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United Automobile Worker
-
1953-03-01
-
Vol. 17 No. 3
-
iy
Pea Te)
VOL.
Hi,
NO.
3.
Entered as 2nd Class Matter, Indianapolis, Indiana
MARCH,
Printed in U.S. A.
1953
EeCorySp
a
—
P
I
H
S
R
E
B
M
E
M
E
H
T International President
/REPORTBy WALTTERO P. REUT
HER,
g§ MO“
Zip,
Page2
UNITED AUTOMOBILE WORKER
March, 1958
REPORT TO THE MEMBERSHIP
By Walter P. Reuther
:
This report is submitted at a time when our Union is
stronger than it has been at any time in our history. We
are stronger in terms of membership,
of benefits won
through collective bargaining, of solidarity in our ranks
and in terms of the potential contributions we can make
to the progress and welfare of the whole nation.
The UAW-CIO has advanced to its present strength and
prestige because it has been dedicated to the proposition
that we can make progress only as the community makes
progress. We have refused to operate as a selfish, narrow,
economic pressure group, but we have, instead, advocated
and worked tor policies and programs and goals that
would advance the welfare of. the whole people, knowing
that our own welfare is inevitably tied to that of our fellow Americans and to
freedom-loving people throughout the world.
Communist tyranny still threatens the peace of the world and the democratic
way of life. While we support America’s efforts to build adequate military
strength
to resist Communist aggression, we must at the same time give leadership to the mobilization of the spiritual forces of the free people of the world to
work and fight for peace. We must counteract Communist propaganda by giv- ing positive leadership to the fight against poverty, hunger and injustice, the
:
sources of Communist power.
We have a right to be proud of our progress and of our strength. But we
must recognize that there is much work to be done, more responsibilities to assume, more goals to be won and more problems to be solved.
We are determined to carry on our work in the spirit of brotherhood. We
shall not rest until people everywhere enjoy freedom and share in abundance.
In This Report: :
Organization
GlOwth
Page
Membership
and
2222
Se
oe
2
Guaranteed Annual Wage
Long
---.
3
Be Living Documents
------
2
. New BLS Index —----_--_---.
6
Continued
Fight
Improvement
A
Health
for
for
Rinehicand meeeee
Winning the Fight for
[Se
pei
als oA
Ayltey
Bae
;
7
All
7
a
8
Wage Stabilization Board _-__-
The Elections
ee
9
12
3
Legisla
8 tion and the Washington
§
BOR
een
enea eo — 13
|
American
Page
15
= 55a. see
NGealeG00)--
ee
eee
BdnGaionwen.
ee
Ses eae
hs
Ere ralS) eee ho
16
V7
17
188
ss
Pension
~------------
Program
Organization and
Bindnces oe
Seo
Must ~
Agreements
Term
UAW
.
Threats to
Freedom
Aid Communists _---.------ 15
Skilled Trades ---------------
2
Women
Workers _...._._.____
19
International Labor ~---------
19
Wrotisne
19
ae
ter Peace <2 ace
:
:
Philip Murray and
Allan Haywood _....------
MheClOre residency y =--=-2==-= 20
Labor-Uaity
y
@u3. 2.
ee
20
Teamwork in Leadership ~-__- 20
|
conservative
fare
:
estimate
of our active
shows
neatly
1,400,000
mem-
In December, the local unions paid per capita taxes to the International
Union on 1,620,000 members: This, of course, involves some duplications,
since some of the local unions were getting paid up for the year end. However,
a check by the Secretary-Treasuret’s office shows that there was in that month an
actual dues-paying membership of 1,318,739, as well as 9,214 on-strike and
~ 22,000 members retired, who while they do not pay dues are recorded as members in good standing.
ees
620 VICTORIES
While employment has increased substantially in plants under the juris-
diction of the UAW-CIO,
the bulk of our recent growth has been the result
of organizing the unorganized.
In less than two years, the UAW
has won
collective bargaining rights in 620 plants and units, either through elections
conducted by the National Labor Relations Board or other methods of recale
poten
As a result of these victories, approximately
have come under the jurisdiction of the UAW-CIO.
and from
information
140,000 additional workers
Many of these plants are
supplied
by the Regional
Directors and local unions, it is conservatively estimated that such plants will, in
the near future, employ an additional 66,000 workers. Thus, in terms of new
membership, the potential result of 23 months of organizing activity would be
206,000 members.
