Owned and Published 
By and For Labor

Lansing Labor News

Official Weekly Newspaper of CIO Labor in Lansing
MAIL ADDRESS: P.O. Box 657, Lansing 3, Mich.

For A Better America 
—60,000,000 Jobs

V0L. 1, No. 28

LANSING, MICHIGAN — SEPTEMBER 27, 1945

$1.50 PER YEAR — PER COPY, 5c

“Labor Troubles” Being Forced

Management Sitdown on Wages Stalling
Reconversion Throughout the Nation

WASHINGTON 
SCENE

Appeasement and Pussyfooting
Won’t Work for Labor, Either

WASHINGTON (FY) — Addressing the New York 
CIO delegation for full employment, Rep. Vito Marcan- 
tonio (ALP, N. Y.) stressed the importance of immediate 
action on pending progressive bills before the opposition is 
able to introduce reactionary legislation.

REACTIONARY TREND IN CONGRESS

He said labor is “running against a reactionary trend 
in Congress and a conspiracy to put labor on the defensive 
If we win the fight we will also win the counter-offensive 
against reaction. If we do not win the fight we will have to 
fight a defensive action against anti-labor legislation.”

POLITICAL ACTION GROWING

“Let them know . . . the might of labor’s independent 
political action. Political action is here to stay. It will 
grow . . . and be invoked in every precinct in the U. S.

Advising the delegates to be dignified in their duties 
of the day, Marcantonio added, “not begging, but demand­
ing the right that there shall be a better America.”

The delegation of over 1,000 CIO members from New 
York State arrived in Washington Sept. 19 as part of a na­
tion-wide CIO program to put pressure on Congress for 
passage of important legislation.

BIG PARADE FORMS

Gathering at Union station, a parade was formed to 
march to the capitol. Unionists wore tags bearing the words 
“The American Way — JOBS FOR ALL.” Others carried 
signs and banners with such slogans as “Jobs for GI Joe 
and Joe Worker,” and “Jobs for Negro and White Alike.”

All CIO unions were represented, as well as delegations 
from unions in all parts of the state, Buffalo, Utica, West­
chester, Brooklyn, Albany, Schenectady and Elmira.

POLICE HALT DELEGATION

A hitch in the procedure was brought about when police 
refused to let the workers parade on capitol grounds. The 
long line of CIO members was held up over an hour while 
heads of the delegation visited Sen. Kenneth McKellar (D, 
Tenn.) and high police officials to obtain a permit.

Permission was finally received and the delegates 
marched up to the Senate office building and left their 
signs and flags in a truck and proceeded with the business 
of the day.

The first meeting was of the entire group in the House 
Caucus room. The room was overflowing and the crowd 
enthusiastic.

PRESIDENT, OTHERS VISITED

The afternoon was occupied by visits of various dele­
gations to the President, Majority and Minority leaders of 
the House and Senate and others.

The group is demanding action on all the important 
legislation now pending in Congress which is of vital con­
sequence to labor and the whole nation. They are pressing 
for unemployment compensation as presented in the orig­
inal Kilgore bill, for the 65-75c minimum wage, for the Mur­
ray-Patman full employment bill, for continued price con­
trol, for a permanent FEPC and for increased benefits for 
veterans.

COMPENSATION REJECTED
 WASHINGTON (FP) — Despite a vigorous speech by 
Major Leader Alben Barkley (D, Ky.) the Senate voted 51 
to 29 against his amendment to the unemployment bill pro­
viding for a voluntary maximum benefit of $25 a week.

The Kentuckian recalled that the Senate a year ago 
made provision for the physical reconversion of industry, 
calling for prompt payment of amounts due corporations in 
settlement of war contracts, and providing for loans to aid 
small business.

“At that time we promised to deal with the human 
side of reconversion later. I feel it is a national obligation.”

FIGHTS FOR WORKERS

Labor’s great champion in the Senate, Robert F. Wag­
ner of New York rose Sept. 19 to demand rejection of the 
weak unemployment compensation bill backed by the fi­
nance committee and to pass the original $25 for 26 weeks 
Measure.

Wagner asked that the Senate accord “our war work­
ers as generous treatment as we have given to business in 
contract termination and surplus property legislation, and 

the carry-back provisions of our tax laws.”

Expressing disappointment over the way state unem­
ployment compensation has worked out in practice, Wag- 
Per forecast that sooner or later Congress “will be faced 
with rehauling the entire program. The American people 
will not permit retention of an unemployment compensa­
tion program with the many discriminations and inequities 
which now exist.”

EASIER AT A BANK

Wagner said the purpose of unemployment compensa­

tion is:

"To pay persons benefits when they become un­
employed. But the states seem to have forgotten that 
purpose.

“In most states an employe is presumed to be in­
eligible for his benefits until he has gone through a 
complicated proces of proving his rights. The result 
Is to delay payment of benefits, to discourage the un­
employed worker, and to defeat the basic purpose of
See WASHINGTON SCENE—Page 4

STRIKE VOTE 
NEXT WEEK AT 
OLDS, FISHER

Almost unanimous approv­
al to go ahead with a strike 
ballot was voted at both the 
Olds Local 652 and the Fish­
er Body Local 602 in special 
meetings last Monday.

