The CIO news., March 29, 1943, Image 1

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

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

                
MARYLAND CIO LEADERS IN CAPITAL
AS STABILITY 'KDOWN THREATENS
t- * /
Danger Accute, astern MARYLAND edition;, c..
Leaders Warn
WASHINGTON, March 22—With reactionaries on the
point of forcing through Congress laws which would throw
President Roosevelt’s 7-point anti-inflation plan on the junk
heap, President Boyd E. Payton and Secretary-Treasurer
Sidney R. Katz led a delegation of 75 Maryland CIO leaders
to the Capital to try and salvage the program of stabilization.
They presented their program to the Senators and Represen
tatives from Maryland in the morning, then visited administra
tive agencies in the afternoon and wound up with calls at the
embassies of America's three largest allies to pledge solidarity
in the war effort,
FIFTEEN FROM CUMBERLAND
The whole Legislative Committee of Local 1874 attended.
From Rubber Workers Local 26 the delegates were John E. Sharp,
Ralph Beard, and Boyd M. Jewell. Field Representative Horace
B. Davis attended from the Western Maryland Industrial Union
Council.
From Local 842, UAWA, of Hagerstown, came James C.
Boyle, Woodrow W. Moore. Harry W. Kline, George L. Pearson,
John H. Ilartle and Harry P. Ralfenseberger.
KABY. EXPLAINS
Bro. Katz selected nine sub
jects for speriiil consideration of
tlie legislators from Maryland, all
but one of M'hom gathered in the
Senate Office building to meet
with the delegation.
1. Total war mobilization. The
Pepper-Kilgore Bill for a central
planning oflice is essential, said
Katz. Failing a master plan, legis
lation like the Austin-Wadsworth
compulsory service bill would sim
ply freeze the mistakes that have
been made.
2. Abolition of state poll-tax laws
which limit the franchise in seven
southern states. 11. R. 7 is in proc
ess of being discharged from com
mittee. Reps. D’Alessandio and
Beall won a round of applause
when the announced that they had
signed Discharge Petition No. S, to
bring this bill to the floor.
TVDINGS DEBATES
3. Taxation. When the delegates
spoke for the U. S. Treasury pro
posals on taxation, and against the
Ruml Plan for rebating taxes to
the rich, Senator Tydings under
took to read them a lecture. The
rich have not enough income any
way to pay the $16,000,000,000 of
new taxes which the President has
requested, said the Senator, and
proved it with a huge chart. The
delegates replied that efforts to re
lieve the rich from taxation were
Interfering seriously with morale.
4. Federal Workers, and
5. Rights of Labor. Senator Tyd
ings attempted to defend the Hobbs
Bill. Bro. Jim Drury, president of
the Baltimore Industrial Union
Council, finally got the floor for
a slashing attack on this bill for
shackling labor, and he was strong
ly supported by Congressman Dan
Ellison.
6. Unemployment Compensa
tion. Katz pointed out that lobby
ists for the special interests are
very anxious to see H. R. 2115
passed, since It would put Con
gress on record in favor of the
principle of merit rating.
7. Stabilization of the Cost of
Living. A real crisis has developed
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OFFICERS °* 4Ma * TWUA. From left to right, sitting: Edward Van Meter, trustee; John E. Neal, secretary; John G. Thomas, busi
r V "* l “' W npss manager; William E. Meagher, vice-president; Walter R. Walters, president. Standing: Oscar Blake, member of Executive
Board; James Chappell, Earl Nixon and George Knotts, members of Auditing Committee; Roy Cra/.e, trustee; lister Mull, warden; Howard Bush, Playford
Aldridge, Charles Smith and Edward G. Brookman, members of Executive Board, and John Deremer anti George layman, trustees.
♦—."■ —1 1—
with the threatened passage of the
Bankhead Bill, S. 680. and the Pace
Bill, 11. R. 1408. both of which
would add directly to the cost of
agricultural products.
Senator Radcliffe was concerned
about the plight of the cotton plan
tation owners. Katz replied:
“Agriculture has not converted
toa war basis. Cotton-raisers can
spend their time better in raising
food tat is needed in the war ef
fort, than on cotton of which
there is a two years’ supply on
hand. The same goes for tobac
co.” Delegate Roberts of Balti
more, UAWA, added that these
two crops use up the soil and re
quire a relatively heavy expendi
ture of labor.
RADCLIFFE DOESN’T UNDER
STAND
8. Women. Some Congressmen
have fallen for the so-called Equal
Rights Amendment, which would
sweep away all special legislative
safeguards for women.
9. Security Program. Support was
voiced for the recently-issued re
port of the National Resources
Planning Board, which has been
endorsed by the Sttae and District
Industrial Union Councils.
PRICES UP MORE THAN
WAGE RATES
Appointments had been arranged
with important officials of several
government agencies, and the dele
gation to the War Labor Board,
headed by Bro. Payton, was suc