The geographical extent of the Union’s organizing activities is
indicated by the fact that campaigns were conducted in 256 cities and
towns in 29 states and three Canadian Provinces.
(Continued on neat page)
ed by
paigns were c
~
i
i
|
Member ship
membership
i
i
||
Not since the earliest days of our Union have we enjoyed such a spectacular growth in membership as we have had during the past two years. A very
in the process of expansion,
19
i
Page3
WORKER
AUTOMORBILE
ee
March,
UNITED
1953
a
The guaranteed annual wage is now at the top of our collective bargaining
agenda. The last Convention so decided, and the preparatory work called for
by that Convention is now well under way.
sound
A
program,
based
on
thorough
preparation,
plus
a militant
mem-
Nga
bership ready to struggle and, if need be, to sacrifice for just ‘demands geared
to the welfare of their families and the stability of the economy is an unbeat“4
able combination in collective bargaining.
Aacre
That combination won pensions in 1949 and 1950. It will win the
guaranteed wage in the next major negotiations in our industry.
The guaranteed wage, though it must be won in collective bargaining, is far
more than a collective bargaining demand.
It is a long step toward solving
om.
the basic unsolved problem of our time: the problem of full production and
full employment in a free society in times of peace. A solution of that probJem
will not only strengthen America;
it will have an impact throughout
the
world, wherever Communism exploits the insecurity of workers and wins converts by pointing out that democracy has never solved the problem of mass unemployment. The Communists say we cannot solve the problem of unemploy-
ment and depression. Communist strategy in the cold war is based on a gamble
that free men working within a free economy cannot maintain full employment
and that another American depression will undermine the foundations of the
unity of the free world. If that should happen, the cold war will become a hot
Wart.
i
MUST
Bs,
Vi
STOP
UNEMPLOYMENT
The history of the last half-century reminds’ us that democracy goes under
when it fails to halt the spread of mass unemployment. Nazi Germany and
Fascist Italy were proof that dictatorships ride to power on the desperation of
men driven by misery and unemployment to trade their freedom for a prom-
CLM
KOHLER of KOHLER, Wisconsin, most vicious of the paternalistic
companies, was organized by the UAW-CIO last summer in a hotly contested campaign. Some of the same officials who helped determine policy
ise of bread.
at Kohler in 1934, when two men were shot fatally and 47 wounded in the
process of breaking up a strike, recently were forced to sign a good contract with the VAW-CIO.
Dictatorships in our time, and the slave societies of the ancient world, kept
men at work and gave them bread, at the price of freedom. In the era before
the industrial revolution, men were kept hard at work in a constant struggle
for survival.
There are now 1,220 local unions chartered by the International Union, representing thousands of collective bargaining units.
OUTSTANDING
WORK
mastered the techniques for gearing our great technology to the maintenance
The organizing success we have enjoyed can be attributed to the outstanding
work done by various departments of the International Union under the direction of Vice-Presidents Gosser and Livingston and by the Regional Directors
and their staffs. The increase in dyes voted by the last Convention made all this
tremendous additional organization work possible.
In selecting the plants to be organized, first consideration was given to
“runaway” plants; second, to unorganized competitive plants which constituted
an immediate
plants
threat to the jobs of our members;
of corporations
with
which
we
have
third, to the unorganized
contracts;
and
fourth,
organized plants which fall within the jurisdiction of the VAW-CIO.
KOHLER
other
un-
in peace time of full production, full employment, and sustained mass purchasing power.
Only at war and under the threat of war have we been able to keep our factories steadily producing and keep ourselves steadily at work. We stumble from
crisis to crisis.
With the International Union giving leadership, the workers cartied an
overwhelming strike vote. On the eve of the strike date, the Company crumbled
and agreed to a contract which brought tremendous gains to the workers and
brought industrial democracy to them and their community.
>
The personal participation of Secretary-Treasurer Emil Mazey in the final
negotiations contributed signally to this victory.
IN AIRCRAFT,
FARM
IMPLEMENT
Nationwide organizing successes in the aircraft and agricultural implement
industries maintained the UAW’s dominant position in both those industries,
while there are still no passenger cars manufactured in the United States or
Canada that are not assembled by UAW workers.
