The Butler County press. [volume], February 13, 1942, Image 1

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Washington, D. C. (ILNS).—That
American labor and employers have
"advanced far toward making collec
tive bargaining the accepted practice
of an industrial democracy" was the
opinion expressed by Chairman H. A.
Millis of the National Labor Relations
Board, in making public the board's
sixth annual report.
Millis based his opinion on facts
cited in the report, for the 1940-41
fiscal year. Commenting on the re
port, he said:
"In the year 1937-38 our country
was deeply disturbed by its labor dis
putes and the National Labor Rela
tions Board was inundated with cases,
the majority of them alleging unfair
labor practices. In Germany during
that same year there were no strikes,
and unemployment for the first time
in years fell below the one-million
mark.
Workers Want Free Choice
"Upon the surface America at that
time was the more endangered through
the maladjustment of its industrial re
lationships. But we now know better.
We can examine without fears the
new influx of Labor Board cases which
began in the spring of 1941, since they
were predominantly intended for the
completion of one of the last steps in
the collective bargaining procedure,
and since these cases which did not
involve repressive action against labor
organization were concurrently yield-
HOUSING SHORTAGES
CRITICAL IN DEFENSE
AREAS, WPA REVEALS
Charges of A. F. of L. Confirmed By
Works Projects Administration.
Washington, D. C. (ILNS). Con
firming charges of grossly inadequate
housing in defense centers repeatedly
made by the American Federation of
Labor, the Works Projects Adminis
tration reports that bad housing con
ditions existed in nearly 300 defense
areas last year.
Residential vacancies are below nor
mal during the year in nine-tenths of
the nation's key defense areas and so
low in two-fifths of the areas as to
indicate a critical housing shortage,
according to a summary of vacancy
surveys made by the WPA Division of
Research at the request of the (Mice
of Emergency Management.
In all but 25 of the 287 defense
areas surveyed by the WPA the gross
number of vacant family dwelling
units was less than 5 per cent, the
figure considered "normal" by housing
authorities, and in most cases less
than half of the dwellings found to be
vacant were habitable and for rent.
Labor, Employers Advance Far
In Making Collective Bargaining
Accepted Practice, NLRB Says
Gains in Industrial Democracy Seen in Opinion Expressed
by Chairman of Board, H. A. Millis—More Than Million
Sought Assistance in Bargaining Representatives.
Shortage Critical in 111 Areas
In 111 of the areas the gross va
cancy ratio was less than 2 per cent,
indicating a "critical" housing short
age and a serious lack of habitable
dwellings for rent. The figures are
based on the number of family dwell
ing units and do not include single
rooms, which are listed separately in
the individual reports.
The surveys covered virtually all
communities in the United States des
ignated by the government as defense
areas, from metropolitan centers such
as Chicago, Los Angeles, and parts of
New York City, to small towns ad
jacent to Army camps. The informa
tion assembled is being used in plan
ning the defense housing program.
In most areas the number of dwell
ing units in good condition and offered
for rent was less than half of the
total vacancies, and in some cities
many of these houses were still under
construction and not available for im
mediate occupancy. Houses held for
Sale or being constructed for owner
occupancy, and dwellings unfit for use,
ing to the processes of orderly admin
istrative law."
The report said that the most sig
nificant facts in the data for the year
"is the vastly increased desire of the
workers to determine their bargaining
representatives. More than a million
sought the board's assistance in this,
and nearly three-quarters of a million
valid votes were cast in board secret
elections. Seventy per cent of these
votes, a new high, were cast for na
tionally affiliated unions."
502 Fake Unions Killed
Highlights of the report included
the following:
1. The proportion of unfair labor
practice cases was about equal to rep
resentations cases, whereas until the
previous year the board had received
about two complaint cases to one rep
resentation case.
2. The board closed 4,698 unfair la
bor practice cases involving more than
1,200,000 workers. Nine out of ten of
the cases were terminated without for
mal action.
3. Five hundred and two company
unions were disestablished and col
lective bargaining began in 1,009
cases 23,475 workers were reinstated
"to remedy discriminatory discharge"
5,181 discharged workers received
$924,761 in back pay ,*lind 24,427 work
ers who had struck in cases of alleged
unfair labor practice were reinstated.
comprised most of the non-rental va
cancies.