FISHER WILL VOTE
ON STRIKE OCT. 1

At 4 p. m. next Monday, 
Oct. 1, Fisher Local will hold 
a special meeting at the hall, 
1111 W. St. Joseph, for a 
strike vote and a vote on a 
special assessment to sup­
port a strike. All members 
should be present.

This meeting is being held 
to carry out the action order­
ed at last Monday’s special 
membership meeting, it was 
announced by Chester Cow­
an, president.

President R. E. Richardson 
of Olds Local said interest in 
the strike discussion was tre­
mendous and that meetings 
packed the hall and by secret 
ballot voted over 96 percent 
for an immediate strike vote 
in order that Olds local may 
be ready to support their 
own and the International’s 
demands with strike action, 
if necessary.

Richardson said that the 
local’s demands, containing 
some 20 points, would be pre­
sented to the company this 
week.

OLDS LOCAL TO VOTE 
WEDNESDAY ON STRIKE

Polls for the strike vote at 
Olds Local will be open at 8 
a,.m. next Wednesday, Oct. 3, 
and will remain open 24 
hours until 8 a.m. the follow­
ing morning with voting 
throughout the entire period.
At the same time a strike 
committee will be elected. 
Olds local has already voted 
an assessment to support the 
strike.

If strike action is approv­
ed, as it undoubtedly will be 
by a majority at both Olds 
and Fisher, both locals will 
be ready for quick action to 
enforce serious consideration 
of the UAW-CIO demands 
for a 30 percent increase in 
wages along with other points 
demanded by the Interna­
tional and by the locals.

Says Russia
Also Had the
Atomic Bomb

DETROIT (FP) — The US 
SR had the secret of the 
atomic bomb just as we have 
but preferred to let America

Murray Says:
Bills Need
More Effort 
ByPresident

WASHINGTON (FP)—The 
CIO, through Pres. Philip 
Murray, served warning on 
the Truman administration 
Sept. 19 that it is not showing 
enough effort to win passage 
of the full employment bill, 
unemployment compensation 
and 65 minimum wage bills 
asked for in the President’s 
message of Sept. 6.

AL LEGGAT 
ELECTED TO 
GUILD POST

DETROIT (FP) — Al Leg- 
gat, editor of the Michigan 
CIO News and associate edit­
or of the United Auto Work­
er, was elected chairman of 
the labor and miscellaneous 
unit of the Newspaper Guild 
of Detroit Sept. 20. The Auto 
Worker, a weekly from 1937 
to 1940, became a semimonth­
ly then and in September of 
this year was changed to a 
monthly as part of the union’s 
economy drive.

Back Pay Is 
Awarded To 
Beauticians
DETROIT (FP)—Full pay 
for time lost on strike was 
paid to a score of members of 
Local 552, Journeymen Bar­
bers Hairdressers and Cosme­
tologists (AFL), Sept. 11 
after the Charmode Beauty 
Shop (Terminal chain) in the 
Hotel Book-Cadillac admitted 
that it had illegally broken 
the union contract, Sec. Geo. 
Husk of the local announces.
Manicurists were raised in 
the settlement to $25 a week 
guaranteed plus 60 percent of 
the receipts over $37. All in­
cidental employes now have 
to join some AFL union.

TOLEDO (FP) — Tom 
Burke of Local 12, United 
Auto Workers (CIO), was 
elected executive secretary of 
the Toledo Industrial Union 
Council to succeed the late 
Kenneth Cole.

incur the hatred of the Jap­
anese people for that ruthless 
destruction of lives and prop­
erty,” Exec. Sec. Benjamin C. 
Marsh of the People’s Lobby, 
Washington, told a Detroit 
audience at the YWCA Sept. 
19.

Who Is Stopping Work Here?

—Federated Pictures
What happened to millions of war workers after V-J Day is 
summed up in this scene at the Douglas Aircraft plant in Long 
Beach, Calif., where a lone woman is the only worker in sight. The 
Nash-Kelvinator plant in Lansing presents a similar picture. Labor 
everywhere has been demanding that congress do something about 
reconversion legislation.

Thomas Exposes Company Delay

UAW-CIO Pres. R. J. Thomas gives an interview in Flint, ex­
posing the attempted hysteria over strikes and pointing out that 
big auto companies refuse to make counter-offers to the union’s 30 
percent wage increase demand.

—Federated Pictures

General Motors Violates 
Contract, Provokes Strike 
In Ohio Packard Factory

WARREN, O. (FP) — The 2,500 strikers at the Gen­
eral Motors Packard Electric Div. plant in Warren are as 
solid today as when they first walked out Aug. 31 to protest 
the firing of their four union leaders.