There are further significant details on organizing contained in the reports
of the Competitive Shop and other industry and corporation departments which
follow this report.
It should not be overlooked that this organizing job was carried out successfully in the face of tremendous difficulties, The 1952 report of the National
Labor Relations Board showed that labor generally enjoyed a lower percentage
of election victories than in previous years. Increased employer resistance and
more frequent recourse to the union-busting provisions of the Taft-Hartley Act
have characterized the labor scene for the past two years.
We believe that the International Union has kept faith with the membership in carrying out its organizational responsibilities, yet we do not intend
to rest on our oars so long as one single worker within our jurisdiction remains outside our Union.
The Communists say we cannot solve our dilemma; our own
businessmen, looking ahead again to another recession without undertaking to
avoid it, lend weight to the Communist claim. Every new advance of science
makes our dilemma more acute by making our technology more efficient and
productive. The more productive we become the greater our need to find the
means of balancing our great productive power by mass purchasing power and
mass distribution of the goods we produce.
We have not solved the problem of mass unemployment largely
because those who have the power to solve it have not had to pay
the enormous cost of failing to solve it. Up to now the workers have
borne the brunt of the cost of unemployment—a cost exceeded only
by the cost of prolonged all-out war.
OF KOHLER
Another noteworthy victory came last year when the feudal domain of the
Kohler family of Wisconsin fell to the UAW-CIO. But the fruits of victory
were slow in coming to the Kohler workers as the rulers of this industrial empire refused for eight months to agree on a fair contract.
LEAD
Today we face a new situation. In the industrial nations of the West we
live in an economy of potential abundance. We have developed a technology
efficient enough to orfer a better life for all, and we have developed a political
democracy committed to a life of freedom and dignity for all. But we have not
The annual guaranteed wage attacks the problem.of mass unemployment
at the root, by shifting to the employer the cost of unemployment—by compelling the employer to pay workers as the employer himself is paid—by
the year.
WE
LIVE BY THE
YEAR
Workers and their families live by the year, a biological need which they
share with corporation officials. Corporations also live by the year. Interest
rates, depreciation costs, taxes, executive salaries—all
of keeping corporations alive .are computed
these items in the cost
as annual costs,
The time has come to consider labor costs as annual costs, because they
are annual costs, and because workers, with annual needs, cannot meet those
needs as long as they are paid by the hour or by the piece.
We may state this fact as an abstract principle for the rest of the century,
and all logical men will agree. But nothing will be done about changing the
practice to conform with the principle until employers are given a direct
financial stake in stabilizing employment.
An annual wage will give the employer that financial stake, We have seen
again and again how pursuit of profits can lead employers to do things that
they said were impossible to do when they were approached on grounds of
simple humanity.
<"
In the lush post-war period, when every car the corporation could make was
quickly absorbed by a car-starved market, the ‘inevitable’ model changeover
layoff almost disappeared, Fear of losing customers to competitors accomplished what mere hunger of auto workers’ children had never been able to
accomplish. Instead of laying off workers for upwards of eight weeks to change
(Turn the page)
March,
UNITED
1953
AUTOMOBILE
:
WORKER
j
Above are the officers and members of the UAW-CIO International
Executive Board who have served the Union since their election at the
last Convention in April, 1951. Front row, from left, are: Region 8 Director Thomas J. Starling, Region 7 (Canada), Director George Burt, VicePresident Richard Gosser, President Walter P. Reuther, Secretary-Treasurer Emil Mazey, Vice-President John W. Livingston, Region 1B Director
William McAulay. Second row, standing, from left: Region 1A Co-Director Edward Cote, Region 2B Director Charles Ballard, Region 1A Co-
Director Joseph McCusker, Region 9 Director Martin Gerber, Region 2
Director Patrick O’Malley, Region 9A Director Charles Kerrigan, Region 3
Director Raymond Berndt, Region 1 Co-Director Norman Matthews, Region
5 Director Russell Letner. Top row, from left: Region 1D Director Leonard Woodcock, Region 10 Director Harvey Kitzman, Region 4 Director Pat
Greathouse, Region 1 Co-Director Michael Lacey, Region 2A Director Ray
Ross, Region 10 Director Robert Carter and Region 6 Director C. V.