Connecticut Situation Bad
Connecticut, Pennsylvania and other
heavily-populated states which have
become centers for tremendous war
production disclosed the lowest va
cancy ratios. Of nine key areas sur
veyed in Connecticut, only one had a
habitable rental vacancy rate of as
much as one per cent and one city,
Meriden, had almost no rental va
cancies.
Resurveys, made at varying inter
vals in 71 of the areas, showed that
habitable rental vacancies decreased
during the year in 53 of the resurveyed
areas.
David Webb & Sons
FUNERAL HOME
PHONES 48-78 ROSS AT "D"
In a few of the resurveyed areas
vacancy rates increased slightly in
most cases this was due largely to
new construction, not yet completed.
A. F. of L. spokesmen last year and
the year before exposed bad housing
conditions for defense workers, in tes
timony before Congressional commit
tees investigating housing problems.
STANDARDS PROTECT
PRODUCING POWER
(From American Federation of Labor
Declaration on War Labor Policy)
Experience has demonstrated that
protective labor legislation and hour
standards are for the purpose of con
serving workers in order to make pos
sible sustained maximum producing
power. They are the safeguards to na
tional well-being.
In war emergencies there may be
temporary need for abolishing some
standards or for modifying special
standards for special industries. All
such modifications and changes, how
ever, should be the result of proven
need and should be approved in ad
vance by representatives of the work
ers. The same is true of protective
labor and employment standards es
tablished through collective bargain
ing and trade union agreements.
Somewhere on this earth there may
possibly be peoples who can be content
without the rights of free human be
ings. But Americans are not of that
breed. George Meany, secretary
treasurer, American Federation of
Labor.
There are no "rookie" dollars. Send
yours to the front! Buy U. S. Defense
•Savings Bonds and Stamps!
FmpEFENSE
Hj
BUY
f, PI UNITED
STATES
SAVINGS
BONDS
AMI STAMPS
(WNU Service)
Washington, D. C.—President Wil
liam Green of the American Federa
tion of Labor sent to all members of
Congress a thorough, factual refuta
tion of that portion of the Vinson
Committee's report which charged
trade unions had profited from the na
tional defense program.
Mr. Green punctured the accusations
made in the report by citing the fol
lowing facts which he said were avail
able to the committee but deliberately
ignored by it:
1—That the $10,679,000 increase in
the assets of 117 unions with a mem
bership of 6,085,000 workers over the
18-month period from October 1, 1939,
to March 31, 1941, as reported by the
Vinson Committee, represents only 9.7
cents per member per month. (The
figure is 12.6 cents per member per
month for the A. F. of L. unions cov
ered.)
2—That the great bulk of union as
sets are funds held in reserve for union
members and paid out to them from
time to time under various benefit sys
tems, including unemployment insur
ance, death, disability, health, retire
ment and other benefits.
3—That in the 14-year period from
1927 to 1940 inclusive, extending over
the years of depression and recovery,
A. F. of L. unions paid to their mem
bers a total of $450,000,000 in unem
ployment, sickness, disability, old age
and death benefits, thus relieving the
nation and its communities of a heavy
relief burden.
4—That union funds are not used
for profit-making or to engage in any
business enterprise but belong to the
union members and are collected and
expended at their direction and in their
behalf.
5—That recent increases in union
assets can be accounted for as follows:
(a) Increases in union membership
(the A. F. of L. gained 500,000 mem
bers during the period covered by the
Vinson Committee).
(b) Because of widespread re-em
ployment, union members previously
jobless were able to renew dues pay
ments and many of them paid up ar
rears in order to re-establish eligibility
for benefits.
(c) Because of the no-strike policy
of the American Federation of Labor
and its affiliated unions there was a
sharp decrease in the number of
strikes and in the length of their
duration, thus considerably cutting
down disbursements for strike bene
fits.
Mr. Green declared that far from
seeking to profit from the defense pro
gram A. F. of L. building trades and
metal trades unions have endeavored
to help the government in every way
possible and have transported at their
-V tr-
,r'
'I'll K BUTLER COUNTY PRESS.
