The CIO news., May 24, 1943, Image 1

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

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

                
PRICE CHECKERS TO OROANIZE
FOLLOWING SUCCESSFUL MEET
For Victory
tIT TAKES BOTH
1. Taxes
2. War Bends
PIUS MORI WAK BONDS
Vol. VI, No. 21
Moorefield Mahogany
To Vote for CIO Union
MOOREFIELD, W. Va., May 20—“ We’ll stick!’’—“We got
a union now!” were some of the jubilant exclamations heard as
Thompson Mahogany workers crowded around Lou Gilbert of
the Furniture Workers Union of America, John E. Sharp of
Local 26, URWA, and Horace B. Davis of the Western Md. CIO
Council in the dimly lighted ball park after dark.
Gilbert explained the policies of the CIO and the advan-
tages that furniture workers else-'S
where had won. A whoop greeted
the announcement of the $2 initia
tion fee. The boss had spread the
story that it cost SSO to join the
CIO. and that ain’t hay for men
working at 45 cents an hour.
After everybody at the meeting
had signed up, Jack Sharp said a
Kelly Guards
Vote May 25
Cumberland, May 20—Arrange
ments have been completed for
the vote of guards, guurdettes,
and watchmen at the Cumber
land and Pinto plants of the
Kelly Co., says John E. Sharp,
vice president of Local 26. The
vote, in which some 200 are eligi
ble to participate, is scheduled
for Tuesday, May 25. All will vote
in a single unit.
The Committeemen are as fol
lows. Cumberland plant, first shift,
R. G. Cover; second shift, Eugene
Weber; third shift, James Wiant;
Pinto plant, Roy T. Richardson.
Representing Local 26 in the pre
liminary negotiations w'ere Sharp
as chairman, and Ralph C. Beard.
Roger Pisaneschl, and William
Smith.
The campaign to organize the
guards got under way four months
ago, but slowed up for a time when
the company granted some wage
increases. About March 1 the men
finally realized where the pressure
for the increase had come from,
and the big swing to Local 26 set
in.
Photo by OlHre of War Information
nty /n ADC centers are coming to Cumberland soon. Here is mid-morning tomato juice
Ur\ T vAI\C In a California center. CIO women have been rooting for the centers. See p. 12.
WESTERN MARYLAb,, '!
mi fsß® umig
'"SSc* POSTMASTER: Send Form 3578-P cards to Western Mary
land CIO News. 12 South Mechanic Street, Cumberland, Md. ”*“7
*-
few words and the crowd dis
persed to get the rest of the work
ers. Fifteen more signatures were
in hand that evening and within
two days nearly everybody was In
the union.
The Furniture Workers Union
has asked the National Labor Re
lations Board to certify that the
men have chosen the CIO union
as their collective bargaining
agency. A telegram has been sent
to the company asking for a con
ference.
The union is also fighting for re
instatement of the Smith brothers,
who were forced to quit after an
argument with the boss on the day
the union was organized.
The plant, which does mostly war
work, is operating three shifts and
seven days a week; many of the
men have had only three Sundays
off since the beginning of the year.
But none of them received double
time for the seventh day of work.
So rapid was the swing to the
CTO that company officials in a con
ference with the union committee
May 19 were obliged to agree to a
consent election under the National
tabor Relations Board. The date of
Wednesday, May 26, was suggested
for the vote.
Field Representative Horace B.
Davis of the West Md. Industrial
Union Council outlined a program
of demands, Including wage In
creases, retroactive double time for
seventh consecutive day of work,
seniority In promotions and layoffs,
machinery for adjustment of griev
ances, the union shop and the
checkoff.
300 From 43 Groups Hit
Price Rises, Ruml Plan'
CUMBERLAND, May 19 —Endorsing enthusiastically the program mapped by the Western
Maryland Labor Unity Conference, the nearly 300 delegates from 43 organizations who had
flocked to Textile Hall May 16 left with a resolve to make stabilization work.
Accepting the challenge thrown out by the principal conference speaker, State OPA Direc
tor Leo H. McCormick, who had asked for 50 price checkers to hold the line, the Labor Unity
Conference summoned its new collaborators to come to the
cil Chamber, City Hall, on Wednesday, May 26, at 7:30 and re
ceive instructions how to work. A representative of Mr.
McCormick’s office will be present, says Mrs. Delphia Parker,
member of the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen Auxiliary and
chairman of the Conference Checkers’ Committee.
AGAINST ROIL PLAN !
Of great Importance. was the
demount ration that the supposed
sentiment for the Ruml (tax-re
bate-for-tlie-rich) Plan is confined
to a limited few In the community.
Editorials in the daily press of
Cumberland found no echo in the
Conference, which unanimously
declared for the principle of the
income tax “without rebat*s on the
higher brackets, and without loop-
Stewart on
W LB Panel
A. Charles Stewart of Frost burg
has been named a public panel