The four include Pres. Charles Parker and Shop Com­
mittee Chairman John Beskid of Local 717, United Electri­
cal Radio & Machine Work-
ers (CIO). They were fired 
after workers held a protest 
meeting because GM was lay­
ing off in violation of the 
seniority agreement.

Shell Oil Co.
Gives Workers ' 
A 15% Increase

Union President Tells 
What the Oil Workers 
Strike For In Detroit

DETROIT (FP) — In earnest with their demand for 
a 30 percent wage increase over 2,000 members of the Oil 
Workers Intl. Union (CIO) have tied up gasoline refining 
and distribution in the Detroit area. Though the news­
papers howl about gas being cut from doctors and the city- 
owned bus system the fact is that all essential needs are be­
ing supplied by the union, ac 
cording to Sec.-Treas. Free 
Fell of Local 389.

facturers with provocative 
tendencies are using when he 
asks:

The oil workers turned 
down Socony-Vacuum Oil Co. 
(Standard Oil) offer of a 15 
percent raise. Asst. Gen. 
Man. C. B. McCoolough is 
weeping publicly in big ads, 
asking, “Is the union justi­
fied in demanding a full 52 
hours pay for 40 hours 
work?” The Rockefeller un­
derstrapper tries a final wal­
lop in the ad that all man-

“What satisfactory expla­
nation can be made to the 
serviceman who return to get 
his old job back?”

To this Sec. Fell of the 
union replies: “Present wages 
on a 40-hour week basis range 
from $150 a month to $205 a 
month, the rate for the truck-
See OIL WORKERS—.Page 4

COMPANY ADMITS
BREAKING CONTRACT

Confronted by the union 
with the contract violation, 
GM officials admitted that 
they were breaking the con­
tract but said, “This is a spe­
cial case,” according to Intl. 
Rep. Neil Brant of the union. 
The strike is tying up other 
GM divisions.

“This provocation is a de­
liberate plan by General Mo­
tors Corp.," Brant told Fed­
erated Press, “to break up 
our union. If we had let 
them fire our top union lead­
ers here no one would have 
security powers anymore, 
especially after GM had al­
ready torn up the contract."

The strike has been author­
ized by the international UE, 
Brant said, which is provid­
ing relief to the strikers and
See GM VIOLATES—Page 4

SAN FRANCISCO (FP) — 
Shell Oil Co. has announced a 
15 percent wage raise for Pa­
cific coast employes to com­
pensate for loss of overtime 
on return to the 40-hour 
week, to apply to all workers 
making less than $300 a 
month. Smaller graduated 
raises are offered those mak­
ing above $300 and service 
station workers are expected 
as they are still working over­
time.

The offer has been accept­
ed by the Intl. Bro. of Team­
sters in Oakland and the 
building Service Employes 
Intl. Union in San Francisco 
(both AFL). The Oil Work­
ers Intl. Union (CIO) reject­
ed the offer as “really a wage 
cut.” Other unions have not 
yet replied.

 Layoffs since V-J Day now account for some 200,000 
unemployed in Detroit. This economic catastrophe is not 
being viewed with alarm by these who are yelling loudest 
about how a few thousand Detroit people on strikes are 
holding up reconversion.

WHAT ABOUT NASH PLANTS?

WELL, WHO’S HOLDING UP RECONVERSION IN 

LANSING?

There are no strikes here, yet the Nash Kelvinator 
plants for instance, that employed as many as 8,000 
workers, stand mournfully silent, not a thing being done 
inside those bleak walls to make post-war jobs of any 
kind. Where is the responsibility of industry? Where 
is the much vaunted private initiative that is going to 
create so many jobs in America if given a chance? And 
where are the loud critics who claim strikes are hold­
ing up reconversion?

RECONVERSION TO WHAT?
Yes, that is another point needing airing. The issue 
seems to be that industry is converting to modern, more ef­
ficient and more profitable post-war machinery at govern­
ment expense while retaining, if possible, low pre-war 
wages.

PRICES ARE INCREASING

In addition, industry is fighting for raises in prices of 
cars, refrigerators, radios and just about everything up 
and down the line — everything except wages. And they 
are getting those higher prices, too.

In fact, nearly all living expenses have increased 
way above pre-war levels, yet wages remained practi­
cally the same. But take-home pay for a forty hour 
week has not remained the same. Income taxes of 
around 20 percent leave a pretty slim check for a man 
to support a family on with the increased prices of 
today.

Obviously, wages must undergo a reconversion, too. 
And, like machinery, wages must fit post-war conditions 
and not go back to impossible pre-war days which will never 
again exist.

Has industry taken the lead in this phase of reconver­
sion? Have they done anything at all about it? Or have 
they kept silent and left workers no alternative but to 
threaten strikes in order to force some action?

