Summit County Labor News, 1944-07-21

ROOSEVELT OR BURST! I -!-AN EDITORIAL EDITORIAL\ ----- \ EDITORIAL\ * In answer to Remands made by Organized Labor and mem* bers of the Democratic Party from coast-to-coast, Franklin D. Roosevelt has beeb nominated by that party for a fourth term as president of the United States. * Labor has seeded a victory. But it will be an empty victory unless Labor follows through and re-elects the President at the November election. Selfish interest that would exploit the worker in the future as they did before the administration of tyr. Roosevelt was start started - ed started in the White House nearly 12 years ago, will do all in their power to divide thft Labor vote. They know that a solid Labor vote will re-elect ffir. Roosevelt. Their only hope is to divide that vote into as njjjany different channels as possible. Labor must not be deceived by a lot of high-sounding polit political - ical political oratory put out by political opponents. They must weigh the facts. The facts speak for themselves. No one c&n deny that Organized Labor made more progress under the administration of Mr. Roosevelt than it did for 100 years before that time. Then why should any member of Or Organized - ganized Organized Labor turn his back on a true friend to support a polit political - ical political party whose sole principles hinge on a policy of help the rich at the expense of the poor? It certainly is not logical for Organized Labor to turn its back on a friendly^dmintstration to support an administration that is'BefnjfSided llna n cfally and physically T>y the leading La-' bor-haters of the country. That just does not make sense. No matter what Candidate Dewey tttay say in regard to his "love" for Organized Labor, it always must be remembered that he is the chosen candidate of big business - such men as Sewell Avery of Montgomery Ward apd Co. - and he will have to do their bidding in the event he becomes President. The Public Affairs Committee of Akron Industrial Union Council has passed a resolution addressed to the Summit County Board of Elections in which it asks that all voting booths be opened for registration purposes and that places of registration also be placed at convenient places in factories. We heartily agree with that plan. If the spirit of Democracy is to prevail, every citizen over 21 years of age must be a registered voter. Voting on Election jDay is more than a privilege - it is a duty. Labor has seen wpt it can lose by shirking its duty at the polls. Let its Labor slogan be: "Elect Roosevelt or Burst." That slogan contains more truth than poetry. Should Mr. Roosevelt be defeated next November, we wouldn't give a plugged nickel for the chances of many Labor unions to survive the first year of Mr. Dewey's administration.

So Labor May Know i TUB SMART and silent Dewey, who ! Won the Republican nomination by ' being smartly silent now hopes to win the election by .being heard on the real issues. His friends have unfurled for him a banner with a strange device: "The - WAr is not an issue." Beneath this banner has been recon reconstructed - structed reconstructed the satne booby trap Into Whicb so many voters blithely walked in 1942. , - Thls^slogan is slick politics, of eoufsef^lt has plausibility and a cer certaln - taln certaln patriotic appeal. For certainly all good Americans, regardless of party politics, are out to win this war. ' But at the same time It is a decep deceptive - tive deceptive and dangerous slogan. It creates an unreal division between the coun country's - try's country's war interests and domestic poli politics. - tics. politics. - I It permits shyster politicians to play lip service to patriotism while they ac acttaally - ttaally acttaally sabotage the home sector of our indivisible fighting front. - * * ' ' The effect of this slogan on voters Who fall for it is to make them re regard - gard regard the politics of these elections as ' of relatively minor importance. It would lead them to vote, if at all, " on petty sectional and factional pre prejudices - judices prejudices rather than on the big issues tlaSt are.,closest to their hearts and that* Interests. v. ft is part of the tactics of the Dewey forces to keep the popular vote as small as possible, so reaction may win by default in 19f4 as it won in 1942. * * - * What are the real issues for Mr. and Mrs. America today? *' They are (1) to win the war in the shortest possible time; and (2) to make the postwar transition to secure worlds peace, with maximum produc production! - tion! production! and employment and the greatest i possible prosperity for the greatest number of people. The first objective demands maxi maxiInjun - Injun maxiInjun national unity, based on a square deal'for all groups, on holding the line pguibst inflation, and on relating every 'dpiuqstic policy to the needs of vic - The second objective depends upon " - 'caTfWfbWffrTtEe^ltr SnTty ofWe* Butted Rations into postwar interna international - tional international organisation fbr the preserve* - (fen Of peace and the cooperative ex expdnklon - pdnklon expdnklon of world markets. it-*1*©? calls for the planfnl coopera cooperation - tion cooperation of labor. Industry and govern government - ment government to Increase jdomestlc purchasing npwey and to expand employment and production,. . x

