis for dividends
The A. T. & T. has paid $9 a share
dividends since 1921. At that rate
telephone users are paying at least
9 per cent on $500,000,000 of fic
titious capital that never existed, or a
tribute—on this point alone—of $45,
000,000 a year to the insiders of the
holding company set-up.
Subscribe for The Press.
w
Shorts
The president of the American
Snuff Co. last year got salary and
"other compensation" totaling $54,080.
Such a sum is not to be sneezed at.
Light and fragrance has been shed
on the German food shortage from
an unexpected quarter. The Krupp
munitions firm is to build a bridge
across the Nile for the Egyptian gov
ernment, and Krupps will take their
pay 4n Egyptian onions.
The SEC is doing its best to sit on
the lid of Wall street speculation. The
treasury of the United States has laid
its plans to head off the inflation which
it fears may result from the tremen
dour influx of gold into this country.
Quite a contrast, this, to the days
when President Coolidge and Secre
tary Mellon told the country that
brokers' loans—the best measure of
speculation in stocks—were not too
high, and that the crazy activity of
the stock market was just an evidence
of prosperity.
Advertise in The Press.
V
1
1
Our
n«w Vcar Ulish for you
ONE DOLLAR PEE YEAR
LABOR AND
GOVERNMENT
Discuss Plans to Improve
Nation's Living Standards
Washington, D. C. (ILNS)—Union
labor and the federal government
consulted together here to consider
the protection of collective bargain
ing rights, end child labor, and ad
vance a program of social reforifflR
Secretary of Labor Frances Pei-kins
represented the government, and 68
union leaders were present, including
John L. Lewis, Frank Morrison, Sid
ney Hillman, Arthur Wharton and
Leo George.
When the conference was over, Sec
retary Perkins made a radio address
which summarized the work of the
gathering. Briefly,
The conference issued a warning
that relief must not be used to supple
ment sweatshop wages and thereby
subsidize sweatshops. It recommended
federal government aid to the unem
ployed, and large public works pro
grams to stimulate the building in
dustry.
It took the ground that the abolition
of child labor is an immediate neces
sity, not only as help in overcoming
unemployment, but to raise the stand
ards of living of the young people of
this country.
In line with organized labor's
demands, the conference urged
immediate and sharp limitation of
hours of labor to overcome the
still appalling amount of unem
ployment, and to prevent unem
ployment in the future.
At this conference, it was disclosed
that in some parts of the country,
workers have received as little as
$1.50 a week for six days, 10 hours a
day. In one factory, workers had
made as little as 87 cents for a week's
work of 60 hours. The conference
was strong for a minimum wage that
shall be a living wage, and for a gen
eral raising of wages.
The conference urged the extension
of machinery for the settlement of
industrial disputes. It indorsed the
Walsh-Healy act, and the standards
of fair wages and hours in producing
goods which the government buys.
It demanded "definite recognition of
the universal right of workers to or
ganize and select representatives of
their own choosing for collective bar
gaining."
"We know that in 1929, which was
a high income year," said Secretary
Perkins in her radio talk, "that 11,
000,000 families in the United States
had incomes of less than $1,000 a
year. ... Of these, a very substan
tial number lived almost on a pov
erty level.
"If we are to develop and realize
our system of mass production, these
low-income groups must be developed
in their purchasing power to make it
possible for them to buy the goods
they make.
IS THAT EACH DAY WILL BE
ONE OF PEACE, PROSPERITY
AND PLENTY
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