MANAGEMENT ON STRIKE

The critics cannot claim strikes are holding up wage 
reconversion. Yet what factory is doing anything about 
that? Management throughout the country is on a sitdown 
strike against action on wages and reconversion is being 
stalled everywhere because of it. Here is a strike so big it 
is nation-wide, yet it never makes the headlines. And be­
cause both government and management had no post-war 
plans ready, 10,000 are without jobs in Lansing, 200,000 are 
out of work in Detroit and millions have no employment 
throughout? the nation. Yet this, too, is easily passed over 
by papers who prefer to run big headlines about a few
thousand Detroit workers striking because they can’t seem 
to get action any other way — only the papers don’t say 
that.

WHAT DO WORKERS DESERVE

Certainly American workers who did such an im­
pressive job of war work are entitled to plenty of post­
war jobs and deserve to be paid at least as many cars, 
refrigerators, clothes and units of food as they earned 
before the war. But they cannot buy that many with 
the old pre-war wages and the higher post-war prices.

Labor is not holding up reconversion. Neither the gov­
ernment nor industry was ready for immediate reconver­
sion when the war ended. The wage phase of reconversion 
could have been settled long weeks or months ago.

WHO IS HOLDING THAT UP?

Labor has been waiting patiently. It now appears 
that other action is necessary by labor to push reconver­
sion of wages and end the sitdown strike of manage­
ment everywhere.

—By the Editor

Campaign Is Started To 
Elect Perkins Alderman

Both aggressive and pro­
gressive action in community 
affairs is assured if Clyde 
Perkins is elected alderman 
in Lansing’s first ward, where 
he has announced his candi­
dacy for the office.

Though Perkins is presi­
dent of the Lansing CIO coun­
cil and is in other labor ac­
tivities, he also has been in­
terested in fraternal, civic 
and social activities and is as 
well qualified to represent all 
the citizens as he is to repre­
sent labor union members.

His record for participa­
tion in community affairs 
dates all the way back to his 
school years, through his ex­
tension work with the Uni­
versity of Wisconsin and con­
nection with the Peoples Uni­
versity of Lansing. However, 
he has never been a member 
of any politcial party as such, 
preferring freedom to support 
progressive action in govern­
ment wherever it could be 
found.

See PERKINS—Page 2

from many sources interested 
in good government.

IN LOOK MAGAZINE

NEW YORK (FP) — AFL 
Int. Rep. Robert J. Watt and 
Pre. A. F. Whitney of Bro. of 
Railroad Trainmen (unaffili­
ated) came out strongly 
against any law aimed at the 
forced incorporation of 
unions in the Sept. 18 issue of 
Look magazine.

PERKINS
(Continued from Page 1)
A home owner at 1423 Ver­
mont avenue and father of 
two boys and a girl has given 
Perkins plenty of family per­
spective on community prob­
lems.

Commendations on his can­
didacy are being received

LANSING LABOR NEWS, INC.

MAIL ADDRESS: P. O. Box 657, Lansing 3, Mich.
OFFICE: 109 E. South St. — Phone 2-9621

Entered as second-class matter April 13, 1945, at the post office at Lansing, 

Michigan, under the Act of March 3, 1879.

A non-profit newspaper dedicated to the interests of the commun­
ity and to the interests of labor here and everywhere. Published 
every Thursday at the Lansing CIO Council headquarters by the fol­
lowing incorporated body, representing local voting to participate.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS
PRESIDENT—Ernest Miller (Reo 650). VICE-PRES.—Maurice McNaughton 
Fisher (602). SEC.-TREAS.—Kenneth McCreedy (CIO Council). TRUSTEES— 
George Jakeway (Fisher 602). MEMBERS—Robert Richardson (Olds 652), Earl 
Watson, Charles O’Brien (Reo 650), Maurice Mac Naughton (Fisher 602), V. E. 
Vandenburg (CIO Council), Peter Fagan, Adrian Jensen (Olofsson 728), Arthur 
Chappell, Woodrow Brennen (Dairy 93), James W. Roberts, Dean Reed (SCMWA 
276); Louis Newmark (SCMWA 406); Earl McClure, Melvina Stevens (Hill 
Diesel 646). ASSOCIATE MEMBERS—Mrs. Robert Atkinson (Olds Aux.), Mrs. 
Harold Wilson (Olds Aux.), Mrs. William McCurdy (Fisher Aux.), Mrs. J. B. 
Eno (Fisher Aux.), Mrs. Evelyn Moss, Mrs. Etta Kenyon (Local 93 Aux.).

EDITOR — V. E. VANDENBURG

SUBSCRIPTIONS — Included in the dues of participating locals. In­
dividual subscription, $1.50 per year by mail.

CONTRIBUTIONS—Should be typed double-spaced on one side of paper 
and signed with author’s name, phone and address. Name will not be used 
if requested. Notes on news not written up but containing complete names 
and all the facts are acceptable too. Mail all contributions to Lansing Labor 
News, P. O. Box 657, Lansing 3, Mich.

Secretary of State. Farsighted?

Laugh of the week is on Secretary of State Byrnes.
He demanded of the Bulgarian government better ar­
rangements for insuring a free secret vote for their people 
—no doubht fearing anti-British influences or something.