SLAP JUDGE WANAMAKER Delegates to Akron Industrial Union Council vigorously condemned Com Commou - mou Commou Pleas Judge Walter B. Wana Wanamaker - maker Wanamaker at their business meeting last Friday night for his failure to release eight Firestone employes from County Jail during the day so they can work on -their war Jobs. The eight men were sentenced by Judge Wanamaker more than a year ago on charges of assault arising from the alleged beating of a fellow worker who is said to have made various un unAmerican - American unAmerican utterances. 'Thereon vie lion of'"lEe* 'meiT'was affirmed by higher courts in the state. The serving of the six months sen sentence - tence sentence was started last month. Delegates at the meeting last Fri Frinight - night Frinight contended that at least some of the men were not present when the alleged beating took place. They had been convicted under the terms of a conspiracy law which made them equally guilty with the principals in the affair, "The law under which these men (Continued on Page Four) Labor Men On Chest Boafd Carl Baker, Goodyear Local 2: Lyle Mahan, Trades and Labor Assembly; William A. Nelson, General Local 0 and John D. Williams, Goodrich Local 5, are new members of the United War Chest Board of Trustees having been elected at the Chest's aqpual July meeting. Serving with them will be Fred Burr, A. B. Coryell and N, J. Richards of Firestone Local 7; Paul M. Fess^a Fess^aden - den Fess^aden and Harley Treen of CIO Coun Council - cil Council fTreen and C. W. Murray, Trades & Labor Assembly are Chest vice-pres vice-presidents); - idents); vice-presidents); Earl Jordan, and W. H. Tid Tidrlck - rlck Tidrlck cf Goodyear Local 2; W. E. Field Fielder, - er, Fielder, Fall campaign co-chairman, and Gideon Lowe of Goodrich Local 5;' Harold W. McCoy, president of Good Goodyear - year Goodyear Aircraft Local 956; and A. J. Frecka, Trades and Labor Assembly, all of whom were re-elected for an another - other another year. The Board is composed of 68 men and women representing business, civic. Industrial, labor, political, pro professional - fessional professional and religious organizations. "The United War Chest," says their (Continued on Page Three)

CIO COUNCIL HITS WMC Akron Industrial 'Union Council has placed the War Manpower Commis Commission - sion Commission on 'probation" for a period of two weeks. In the event various policies of the commission have not been changed to meet with the satisfaction of the Council by that time, it will recall Its two delegates to the eight-man com commission. - mission. commission. The decision was made at the meet meeting - ing meeting of the Council last Friday night after Paul M. Fessenden and Gideon Lowe, representatives of the Council on the WMC, had reported' that they had beep unable to obtain any conces concessions - sions concessions from Director Harry Markie. A resolution Instructing the two delegates to withdraw from the WMC permanently unless changes in policy were made was adopted by a unani unanimous - mous unanimous vote. Final action on the matter will come up for consideration at the meeting of the Council next Friday night. Charges were made during the dls dlsi - i dlsi (Continued on Page Three) Steel Pay Plan Hit By Murray CIO Pres. .Philip Murray this week took the moguls of the steel industry to task for v "their adamant attitude toward the perfectly justifiable claims of steel labor" and warned them that if they pursued a course governed by "rapacity, selfishness and gfeed" it would be a bad thing for them at well as the workers. Speaking before a panel of thp Natl. War Labor .Board, as head of the CIO United Steelworkers of America, after OK) General Counsel Lee Pressman had concluded presentation of the un union's - ion's union's case for wage adjustments, Mur Murray - ray Murray called upon the leaders of the In Industry - dustry Industry to act with "proper industrial statesmanship"; and not to "blindly lead America into another apple-sell apple-selling - ing apple-selling era."" "Our organisation has an interest in Building up a good relationship with the industry," he said. 'We believe in the hope that these moguls of in industry - dustry industry are not directing their energies (Continued on Page Three)