O Halloran.
LEGALISMS
As a result of developments
in current negotiations with the Big Three
in the auto industry, this Convention is confronted with a basic policy decision of major importance. A decision must be made on the future policy
of our Union with respect to the signing of long-term contracts. The question to be decided is whether our Union should enter into such contracts if
it becomes evident that they will be applied by the corporations as legalistic,
static documents, which foreclose the solution on an equitable basis of practi-
cal problems arising during their lifetime which the parties could not have
anticipated at the time the agreements were negotiated.
A collective bargaining contract, as is widely recognized, is a far different
instrument from the ordinary commercial contract which calls, for example,
for delivery of a specified quantity and quality of goods on a certain date for
a certain
price.
The parties to a commercial
contract deal, generally, with
inanimate things. If either party is dissatisfied with the. way the contract is
performed by the other, he is free to terminate his relationship with the other
party and to go his own
PEOPLE,
NOT
Way once the terms of the contract are executed.
THINGS
74
A collective bargaining contract governs a continuing human relationship. It concerns people and not things. And the parties are bound to each
other, even beyond the expiration of the contract, by the continuance of the
worker-employer relationship. The relationship may be interrupted by
strikes or lockouts over the terms of a new contract. But such interruptions
are temporary. Sooner or later the parties must resume working together in
the production process.
EQUITY
Our current negotiations to bring about needed improvements provide
a test of whether or not management collective bargaining attitudes in our
industries have matured to a point compatible with long-term contracts. In
plain language, the outcome of our present negotiations will tell us whether
the corporations’ propose to deal with their workers on the basis of the merits
and equities of the issues involved or whether they prefer to use legalisms
to chisel away.at the intended substance of the agreements they sign.
The agreements involved in the negotiations now under way are all patterned after the General Motors agreement which was signed in late May,
1950—a month before fighting started in Korea. Neither the Corporation
nor we were in a position at that time to know that Communist totalitarianism
would
soon
break
out into open
aggression
and that, as a result, our
nation and the entire free world would be forced to undertake a defense
program so immense as to cause substantial inflation.
Had
there
been
no
Korean
outbreak
and
no consequent
inflation, the
letter of the 1950 contract would have been adequate to implement its intent
at least substantially. The escalator float would not have grown from three
cents to 25 cents an hour. A four-cent per hour improvement factor would ©
still equal, at least approximately, the 214 per cent a year improvement in
living standards which General Motors spokesmen have publicly indicated
to be the intent of the contract. The pensions being received by our retired
members would not have deteriorated sharply in buying power from the
levels negotiated in 1950. The unsound principle of an arbitrary compulsory retirement age, to which our Union
vigorously objected in 1950, would
not now be compounded in its social and economic
nation of precious man-hours of work in the face of
There-would have been no such shortage of skilled
exists; and our skilled trades members in the plants
tions would not now be suffering from a substantial
pared with similar workers employed elsewhere.
All our demands
Collective bargaining contracts provide the ground-rules for that continuing, working, living, human relationship. The purpose of collective bargaining contracts is to facilitate that relationship by assuring the workers
of certain rights and equities. If that purpose is to be accomplished, the con-
OR
evils by depriving the
a manpower shortage.
trades workers as now
of the major corporawage inequity as com:
:
in the present negotiations, in short, are related
directly to the Korean situation which neither the Union nor management
could have
ACCEPTS
foreseen
when
the contracts were
negotiated.
tract and its administration must respond flexibly to outside forces, beyond
GM
PRINCIPLE
documents.”
in answer to our demands. Those offers, while reflecting acceptance
the control of either party, which affect those rights and equities. This is
what we mean when we say collective bargaining contracts must be “living
The soundness of the Union’s position, both from the view of economics
and morals, has already compelled General Motors to make certain offers
It is the rights and equities, the spirit and intent of the contract
that are important, not the literal language in which the parties
clothe their intentions under a set of circumstances that time and
change may make obsolete.
principle that long-term collective bargaining contracts must be “living documents,” do not provide the full equity to which workers are entitled.
Acceptance of the “living document” principle represents a major
victory for our Union, but the principle has meaning only if it is
given real substance. This the GM offer fails to do.