Wording of the State Department demand was for an 
election “under conditions which will allow and insure the 
participation therein, free from force and intimidation, of 
all democratic elements ...”

The Secretary of State is from South Carolina.
As one columnist, Lowell Mellett chortled:

"He is asking the benighted Bulgars to achieve 

almost overnight a degree of democracy not yet reached 

by his own proud state."

Political Success Secret; 
To Ring Election Bell, 
Push Doorbells First

H. DEAN REED 
Lansing PAC Director

The secret of political suc­
cess today lies largely in door­
bell ringing. It is necessary 
to visit people in their homes.
That is why so much atten­
tion is being paid today to the 
organization of district, ward 
and precinct political organi­
zations. The success of a po­
litical party depends on the 
ward and precinct structure 
of that party.

A ward is a voting district 
and includes about 10,000 vot­
ers, more or less. Here in Lan­
sing each ward has two alder-

men or councilmen.

Each ward is divided into 
precincts. The number of 
precincts depends upon the 
size of the ward. Usually 
there are about 600 voters to 
a precinct, although this var­
ies.

A person familiar with a 
city can put his finger on 
those wards or precincts 
where large numbers of 
union members . live. When 
carrying on a campaign it is 
important to know in what 
areas labor has its greatest 
voting strength.

Each precinct is made up 
of one or more street blocks. 
In our PAC structure we are 
organizing it on a block basis. 
The duties of a block or street 
committee are to poll the 
block or street, find out the 
number of registered voters 
and help membgrs register 
who are not familiar with the 
procedure; to distribute lit­
erature ; or to canvass the 
voters during election cam­
paigns ; or to get voters to the 
polls on election day.

30% Increase, $1 Minimum Rate
Annual Wage Asked Chicago Firm

tract changes, Gerald Fielde, 
director of the union’s Har­
vester Council, said: “It’s no 
secret that Harvester domi­
nates the industry and sets 
the pace.”

Present contracts between 
the company and the union, 
signed in 1942 for the dura­
tion of the war, expire upon 
30 days notice of a desire to 
effect changes but contain a 
provision allowing for a 60- 
day negotiation period. Un­
like the steel or auto workers, 
whose contracts limit them to 
wage demands at this time, 
the farm equipment union is 
reopening, all contract issues.

CHICAGO (FP) — De­
mands for a general 30 per­
cent increase, a guaranteed 
annual wage and a $1 hourly 
minimum wage in the Intl. 
Harvester Co. chain were put 
to the company by the United 
Farm Equipment & Metal 
Workers (CIO).

FE represents about 30,000 
Harvester employes, 17,000 
of whom work in Chicago 
plants of the company. An­
nouncing the union’s bid for 
national negotiations on con-

Negro Workers 
Are Barred By 
Telephone Co.

CHICAGO (FP) — First 
known violator of the city of 
Chicago’s new fair employ­
ment ordinance is the Ill. Bell 
Telephone Co. When two Ne­
gro girls answered ads for 
switchboard operators the 
company told them its policy 
is not to hire Negroes for 
such jobs.

Complaints asking prosecu­
tion are being prepared by 
the Chicago Civil Liberties 
Committee, according to Sec. 
Ira Latimer.

In each precinct and neigh­
borhood, political action needs 
leadership and guidance. The 
precinct captain is the person : 
who is responsible to the PAC 
for carrying on political work 
in the precinct. He knows the 
neighborhood, organizes cam­
paigns to visit people regular­
ly, helps build precinct or 
block organizations, and car­
ries on duties in his neighbor­
hood somewhat similar to 
those of a shop steward in his 
department.

Watch this paper next week 
for another article on this L 
same subject. Volunteers are  
needed to build this organiza­
tion. If you are interested in 
helping out please contact me 
at 109 E. South St., or call 
2-9621.

The Answer Is: Full Employment

In cooperation with the CIO Po­
litical Action Committee, we are 
publishing a digest of the latest 
PAC pamphlet, "The Answer Is: 
Full Employment," written by 
Joseph Gaer and Robert K. Lamb 
and illustrated by William Kro- 
kyn. We hope to present these 
digests to our readers as a regu- 
 lar feature as all of PAC's pam- 
 phlets will describe in detail the
CIO program for the achievement 
of full peace-time economic se­
curity— Editor's Note,

In five out of every six years, 
since the Civil War ended, we 
have suffered from sizable unem­
ployment in our country. Unem­
ployment and depressions seemed 
to follow wars with monotonous 
regularity. For a short time, after 
each war, we experienced a tem­
porary boom, followed by a roller­
coaster drop in employment that 
took our breath away.

Now we are at the end of the 
most destructive war in all his­
tory. And unless we get together 
and plan firmly for continuous full 
employment, we shall again be 
faced with a depression far worse 
than the one created by World 
War I in cooperation with the 
Hoover Administration.

Depressions breed wars. But we 
can see clearly now that another 
World War might mean the end 
of civilized living.

To prevent war, we must pre­

vent another depression.

We can prevent another de­
pression only if we nail down and 
secure continuous full employ­
ment.