STOP AND THINK-FIRST! By RUTH TAYLOR < ^ * There is one and only one way to stop any and all hate stories, rumors, and malicious gossip - whether they be directed at political parties or individuals, labor or industry, Blacks or Whites, Protes Protestant, - tant, Protestant, Catholics or Jews. , - It is a job that is up to you and me, to each and every one of us who believes in the brotherhood of mart and the democratic way of life. We can't alibi nor shirk the task. The only person to do it is the individual himself. "If you can't write it and sign it - don't say it" should be our slogan. I cribbed that sentence from an article written by Robert Butler, shipbuilder in Duluth, because I think it is just plain horse sense.. It is easy, practical and what is more to the point, it will do the job.. Of course if people adhered to it, there would be mAny moments of silence - which we could all survive without hardship* Most people talk too much anyway. I know I do. Test the idea on yourself. I've found that a good way to coun counteract - teract counteract rash statements is to say to the speakers, "That's very inter interesting. - esting. interesting. Let me write it-dow'n. I know you won't mind if I quote you but I want to be sure I get it just straight." Well, what' happens is that the final statement isn't even a reasonable facsimile of the orig original. - inal. original. Listen to your own conversation some time. How much of it would you be willing to sign? Precious little, I bet. If you aren't willing to back up your own charges, don't make them; If you aren't willing to stand by what you say, don't say it.. Put that slogan into practice and the result will be that you'll make only accurate statements. You will not exaggerate. You will not show prejudice. You will not allow your personal feeling to color your speech. "If you can't write it and sign it - don't say it." Let's make that our personal motto. It really works.

amendment, opposed by CEO and the OPA, requires a cotton textile price ostensibly in line with "parity." Ac Actually, - tually, Actually, the cotton farmers get nothing out of it - the manufacturers get all the gravy. The new price increases directly af affect - fect affect the things workers use - denims, knit cotton underwear, sheets, pillow pillowcases. - cases. pillowcases. cotton yarns, etc. The total add added - ed added to the consumers' bill will be about $150,000,000 a year. It would have been more if 0FA had not ruled that many other cotton textiles did not come under the Bankhead clause. .. The amendment was put into the bill by a combination of poll-tax Demo Democrats. - crats. Democrats. led by Bankhead of Alabama and Republicans. The record of the vote on the original amendment is giva-ln thsrlasflislative-Bupplemeafr fConthmdd' ort Page Three) . _. FCC To Probe Radio Slaps At Unions iSensational documentation of the shabby deal given organized labor by radio broadcasting companies in con contrast - trast contrast to the love feast they share with the Natl. Assn, of Manufacturers is due for an airing before the Federal Communications Commission August 15. The explosive situation,, with its Im Implications - plications Implications of dirty politics, suppression of free speech and outright favoritism to employer Interests, revolves around a .petition filed by the CIO United Auto Workers Union declaring that Station WHKC of Columbus, Ohio, is not operated in the public Interest. The FOC will consider cancellation of the station's license. Tied in with this action - considered a test case - are: -' 1. The recent cancellation by the Natl. Broadcasting Co. of the CIOAFL Labor for Victory show, because NBC 1 Contended that this program would be (Continued on Page Four)

military service at Fort Benjamin Har Harrison - rison Harrison in Indiana next Monday, Members of Akron Industrial Union Council charge that the order wee issued because Fessenden refused to instruct union Elevator operators to pass through a picket line at May Mayflower - flower Mayflower hotel to give -elevator service to Lieutenant-General William Ksu sen who was a guest at the hotel. Fessenden, it is charged, was called by telephone at his home by an army major, who inferred that if Fessenden did not provide elevator service in the hotel for the general in spite of the picket line he would be ordered to report for military service. ofBSrTo repofi Jor'mllftary. waf received by mall by Fessenden four days later. t After taking an active part in the (Continued on Page Foot) Will Be Held 1 AFL Conclave In Columbus The sixtieth annual convention of the Ohio State Federation of Labor will begin in the grand ballroom of the Neil House, Columbus hotel, at 10 a. m.. Monday morning, September 18. Date and place of the state meet meeting - ing meeting -was announced following a session of the Executive Board in Columbus Thursday, June 8. Last year's convention was held In Co li: mb us during August. Because of the extremely crucial na nature - ture nature of this particular period, tbe 1044 state convention is expected to be one of the most important during the en entire - tire entire history of the Federation. Post Postwar - war Postwar problems are expected to be a leading topic Representation at the contention wilt be determined as follows: Bach Local Union sending a dele dele(Continued - (Continued dele(Continued on Pace Four) ,