Even
under a short-term agreement, sound relations require that the con-
tractual document must respond flexibly to the changing facts of economic
life. However, if short-term contracts are not adapted to meet the impact of
outside
forces, opportunity
soon
arises, when
the termination
dates of the
contracts roll around, to negotiate whatever changes may be required.
Long-term contracts, by their nature, necessarily postpone the time when
the parties are free to use all the means at their disposal to correct inequities
and injustices that develop in time as a result of the inadequacy of language
to implement
intent in the face of changing
circumstances,
Long-term
col-
lective bargaining contracts, therefore, can work effectively to facilitate the
continuing human relationship involved only if management is prepared,
without waiting for the termination of contracts and the application of economic force by its workers, to preserve fully the rights and equities which
those workers were intended to enjoy when the contract was sigged.
of the
While conceding the principle that contracts must be adapted when necessary, because of changed circumstances, to provide the rights and equities
intended when the contracts were signed, General Motors’ offer fails in
practice to assure those rights and equities to the Corporation's workers.
POLICY
STATEMENT
The problem posed by negotiations to date and the details with respect
to our demands and the offers made by General Motors were set forth in the
following statement of policy adopted by the Policy Committee of the International Executive Board:
“It has been the established policy of the UAW-CIO that long-term
agreements are possible and practical only to the extent that both manage(Turn the page)
7
—E————-
UNITED
March, 1953
AUTOMOBILE
Page 9
WORKER
nkeww
oe
had gone on strike, and the program was being administered entirely by the public members.
zation Board —
Under
REALISTIC
price front, nor equitable on the wage front, and that under such cir-
ae
cumstances continuance of wage controls imposed an unbalanced and
unjust burden on the workers.
At our Cleveland Convention of April, 1951, our Union expressed support
for an equitable stabilization program. We considered it a necessary measure
to help maintain economic stability against the pressures of our defense program, which was expanding rapidly as the United States gave leadership to
the free nations of the world in the fight against Communist aggression in
Korea. We conditioned our support, however, upon the establishment of a
well-balanced and equitable over-all stabilization program which would control
prices as forcefully as it controlled wages. We demanded that the program be
Additional
mailings,
designed
to keep
all of ouf
boards, were important responsibilities of this office.
CASES
2,500 UAW
The effectiveness of this assistance is shown in the record of UAW-CIO
cases processed by the National and Regional Boards. Since our last Convention there were over 2,500 UAW-CIO cases. In only about 435 of these
cases were the gains won in bargaining modified in any respect.- About 83
per cent were fully approved.
Many of the modifications pertained to fringe benefits, where the most
On May 8, 1951, the Wage Stabilization Board was reconstituted in accord-
exacting area practice restrictions were in effect. An overwhelming majority
of the modifications occurred at the regional level, where area restrictions
presented the greatest obstacle. A substantial number of these modifications
of our requests by regional boards were later reversed by the National Board
ance with the demands made by the UAW-CIO and other unions, with UAWCIO Vice-President John W. Livingston as one of its labor members. Although
there were many points on which we disagreed with and opposed Wage Stabilization Board policies and decisions, the Board did, under the logic of the labor
members inside and the pressure applied by unions from the outside, respond
to a much greater degree than the War Labor Board of World War II to con-
and the original requests approved, following appeals from the regional
decisions.
This successful record is of particular significance when placed against
the fact that wage and fringe levels in our contracts, in virtually all cases,
exceeded the national average that existed at the time the stabilization program went into effect. Consequently, our collective bargaining generally
resulted in improvement of existing standards, and met with more resistance
from the Wage Stabilization Board than did comparable gains in industries
whose original wage and fringe levels were generally lower than ours.
From the beginning our Union adopted the position that collective bargaining as such should not be affected by the controls program. Nor did we
confine our demands in bargaining to what existing wage stabilization
policies at any time permitted. We did not seek to have the Wage Stabilization Board establish targets for us to shoot at in our contract negotiations.
Throughout the stabilization period we negotiated on the basis of justice
By December, 1952, however, reactionary forces in Con-
gress, in the administration and in industry had virtually destroyed the effectiveness of the stabilization program.
1. The Republican-Dixiecrat coalition in Congress had taken dispute
authority from the Wage Stabilization Board.
2. The price-control program had been so weakened as to become
almost meaningless, while much more rigid wage controls were
still being imposed on workers.