Philip Murray, demanding quick 
Congressional action on the Full 
Employment Bill, stated: “The 
country must be mobilized for an 
attack upon poverty, ignorance 
and fear that compares to our 
wartime effort*** We must use 
what it takes to prevent the catas­
trophe of mass unemployment 
Just as we need our resources in 
cooperative endeavor to prevent 
the catastrophe of fascism from 
overwhelming our world,"
There is no other way.

WE CAN HAVE FULL EMPLOYMENT

On July 1, 1945, in a report to 
The President and Congress, Judge 
Vinson, then Director of War 
Mobilization and Reconversion 
and now Secretary of the Treas­
ury, said:

“In 1939, our national output hit 
its highest peactime level, higher 
than in 1929, higher than in any 
previous "year of our history — 
$89-billion. Five years later that 
record figure was dwarfed by a 
new. record output of $200 billion. 
We succeeded in piling our new 
wartime economy on top of a 
peacetime economy; in achieving 
feats of production no one be­
lieved possible. In so doing we 
opened a totally new vista of what 
the future can hold.”

 “It would be disastrous to go 
back for we would be going back 
to the misery of mass unemploy- 
ment.” 

We dare not go back. We must 

go forward.
 When Philip Murray announced 
his Reemployment Plan, which 
was adopted by the CIO Conven­
tion, he showed clearly how full 
employment can be attained 
through “teamwork on the part of 
labor, industry and government in 
organizing production around an 
overal national plan.“

We can and will have jobs Tor 
all at good wages if we plan for 
it, and if our Congress passes bills 
to support our plans.

What we must have is an over­
all plan regarding wages, price 
control, taxes, every aspect of so­
cial security, community develop­
ment, planning for more education 
and for leisure, the establishment 
of racial and religious equality, 
and all these must be integrated 
by a Federal Full-Employment 
Plan to assure the continued suc­
cess of such a program.

The CIO has such a program 
and has been advocating it for 
some time. Now the time has 
come to realize it. Congress and 
the President must be told that 
you expect such a program and 
want early action on it.

1. Adequate Basic Wage Rates. 
We cannot possibly have con­
tinued full employment, unless 
workers receive adequate pay so 
that they may have the purchas­
ing power to buy the goods and 
services they produce.

2. An Annual Wage Guarantee. 
Better wages are not enough un­
less workers can know that they 
are going to get those wages con­
tinuously. Just as industry has 
been given a carry-forward carry­
back guarantee whereby it may 
claim tax refunds to cover future 
deficits, workers should likewise 
be guaranteed income year-round 
to assure them a continued annual 
wage.

3. A Minimum Wage at Current 
Prices. The Minimum Wage 
should be raised to 65-75 cents 
per hour. The 40 cents per hour 
established as a minimum wage 
seven years ago was inadequate 
at that time—now that the cost 
of living has gone up so high, it is 
utterly insufficient.

4. Prices Must Be Controlled. 
It will benefit the wage-earner 
little if his wages are increased 
but at the same time we allow 
prices to go up.

5. Our Taxation Must Be Re­
vised. We must revise our tax 
laws so that the burden is light­

ened on the shoulders of .those 
who can least bear it.

6. Unemployment Compensation. 
We are today faced with grave 
unemployment due to the sudden 
shift from war to peace, and due 
to the fact that our Congress 
failed utterly to prepare for this 
emergency situation. We must 
therefore pass at once emergency 
legislation to give $25 a week for 
26 weeks in unemployment com­
pensation to all those now without 
jobs.

7. Social Security for All. In ad­
dition to the increased unemploy­
ment compensation, we must im­
prove our Social Security System 
in two ways: (a) we must include 
under it all those not now covered 
by law, and add sickness and dis­
ability benefits not now granted; 
and (b) we must increase con­
siderably all the benefits so that^ 
they may truly offer the benefici­
aries real security in time of need.
8. Community Development. If 
our people are to live securely 
then we need to do much to im­
prove the housing situation and 
to develop each community to 
make it a better place for Ameri­
cans to live in. Community de­
velopment needs government plan­
ning and government support.

9 More and Better Education. 
For better living we need more 
and better education, more educa­
tion for all who are able and eager 
to become educated. Education 
will make jobs.

10. Planning for Leisure. We, 
Americans, love to have fun. But 
leisure, too, must be planned. It 
requires the building of play­
grounds, ball fields, stadiums, 
parks. Plans for leisure will create 
many jobs.

11. Good Race Relations. With­
out full employment we cannot 
hope to improve the disease of 
race prejudice. But even with full 
employment, we must plan and 
fight to eradicate prejudice. And 
the first step is to establish a per­
manent Fair Employment Prac­
tices Act, and enforce it with 
firmness.

12. Freedom for Political Action. 
If we are to gain full employment 
and hold on to it, the people must 
hold on to their right to freedom 
of speech, the right of workers 
to collective bargaining, and the 
right of all citizens to take part 
in all elections without hindrance 
of any means—test or a poll tax.

