The CIO news., March 01, 1943, Image 1

About The CIO news. (Cumberland, Md.) 1942-????

Image provided by: University of Maryland, College Park, MD

                
WLB PROMISES LOCAL
1874 LEADERS VIS^£*P|TAL
—See Story, Page 8
The Price of Victory
t TAXES AND
WAR BONDS
It Takes Both
V' 1 VI T\l~ 11 Postmaster: Send 3378-P Cards to Western Mar*- i " 101 *1 Entered as Second Class Matter. Post Office Washineton,
1 01. VI, no. 11 land CIO NEWS. P.O. Box 299. Cumberland, Md. WHICH Id, IV 1.1 D. C., under the Act of Aur. 24. 1912 and Feb. 28. 1925!
CHvf
WAR FUND
■■■■HHHHMHaHBnHHHd
Form Committees
To Aid Drive
The Western Maryland Council
of the CIO went on record to ac
tively support the 1943 Red Cross
War Fund Campaign.
“We know that the Red Cross is
doing an outstanding job in meet
ing the needs of our servicemen,"
said Ralph C. Beard. President of
the Council. “With hundreds of
thousands of CIO members fight
ing all over the globe, we have a
special responsibility to aid In the
successful promotion of the Red
Cross Fund. Our President, Philip
Murray, is a member of the Board
of Incorporators of the Red Cross
and has pledged the support of the
CIO. Our members here in Cum
berland will back up that pledge
100 per cent."
The Council also went on record
Local 1874 Installs
New Officers
CUMBERLAND, March 10 —Pledging himself to “do the
most good for the most union members, to make working condi
tions better, and play no favorites,” incoming president Walter
R. Walters of Local 1874, TWUA, received cordial acclaim at the
installation of new officers, held in the Queen City Hotel.
“Let us all carry the torch of labor as well as the torch of
freedom for labor that is free and can outproduce labor that is
slave,” continued Walters. "We will have many problems to solve
but, in the end, we will have a better contract, better working
conditions, and more unity if we all do our part. We will win
our fight for better conditions, and we will win the war.”*
I. Duke Avnet, union attorney, in ft
an inspiring address pointed to the
leadership given in the past by
Loral 1874 to the labor movement
of Cumberland and of the state,
and urged a continuance of the
broad national approach to labor's
problems.
COOK WARNS OF CHANGES
Wesley Cook of New York, as
sistant director of tlie rayon divi
sion in the Textile Workers Union,
said that the 48-hour week was
coming soon in rayon plunts, prob
ably about July 1, and stressed the
need for developing new leaders
to replace the 2200 men already
drafted and the 1500 more due to
go this year. Cook emphasized
that the old days of strikes are
gone, and stressed the need for
THI f§tl©> NEUII
Typos Mourn
Labor Veteran
I Cumberland—One of the men
who helped found the labor move
ment in Cumberland passed away
recently. His name was Benja
min Franklin Walters, and Typo
graphical Union No. 244, which he
helped to organize many years ago
and which he represented In six
adopted a resolution of respect to
his memory at its meeting March 7.
! as urging all members of affiliated
unions to donate blood to the Red
Cross blood banks.
The State CIO Council has set
up a committee to aid in the Red
Cross drive. Boyd E. Payton of
Cresaptown, President of the Coun
cil, is a member of the committee.
TYPOS DONATE
At its last regular Typograph
ical Union No. ‘244 voted to donate
$75 to the Red Cross campaign.
coolness while attacking the delays
of which the War Labor Board
(for example) has been guilty.
Out-going Pres. Boyd E. Payton
called on everyone to support the
new in the union,
and warned of the dangers of divi
sion at a time when anti-labor
elements in Congress are seeking
to impose new shackles on labor.
General Manager John G. Thomas
told of recent efforts by the otti
ccrs to speed WLB action on the
Celanesc case. Vice-President Wm.
Meagher and John E. Neal, record
ing secretary, also spoke briefly.
The function ended with a very
enjoyable dance to music supplied
by Jay Van's orchestra.
WESTERN MARYLAND EDITION
Labor Fights
Hobbs Bill
CUMBERLAND— AIarmed by
the news that the Hobbs bill to
bring labor unions under the
same penalties as rackets was
about to be reported to the
floor of Congress, unions in
Western Maryland sent vehe
ment protests to their Repre
sentatives. The unions which
have not yet y acted are urged
to do so quickly.
Waved on its way by a reac
tionary Rules Committee which
refused in the last session to report
out the anti-polltax bill, the Hobbs
bill. HR 653, found the House of
Representatives in a labor-baiting
mood.
Especially aroused were team
sters and railroad men. The Ilobbs
bill levies penalties on those who
use “violence” to interfere with
interstate commerce, and removes
the protection accorded to legiti
mate union activities in the so
ealled Lindbergh anti-rackets law.
Under the loose Interpretations
allowed In some courts, the union
shop and other union security
provisions, and even union initia
tion fees might be branded
“coercion,” “extortion,” or "con
spiracy” and prosecuted under
the Anti-Rackets Act. Penalty on
conviction may be a 10-year pri
son term, or a SIO.OOO fine, or
both.
The Over-the-Road Conference of
Teamsters of Maryland, Virginia,
West Virginia, the Carolinas, meet
ing recently in Roanoke, launched
an attack on the Hobbs bill. Local
1874 of the TVVUA also acted
against the bill.
The Maryland-D. C. Industrial
Union Council through its Execu
tive Board urged its offlliates
March 6 to take prompt action
against the Hobbs Bill.
Celanese Profit
At Record High
Cumberland— Press handouts de
scribing the annual report of the
Celanese Corp. for 1912 omitted
much important information pre
sumably contained in the report,
but did indicate that the company