3. The budget and staff of the Wage Stabilization Board were so inadequate that a huge backlog of cases had piled up, and the long
delays before petitions could be processed meant that workers had
to wait many months for the fruits of legitimate and necessary
gains won at the bargaining table.
4. The industry members of the National Wage Stabilization Board
HY
officers.
leadership abreast of Wage Stabilization Board policies and administrative
developments, were sent periodically. Special assistance in the preparation
and processing of UAW-CIO cases, as well as liaison with regional wage
BOARD
JOY@|_ PE@# 0
an in-
POLICIES
sentatives and
ers. We specifically called for reconstitution of the Wage Stabilization Board
with 18 members, providing equal representation from industry, labor and the
public, to replace the nine-member tripartite Board then administering the program. We demanded further that the Board must have authority to deal with
collective bargaining dispute cases, as well as petitions for wage adjustments
which had been agreed on by employers and workers.
WU
become
To coordinate Union activities in relation to wage stabilization, Vices
President Livingston established an office in Washington. This office de«
veloped a Wage Stabilization Board Manual shortly after the stabilization
program commenced. It was sent without charge to all local unions, repres
based on the principle of equality of sacrifice as between employers and work-
Y
had
Our Union’s wage stabilization work, both inside and outside the
Board, was directed by Vice-President Livingston. In spite of the
heavy burden of Union duties he was already carrying, he was, during
his period of service, the most active and vigorous of the labor members of the Board. He gave able and energetic leadership in shaping
Wage Stabilization Board policies and decisions on a sound, realistic
and equitable basis. In many instances he successfully opposed
policies and administrative actions which would have imposed inequities on workers either in our Union or in other industries.
The basis of our demand was that the entire stabilization program
had been weakened to the point where it was neither effective on the
ty
program
the many problems associated with wage cantrols.
ruary 6,-1953.
siderations of equity.
the stabilization
portant contribution. On the Board, at both national and regional levels, we
assisted in the development of realistic policies. Within the Union, at both
the staff and local union levels, we gave advice and assistance in dealing with
Wage controls were abolished by Executive Order 10434 on Feb-
ON
conditions,
During the period when there was still basis for hope that a sound overall stabilization program could be developed, the UAW-CIO made an im-
President Truman, and later to President Eisenhower, calling for the end of
LIVINGSTON
these
equitable farce, to be ended as speedily as possible. When the Wage Stabilization Board was finally put out of its misery last February, none of us
regretted its passing.
The wage stabilization program came into effect on January 26, 1951, and
came to an end on February 6, 1953. This embraces almost the entire period
of time since our last Convention. Nearly every economic advance made by
our Union since the 1951 Convention has had to contend with the restrictions imposed by these wage controls.
Our Union gave leadership in the National CIO Convention last Deeember in formulating a policy calling for the ending of controls and the passage
of “standby” legislation which would permit re-establishment of controls in
the event of an emergency. We were vigorous in presenting our views to
controls.
—
SL
(Continued on page 12)
4
Dy
ti
em
a
(nn
Behind the statistics on the excellent progress the UAW-CIO has made
on organizing drives the past two years lie hours and hours of just plain
work like making house calls and explaining the Union's program to little
ll
liar nati ais tg
i
groups of workers and passing out handbills at factory gates. Above is &
group of UAW handbill passers in action, proving that a direct approach is
best in organizing the unorganized,
Page 10
UNITED
ANNUAL
AUTOMOBILE
WAGE
BY
THE
nn
problems of our economy. Looking at America from across
the seas, the peoples of the world see, in unemployment, the
failure of the ‘‘American Way,’’ and they, too, begin to listen
to the Cominform chorus. The scene above is from the UAW-
CIO Conference on Defense Unemployment in Washin gton
last year where ways and means of eliminating unemployment
This is an American worker, his
children. He works by the hour,
were discussed,
clothe and house his family 365 d
xk
Walter Reuther once said, ‘‘It wo
KK
The horse costs money...
1953
ENGT
cece
child’s little stomach had a key so ¢
turn it off when he’s laid off—and f]
back on when he goes back to work
No charge for men...
This is a fy»,
problems of he
ers gave the)
This is a picture of desperation.