cessful in seeing Vice-Chairman
George W. Taylor and attending
an important press conference.
Employers such as Board Mem
ber Roger Lapham are now using
the argument that earnings of la
bor (including overtime) have risen
more than the cost of living, which
is admitted up by more than 20
per cent.
The Board is not willing to drop
the "Little Steel” formula which
only contemplates a 15 per cent
rise to meet increased living costs.
But passage of the Bankhead Bill
would upset the whole stabilization
program, It was admitted by Board
m fsci© mm a
Vol. VI. No. 13 Postniaat.r: S.nd 3T.78-P Cards to Western Mary.
Entered as Second Class Matter. Post Offlre. Washington, . „
D. C.. under the Act of Aug. 24. 1912 and Feb. 28. 1925. Jllarcll 29, 1913
1 <
BULLETIN
Local 1874, TIVUA, voted at
it* membership meeting, March
24, that it would contribute a
dollar to the Ked Cross for every
member of the local In the
armed forces. At last accounts
the number of Celanese workers
in the service totaled 2250.
i "■
Chairman Davis.
At the OPA, Deputy Administra
tor John Hamm broke his appoint
i nient with the delegates, who
lodged a vigorous protest by mail.
Economic Stabilizer James F.
i Byrnes was also not available, but
the selected group that went to
his office laid a series of gfievances
before an assistant, Donald Russell.
Visitors at the ollice of Charles
E. Wilson, executive vice-chairman
of the War Production Board, also
failed to gain an audience, though
they did interview Wendell Lund,
director of Labor Production Divi
sion. and asked why no labor-man
agement committee had yet been
set up in the important Glenn Mar
tin aircraft plant.
Several delegates remarked that
they believed appointments made
with bnnkers and manufacturer*
are not so lightly brushed aside.
GOODWILL TO ALLIES
Bro. Beard led the group that
called at the British Embassy. He
reported an interesting conversa
tion with the labor attache. A. McD.
Gordon.
The Chinese Embassy served tea
to its visitors (" . . . and what tea!"
they said afterwards!, and Ambas
sador Dr. Wei Tao-Ming expressed
the opinion that Japan would be
easier to beat by an offensive now
than a year from now. Japan’s seri
ous shortage, he indicated, is man
power.
I.ITVINOFF CORDIAL
At the Russian Embassy a dele
gation led by Vice-Pres. Eva Cha
ney of the State Council met Am
bassador Litvinoff and expressed
their hope for the early opening of
a second front in Europe. The Am
bassador seemed much pleased
with the statement and said:
"I will transmit it to my gov
ernment and through it to the
Russiun workers who will he in
terested. It indicates a common
aim to destroy the spirit of ag
gression and prepare the way for
cooperation among the peace-lov
ing nations and a better society
for all, especially the worker*.
Tiie Red Army and the |>eople
know and feel the aid given
through Lend-Lease; they are
grateful not only to the govern
ment but to the workers who
manufactured the goods.”
' '* i;,-
LOCAL 1874 PRESIDENTS
Walter R. Walters Boyd E. Payton
Incoming Outgoing
Unity Conference
Fights Inflation
CUMBERLAND - Aroused by skyrocketing prices and in
adequate controls, the local Labor Unity Conference, representing
all branches of the labor movement in Cumberland as well as the
organized farmers of the area, launched a movement March 19
to combat inflation and hold in check both salaries and food
prices.
Meeting March 21. the legislative committee of the conference dis
cussed a program for national and local action to meet the crisis
Measures contemplated include:
An appeal for genuine working agreements on legislative mat
ter* among the national AFL, CIO, and Railroad Brotherhood*, and
the National Farmer* Union;
A national legislative conference of these four groups to recall
Cong res* to the President's seven-point anti-inflation program of
last May;
A Western Maryland Conference Against Inflation, with par
ticipation of labor, fraternal, civic and consumer groups, to set up
a corps of volunteers witli the purpose of preventing illegal price
increases under the OPA; ,
Insistence on the urgent necessity for rent control in the Cum
berland area.
Sign Long Time Holdout
NEW YORK, Mar. 27.—The CIO cracked one more long time
holdout against unionism this week with the signature of the first
union contract ever won from the nationally famous, paternalistic
Endicott-Johnson Shoe Co., of Endicott, N. Y.
Signature of the pact with Local
of the Fur & Leather Workers
Union was announced by Int'l.
Vice-President and General Or
ganizer Mver Klig. The contract
covers 2.300 employes of the com
pany's tannery.
The company, which has been
an open shop holdout for 54
years, granted the union exelu-
I
sivp collective bargaining rights,
grievance procedure and arbitra
tion, job seniority with top
seniority for department and
shop stewarts; free boots, aprons,
gloves and sanitary conditions in
the shop; and no discrimination
against any worker for union
activities.