made dividend payments of $5,132,-
631 in 1912. This figure was even
higher than the 1911 total, which
in turn was the highest up to that
time.
Sales were up nearly 40 per cent
to $86,145,992, and net income be
fore federal taxes and contingencies
reached $19,748,511. Thus the com
pany made a profit of $1975 per
worker, and distributed in divi
dends more than $513 per worker.
The Celanese is a hundred mil
lion dollar corporation, the report
showed. Net assets ut the close of
1942 totalled $103,391,351.
The amount distributed in divi
dends from 1935 through 1942 is
$29,697,101.
Conveniently omitted from the
press stories was the figure of
“management fees.”'l. e., bonuses
to top officials of the company. In
1941 these fees amounted to half a
million dollars, and cue stockholder
brought suit to stop them on the
grounds that Camille and Henri
Dreyfus and other directors were
taking money that really belonged
to the stockholders.
The bonuses urc in addition to
salaries. The Dreyfuses drew sal
aries in 1941 of SIBO,OOO apiece,
Kelly Co. Accedes
To New Contract
CUMBERLAND—Significant improvements in grievance ma
chinery, greater protection for unionists engaged in active union
work, and protection of seniority for men in the armed forces
are contained in the new contract between the Kclly-Springfield
Tire Co. and its subsidiary, the Kelly-Springficld Engineering Co.
on the one hand, and Local 26, United Rubber Workers of Amer
ica-CIO, on the other.
The parties did not come to full accord on the questions of
wages, the union shop, and dues collection, and these issues are
before the War Labor Board for determination. However, it was
agreed March 4 that the rest of the contract would enter into
force immediately as of February 1.
N. H. Eagle. URWA district di
rector, participated in the final
negotiations, and International
Representative Robert L. Hill as
sisted at all stages. The local's
negotiating committee Included
Raymond Burkhart, later replaced
by O. J. Mortzfeldt as president of
the local; Ralph Beard. M. Houder
sheldt and Odell Young.
GRIEVANCE MACHINERY
Under the new arrangement, a
union member who feels that his
rights have been invaded may take
the matter up with his immediate
supervisor, either individually oi in
company with his committeemen.
Only if he is unable to reach a
satisfactory settlement does he put
the grievance in writing. It is
expected that this provision will
speed up settlement of minor
grievances.
PROTECTS MEN IN SERVICE
Departmental seniority is guar
anteed to men who join the armed
forces, on the basis of the payroll
of August 1. 1941. and these em
ployes are given continuous serv
ice for time spent with the military
provided they report for work
within 60 days after discharge.
Top officers of the union receive
first shift seniority rights in their
respective departments during
their term of office. This provision
is aimed at stabilizing; the union.
Important adjustments have
been made in vacation and ma
ternity provisions. The minimum
pay per week of vacation is to
be S2O for male employes anil sls
for female employes. The health
of mothers is protected by the
provision which enables them to
retain seniority when they take
time oil for child-birth, if they
do not stay away from work
more than six months (four
months after the birth of the
child). Union negotiators battled
hard for this concession.
Finally, the union succeeded in
getting a provision that employe
representatives of the union on the
Labor-Management Committee get
first shift privileges during their
term of office. The careful way in
which the functioning of this com
mittee is protected indicates the
importance which the union at
taches to its work.
The union negotiators paid
tribute to the Kelly management
for agreeing to these important
improvements in the workers’ con
ditions.
which is many times the figure of
$25,000 set by Pres. Roosevelt as
the maximum that a corporation
executive should lie allowed to re
ceive.
Also not covered in press
blurbs were details on the
$1,000,000 alleged to have been
spent by the company in 1942 for
radio programs featuring the
wife of Pres. Camille Dreyfus.
B EVERY
PAY DAY,
BOND DAY!
| Says Nat. Jet Co.
Will Obey Law,
Cumberland Hastily reversing
their hard-J>oiled "open shop" stand,
the managers of the National Jet
Co. have posted a notice to the
effect that their workers are free
To Join the CIO “or any other
union" if they wish, without fear
of discrimination.
I The company has also paid over
! to a number of employes and form
er employes twice the difference
between the wages they had re
ceived. and the legal minimum, as
required under the Fair Labor
Standards Act of 1938. However
there has been no general increase
of wages, and the starting rate is
still 3Ue an hour.
Justification of the ClO’s charges
against the company was furnished
when a National Labor Relations
Board examiner, Mrs. Jewel G.
Briggs, arranged a settlement
agreement to prevent furture dis
crimination against union-minded
members of the force. The company
agreed to post notice of non-dis
crimination for union activity to
; give a week's pay to thirteen girl
! employes who had been “fur
! loughed indefinitely,” and to place
them on a preferential rehiring
list. With regard to Harry Lam
bert, who had been fired after he
(Continued on l'age 21
Elected
.5
f > , •
I';
WALTER K. WALTERS
won in the runoff for President of
Local 1874, TWUA. reported Charles
K. Graham, chairman of the Flec
tion Committee. Also elected in
the runeff were Edward Brookntan
to the Executive Board and John
H. Deremer to the Board of Trus
tees. New officers were installed
at a gala meeting March 10.