It’s not a Great Depression picture. Police reserves had to be called out last winter to handle a mob of thousands of unemployed
workers in Detroit. They were trying to get jobs shoveling snow at low wage in bitter weather—just three days before Christmas. Most of them were auto workers.
out any potaki..
workers—thiji
trate country}!
Tickets to unemployment
10704-A REV. 5-49
PRINTEO IN U.S.A,
TIME CLERK'S
OF
This rancher’s horse is better off than his cowhands. After
roundup time this fall, most of the hands will be laid off to do
the best they can. But the horse will be fed, groomed and
stabled every day of the year, The horse (like machinery)
costs money, but the cowhands (like other workers) are ‘‘for
free.’’ The way we operate now, the horse and the machine
have the security that people don’t have. A ‘‘help wanted’”’ ad
in the paper will bring people to the hiring gate; but the
horse-dealer or the machine manufacturer get cash on the
line,
Man
is both
an economic
to economic security, political
status of human dignity.
and a
and
x*k
social being, is entitled
spiritual freedom
and
a
EMPLOYEE
i
DATE
GROSS
DAY
A.M.-P.
WORKED
M.
ISSUED.
19
DATE
is
LAST
NO..\,
I
DAY
WORKED
INSTRUCTIONS:
CRIB
AND
ARTICLES
TOOLS TO
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RETURN
Ticket No, 1—‘‘Get your time.’’ And be sure that
all deductions are made....
BORROWED
SS
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BY CRIBMAN WHO WILL Gi>
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IF YOU ARE LAID OFF DUE TO NO WORK, YOU MAY.Wh
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MENT OFFICE.
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March,
-- LIVE
“MOCR A
The slogan on the sign above tells one of the many sides
of the story of the great national need for the guaranteed
annual wage.
Unpaid bills, insufficient clothing, domestic.
unhappiness, hunger—all combine to create the state of mind
in an unemployed worker that makes him receptive to siren
songs of the totalitarians, He believes—he knows that his
Own unemployment is the result of failure to work out the
WORKER
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AUTOMOBILE
UNITED
1953
YEAR
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Page 11
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In and out the doors of the national headquarters of the Chamber of Commerce (above)
and the National Association of Manufacturers walk the lobbyists who will oppose the annual wage. These lobbyists, and their employers, work by the year and get paid by the year.
They
“itiand his five | entific knowledge has not yet found a substitute for
feed, | eating;
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but we do have
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~signice if each | be assured of a regular income every year. He can
‘Si@rorker could | then plan and budget. He and his family can stop
“4gurn the key | living by the hour. They can live decently by the year
‘\ 1 of our sci- | with a guaranteed annual wage.
Right at this minute, pictures like this one are uncommon. But unless we plan now for
full employment and full production (that means a guaranteed annual wage) long lines will
again form at the plant gates, There is no reason why we should accept unemployment as a
way of life,
‘ e made during the Great Depression. It illustrates the common
wsiitkers and farmers. Workers couldn’t buy the potatoes, so the farmThe
, away.
result, later on, farmers with no farms and workers with-
-4s—free or otherwise. We always start our depressions with jobless
«ijeome farmless farmers—then bankrupt businessmen—then a pros|
wusecurily .. .
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REASONS:
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Ticket No. 3—The
that’s all, brother|
foreman
,
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checks
you
out—and
=
This is a laid-off worker on one of the dreary rounds he must make,
First, for a little
while, he fills out forms and collects inadequate unemployment compensation, Then that little runs out, Then public welfare offices, while all the while he goes from one employment
office to another, He could stay at work if industry and goyernment would work and plan
with labor to make our economic system work,
Page 12
UNITED
AUTOMOBILE
—_—_—_——————————————————————————————————————————————
(Continued from page 9)
and equity, bearing in mind our community responsibilities, as we had done
in the past. Historically, we have resented any artificial encumbrances which
limited the scope of free collective bargaining. Wage stabilization procedure
was something to be followed after collective bargaining had established
agreement between the Union and the employer as to the gains for which
approval would be sought.
KEPT
FAITH
WITH
WORKERS
Such a program did not make us popular with the professional “stabilizers,” but it did enable us to keep faith with our membership. We
pressed constantly for gains necessary to protect living standards, to maintain
the workers’ share of the national income and to eliminate inequities. It
is clearly evident today that a less militant attitude on the part of the
UAW-CIO would have resulted in a more restrictive, more rigid program
of controls, not only for our membership but for workers throughout the
nation.