VOL. XLI. No. 46. HAMILTON, OHIO, FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 1942. ONE DOLLAR PER YEAR
Declares A. F. of L. Organizations Have Paid Insurance
Benefits Totaling $450,000,000 to Union Members—
"Constitutes Slur on Record of Trade Unions."
-'-V
Abraham Lincofn
Green Blasts Fake Vinson Charges
That Unions Profit From Defense
Committee Ignored Available Facts
own expense hundreds of thousands of
mechanics and skilled workers from
their home communities to the site of
defense projects where their services
were urgently needed.
Mr. Green said:
"The committee's conclusion that
the American trade unions have sought
to benefit from the defense program
to the detriment of the public interest
is utteiiy without foundation or sub
stantiation. It constitutes a slur on
the record of the American trade union
movement. The committee's failure to
examine and report on organized la
bor's contribution to defense and the
cost of such contribution sustained by
trade unions is conclusive proof of the
committee's anti-labor bias."
WARTIME PROBLEMS
STUDIED BY BOARD
Chicago (ILNS).—Serious wartime
problems, including unemployment
growing out of curtailment of gar
ment production due to shortage of
materials, came before the general ex
ecutive board of the International La
dies' Garment Workers' Union in quar
terly session here. President David
Dubinsky presided at the meeting, at
tended by 23 vice-presidents from
every women's garment center in the
nation.
President Dubinsky emphasized the
urgency of meeting emergency prob
lems. He listed priorities affecting
garment materials, the outlook for
substitute products, prospects for em
ployment of I. L. G. W. U. members
in defense industries, relief activities,
civilian defense work and the $25,
000,000 defense bond purchase cam
paign started by the union.
One of the problems, Dubinsky said,
is the possibility of employment on
military uniforms of garment workers
made jobless through wartime pri
orities.
Tobacco Workers Test
Employers' Patriotism
Richmond, Va. Tobacco corpora
tions now face a real test of their
patriotism toward the men in the
armed forces.
The A. F. of L. Tobacco Workers'
Union have offered to give 20,000
hours of free labor a week—or over
1,000,000 a year if manufacturers
showed equal generosity by donating
the raw materials. That would pro
vide enough free cigarettes, cigars
or other tobacco products for every
soldier, sailor or marine in the U. S.
forces, the union said.
"It's up to the employers now to
match the patriotism of the workers,"
declared I. M. Ornburn, secretary
treasurer of the A. F. of L. Union
Label Trades Department.
3rd
SHIPYARD DISPUTE
SETTLED, NATIONAL
WAR BOARD SAYS
The National War Labor Board this
week announced settlement of the dis
pute between the Robert Jacob Ship
yard, City Island, N. Y., and the Indus
trial Union of Marine and Shipbuild
ing Workers of America, CIO, after a
two-day hearing before an associate
member of the board, Professor I. L.
Sharfman of the University of Mich
igan.
The only issue still remaining in the
dispute, which involved 350 men, the
union's demand for a union shop, was
settled by agreement between the par
ties to include in the contract the fol
lowing clauses:
"All present employes who are mem
bers of the I. U. of M. and S. W. of A.,
Local 38, or employes who shall herein
after voluntarily become members of
the union shall remain members of
said union in good standing during the
term of this agreement.
"The parties further agree that the
company shall apply to the union for
all new help and if the union is un
able to furnish satisfactory help within
twenty-four hours from the time of
such request, the company shall have
the right to hire such help from any
source whatsoever without restriction
provided further that the company
shall at all times have the right to
re-employ former employes without
any restriction at any time who have
been on the payroll during the previous
twelve months."
Lubin Is Reappointed
Labor Statistics Chief
Washington, D. C. Isador Lubin,
one of Washington's able economists,
who has been Commissioner of Labor
Statistics for eight years, was ap
pointed for another four-year term by
President Roosevelt. His appointment
went to the Senate for confirmation.
In recent months, Lubin has been on
leave from his Department of Labor
position to serve as top statistician
for the defense program.
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