THERE IS A BILL

There is a Bill now before Con­
gress which starts us toward the 
main highway of full employment.
It is known as the Murray-Pat­

man Full Employment Bill.

We of the CIO-PAC are whole­

heartedly for it.

The Murray-Patman Full Em­
ployment Bill calls for the estab­
lishment of a national policy with 
regard to every person’s right to 
work within our free enterprise 
system. The Bill states that every 
person able and willing to work 
has a right to “useful, remunera­
tive, regular, and full-time” em­
ployment.

If this Bill passes, it would be­
come the duty of the President of 
the United States to report every 
year to Congress how many peo­
ple there are in the country will­
ing and able to work; how many 
workers can and will be employed 
by private industry; and, if there 
is any danger of unemployment, 
he will recommend the necessary 
legislation for useful public works 
to offer employment to the antici­
pated unemployed.

The Murray-Patman Full Em­
ployment Bill does not propose 
the guarantee of specific jobs to 
specific people. It does not au­
thorize compulsory assignment of 
workers to jobs. It does not au­
thorize full government control of 
wages, prices and production. It 
does not authorize government 
guarantees of markets and profits.
This Bill does not propose any 
of the things the enemies of the 
Bill claim it does.

Full employment is the road of 
a peaceful and prosperous Ameri­
ca. Who blocks that road?

All the enemies of labor block 

that road.

The blind industrialists who 
measure our future with their 
past.  

The native-fascist legislators

and newspaper owners and race­
hatred agitators.

The Bilbos and the Rankins.
The Hearsts and the McCor­

micks.

The Peglers and the Fulton 

Lewis Jrs.

They are all against it.
Just look and see who is against 
legislation for full employment, 
then you’ll know why we must 
fight for it.

Let all the enemies of labor 

take note:

We have our marching orders 
in President Roosevelt’s Second 
Bill of Rights.

We shall not be denied.
We, the people of the United 
States, are on our way to a better 
future for all of us—a future in 
which there shall be no wars, no 
depressions, no unemployment, no 
strife.

We shall not be denied.

ACTION, ACTION, ACTION

1. Get your community - wide 
Full Employment Committee to 
roll up its sleeves and keep every­
one in your community informed 
on what must be done locally to 
create jobs for those released from 
jobs and how to secure all jobs.
2. Write to your Congressman 
and ask him to work for and vote 
for the passage of the following 
Bills:

(a) The Murray-Patman Full' 
Employment Bill (S-308 and HR 
2202).

(b) The 65 cents Minimum 

Wage Bill (S-1349). 

(c) The Wagner-Murray - Din- 

gell Bill (S-1050).

(d) The Permanent Fair Em­
ployment Practices Committee 
Bill (S-101, HR 2232).

(e) The Wagner Housing Bill 

(S-1342).

(f) The Missouri Valley Au- 

thority Bill (S-555).

3. Let your Congressmen know,   
let your Governors know, let your 
Mayors know that you are count-' 
ing on them to take the lead in 
the drive for full employment.

4. You must not rest until every­
body in your community under­
stands the danger of unemploy­
ment and is enlisted in the strug­
gle to attain full employment.

plants went down soon after, 
as did the common carriers.

Federal conciliators are on 
the job in Chicago while De­
troit marks time.

OIL WORKERS
(Continued from Page 1) 
drivers. After they take out 
20 percent withholding tax 
for the government, what 
does a man have left for his 
family. When we worked 48 
hours a week we got 30 per­
cent more than we do now. 
We think the serviceman will 
understand that very well 
when he comes home. He will 
be tickled to death to get old 
basic rate back, plus 30 per­
cent won for him by the 
union."

The only two refineries in 
the area were struck Sept. 17. 
The 25 bulk distribution

WASHINGTON SCENE

(Continued from Page 1) 
the legislation which was to give the workers some 
assurance of security during periods of unemploy­
ment.

“It is easier and quicker for an unemployed work­
er to go to any bank and get a character loan for $150 
than it is for him to get the $15 due him under his state 
unemployment compensation law as a matter of right.
It is easier for a corporation to get a loan of $15 
million from the RFC than it is for a worker to get 
$15 in unemployment insurance."

PROBE ORDERED

NEW YORK (FP) — The 
Post War World Council call­
ed on Sen. James E. Murray 
(D, Mont.), chairman of the 
Senate committee on educa­
tion and labor, to start an in­
vestigation into the railroad 
camps of the Mexican war 
workers brought to this coun­
try during the past three 
years to help in the war ef­
fort.

BUY WAR BONDS

G. M. VIOLATES
(Continued from Page 1) 

assisting in every way pos­
sible.

MANAGEMENT REFUSES 
TO DISCUSS CASE

At a conference at General 
Motors headquarters in De­
troit Sept. 21 the company 
refused to talk unless every­
body first returned to work. 
The UE demanded that the 
four discharged leaders be re­
instated first and then the 
membership would return to 
work. After that the contract 
violations by GM would be 
discussed. So the strike goes 
on.