member for the Cumberland region,
announces the Regional War Labor
Board.
Labor members for the region
are John G. Thomas, business man
ager for Local 18:4, IWLA, and
John F.. Sharp, vice-president of
Local 2t, IJRWA.
The union committee Is headed
by S. Ray Ours, chairman, and in
cludes also Clifton Tanner, W. Earl
Arble and Ervin Miller. Bunk Oren
Smith will take Ills place on the
committee when the union has se
cured his reinstatement.
21, 1913
> Entered as Second Class Matter. Post Office, Washington. $1 a Year.
’ D. C.. under the Act of Aug. 21. 1912 and Feb. 28. 1925 3c • Copy
■$
holes.”
While the delegates were strong
ly impressed with the need for the
work of the OPA. they had to gasp
when one of the representatives of
the State OPA made execusos for
the black marketer.
MAYOR OPENS CONFERENCE
Harry A. Porch, genial Grievance
chairman for the B&O system of
the Brotherhood of Locomotive
Local 1874
Holds Dance
The annual dance and celebra
tion of the local was announced
for Friday, May 21, at the Queen
City Ballroom, with music fur
nished by the Aristocrats’ Orches
tra.
Decorations were to include patri
otic colors of stale and nation and
also the beautiful Local 1874 ban
ner.
Not forgetting even In this celo
hiation ll.e serous problems fac
ing our nation, and exemplifying
once again their determination to
use every occasion to further prose
cute the war, the committee asked
that every applicant for admission
present In addition to a checkoff
or regular dues card also a pack
age of cigarettes per person to be
sent to the fighting boys in over
seas action. Members unable to
attend the affair were asked to
leave their cigarettes at the local’s
office.
Pres. Walter R. Walters was the
scheduled speaker to welcome the
guests, and short talks were to be
made also by prominent union offi
cials. Preparations were still un
der way at the time of going to
press.
The Special Activities and Meet
ings Committee, which is responsi
ble for arranging the union’s social
affairs, is composed of William E.
Meagher, chairman, Sylvester Butts.
Charles Barkins, Pearle Miller,
Lana Hebb, Russ Minnicks, Edward
G. Brookman. Janet Castle, Lestr
Mull, James lijliott and Alberta
Mulligan. John L. Estes Is chair
man of publicity.
WESTERN MARYLAND
Edition
THE CIO NEWS
Formerly The Voice of Labor
Horace B. Davis, Editor
lohn G. Thomas. Secy-Treas.
Owned and Published by the
Western Maryland Industrial
Union Council
Editorial Office:
12 S. Mechanic St.
Cumberland, Maryland
Phone 471
Bwork
FIGHT
! GIVE
TO CIO WAR RELIEF
5
Firemen and Enginemen, called
the conference to order at 1:20 p.m.
Mayor F. Conlon in his opening
remaiks stressed that price control
is part of the law of the land and
must be respected. Brigadier B.
L. Phillipson of the Salvation
Army gave the invocation.
PRICE RISES Al)l TO
COST OK WAR
Joe Swire, representative of the
Labor Division of the national Of
fice of Price Administralion, put
the money cost of the First World
War to the U. S. at $.'59 billions and
said it would have been a third
less with price control.
Swire pointed out the need for
heavier taxation on corporate prof
it* in wartime; aviation firm*, he
said, are still making 1‘! time* the
average of wiiat they made iu
1936-39.
Saying that those doing heavy
manual work should have supple
mentary meat rations, he indicated
that an order for feeding such
workers through factory canteens
as in England was under considera
tion.
The audience was receptive to
Swire's plea for public aid in price
checking, but there were stunned
looks on some faces when he spoke
of a monthly list of 3000 food items
with prices varying by brand and
by kind of store.
WALSH AMENDS RESOLUTION
Following a brief question period
the first resolution was presented,
calling among other things for
Maryland to place its law enforce
ment machinery at the disposal of
OPA. State Attorney-General Wil
liam C. Walsh, who was an in
terested delegate, offered an
amendment (which was accepted)
and took occasion to congratulate
the Labor Unity Conference for
having called the meeting.
EGGLESTON, STRUM SPEAK
J. William Eggleston, state ra
(Continued on Page 3)
All in Keyser
Want 1874
Keyser, W. Va., May 17—Out of
83 eligible, two did not go to the
polls and 77 voted for Local 1874
when tire employes of the Potomac
Worsted Spinning Mill chose a bar
gaining representative under the
National Labor Relation# Board.
Negotiations will start Immediately
for a contract, announces Inti. Rep.
Boyd E. Payton, who was in charge
of the organizing drive at the mill.
Participating also in the drive
were the following Celanese mem
bers of the local: Mary Grady. Mel
vin McKenzie. L. C. ("Connie")
Shuck, Ernest Grady, Roy Roberts
and Naoma Sheets, the last-named
being at present on sick leave from
the plant.
The commmittee at the Potomac
plant Includes Meryle Cramblett,
Irene Golden. Mazie McDade, Marie
Shank, Martha Stewart and Nelsie
Downey. Marie Shank and Mazie
McDade served as union watcjrera
(Continued on Page 10)