The Packard Electric Div. 
makes wiring harness for 
Cadillac motors and other 
GM divisions. Detroit sources 
say that production has been 
slowed down and people told 
to go home by Cadillac.

The company seized on a 
technicality to fire the four 
leaders. When the union an­
nounced a meeting on com­
pany time but not on com­
pany premises to protest the 
discharges, GM in Detroit no­
tified Brant, who is UE legis­
lative representative in Wash­
ington that the meeting 
would be deemed a strike if 
held on company time. Before 
Brant could connect with the 
local by long distance the 
meeting had been held and 
GM went through with the 
elimination of the leaders.

GRIEVANCE COULD 
HAVE BEEN ADJUSTED 
QUICKLY

“All this could have been 
ironed out in half an hour,” 
Brant says, “but GM was so 
intent on making trouble 
that it now has a man-sized 
walkout on its hands, fully 
authorized by the interna­
tional and full set for a reg­
ular showdown. No wages 
are involved. The only issue 
is GM’s confessed violation of 
our contract.”

Around The Shops

By George Nader

I am very much interested 
in the reaction of the public 
to our demands and to the 
alternative. There are those 
who ask — is this the time for 
our union to take such action ? 
Are we able to stand a strike ? 
Can we win?

The first question can be 
answered by stating that 
while the time to challenge is 
not after you have been chal­
lenged. If you realize that 
sooner or later you must have 
a show-down you can’t afford 
to back-down, when they 
force the issue.

The fact that the cost of 
living has gone up to nearly 
50 percent (100 percent on 
some commodities which 
while not considered essential, 
are necessary to a healthy 
America) leaves us no choice.

All that labor is interested 
in is a wage which will as­
sure a decent standard of liv­
ing. As long as the issue is not 
how much we get but how 
much buying power it has, 
then we must demand an in­
crease to keep up with the 
rising cost of living.

*

The issue as to whether we 
can stand a strike is clear. If 
we can’t now, then certainly 
we can’t later, after we have 
been kicked around and wages 
are so low that we can’t af­

ford to survive. 

Whether we win or not will 
depend on our ability to mo­
bilize our forces, to get them 
familiar with the picture, 
have a program of action and 
follow it. It’s also very im­
portant that we familiarize 
the general public with the 
true issues and be able to 
fight the propaganda that has 
started and which we know 
will increase to discredit us.

MERELY PROPAGANDA

For years as the time ap­
proaches for negotiations or 
union demands, strange stor­
ies originate and begin circu-

lating in the shops in order 
to discredit the local involv­
ed or the whole labor move­
ment. Some of those stories 
are so slick in their construc­
tion that even union members 
begin to believe them.

This year being no differ­
ent than others, the latest 
story has it that committee- 
men were hob-knobing with 
management at a dinner giv­
en by the Man Power Com­
mission.

It is true there was such a 
dinner, a dinner called and 
and arranged by the City 
Mayor to which representa­
tives of management and lab­
or were invited to discuss un­
employment in Lansing. It 
would have been unpopular 
for labor to have rejected the 
invitation of the Mayor, 
which really would have put 
labor on the spot as unwill­
ing to cooperate in a pro­
gram to assure full employ­
ment.

Not just the oficers of one 
local or the committee of one 
local were invited; every local 
in the city, both A. F. L. and 
C. I. O., were invited and the 
International UAW-CIO of­
fice, too. Spokesmen were on 
the program for all of them, 
as well as for management, 
the Man Power Commission 
and the city.

For anyone to misconstrue 
labor’s part in this into some­
thing other than an honest ef­
fort by union men to show 
Lansing their sincere interest 
in community welfare is a 
silly and ridiculous attempt 
to discredit individuals, lo­
cals and the labor movement.
Furthermore, the C. I. O. 
men are under no obligation 
to anyone, for like others 
present, they paid for the 
plates at $2.26 per.

In the future let’s check the 
facts and avoid helping to 
spread false propaganda.

N.Y. Painters 
7-Day Strike 
Wins Demands

NEW YORK (FP) — New 
York painters won their 7- 
day strike for job security 
and wage increases after a 
meeting of the State Media­
tion Board with officials of 
Dist. Council 6, Bro. of Paint­
ers (AFL), and the Master 
Painters & Decorators Assn.

Chief issue of job security 
was covered by establishment 
of a joint fair practices com­
mittee which will hear cases 
of unfair dismissals. This sets 
a precedent in the building 
trades industry, where em­
ployers have always had the 
right to fire at will.

The painters also won a 21/2 
percent wage increase and 
provision for a 3 percent em­
ployer payroll contribution to 
a union welfare fund. The 
contract will last two years 
but the union will be allowed 
to reopen wage clauses before 
the end of the first year with 
an arbitrator appointed in 
case of dispute. The con­
tractors association agreed to 
the settlement after about 
150 contractors signed sepa­
rate agreements the second 
day of the strike.

BUY WAR BONDS