The more equitable nature of Wage Stabilization Board policies, as contrasted with the rigid ceiling of the World War II Little Steel Formula, was a
direct result of the agreements which our Union had negotiated by the time the
wage stabilization program went into effect. Soon after the Korean fighting
started, the leadership of the International Union decided that, in view of the
likelihood of wage stabilization, the principles of the General Motors contract
should be extended as rapidly as possible throughout all the industries under
the Union’s jurisdiction.
This, as the leadership saw it, would mean that, if
necessary, there would be a fighting force of a million workers to defend wage
flexibility against unwarranted attempts by future stabilizers to impose rigid
wage ceilings, rather than leave the entire burden of the struggle to the General
Motors workers alone.
WORKER
ee
March, 1953
made them available to all workers. Each new agreement embodying an improvement factor increase or its equivalent had to find its way to Board approval through some devious back-door route, and many such agreements were
disapproved. Another major blot on the Board's record was its failure, despite
the best efforts of the labor members, to adopt a general policy permitting the
correction of obviously substandard wages. It remained for Congress, finally, to
remove from the Board’s control wages under one dollar an hour.
In keeping the way open for adjustment of wages to keep pace
with the cost of living and increases in national econotnic efficiency,
the rank-and-file membership of our Union played an important part.
Their reputation for militant and unified determination to preserve
the gains won at the bargaining table and on the picket lines was an
unanswerable argument facing the Wage Stabilization Board throughout its determinations.
Three major advisory panels established by the Wage Stabilization Board
were Airframe, Tool and Die, and Health and Welfare.
Each contained six
members, two each from labor, industry and the public. The UAW-CIO was
represented on each of these panels.
No evaluation of the wage stabilization program can avoid the conclusion
that it was in many ways unsatisfactory and inequitable to the workers. But
no such evaluation can overlook the fact that while it started with an absolute wage freeze on January 26, 1951, under constant prodding and pressure
from our Union and other unions it developed a program which gave far
greater consideration to the needs, the rights and the problems of workers
than did the wage controls of World War II. In leading that fight, the
UAW-CIO justified the faith of its members and of all American workers.
Success in spreading the wage formula, the obvious determination of the
membership to protect it, as expressed at our last Convention and the relatively
high level of the fringe benefits provided under our contracts were the decisive
factors in shaping major aspects of wage stabilization policy.
Regulation 6, which permitted wages to increase where they had not gone
up by ten per cent between January 15, 1950, and January 15, 1951, would
have been more restrictive had it not been for UAW-CIO automotive contracts.
The cost of living in that period had advanced slightly over eight per cent. The
“stabilizers” were at first willing to permit only a corresponding percentage in
wage increases. However, in the early part of 1951 when Regulation 6 was
being drafted, it was pointed out that auto workers’ wages had increased almost
ten per cent in 1950 under the terms of their contracts, hence this more liberal
allowance had to be permitted.
The Wage Stabilization Board policy permitting wage increases
to continue in accordance with increases in the cost of living was
made necessary by the fact that our Union was prepared to fight to
defend the escalator clauses in our contracts, covering well over a
million members.
After lengthy consideration, the Wage Stabilization Board virtually decontrolled pension plans through Regulation 21. Their decision was mainly based
on those plans in effect in UAW-CIO contracts previous to the institution of the
stabilization program.
Gains achieved by our Union with regard to company contributions to
health and welfare plans provided the Wage Stabilization Board with a benchmark upon which to base its Health-Welfare Resolution No. 19.
FOUGHT
“AREA
BRACKET
RACKET”
The UAW-CIO led the fight against the ‘area bracket racket,” a carryover
from the World War II policies of the War Labor Board which was reimposed
on the workers in Wage Stabilization Board Regulation 9, governing rates in
new plants. If it had been allowed to remain in effect, wage rates in new plants
would have been tied down to prevailing wages in the same area, even when
they were much less than the wages paid by the same company. for the same
work in its other plants. As I reported to the 1951 Convention, this Regulation
threatened to create unjustified and grossly inequitable wage differentials among
workers performing identical work for identical corporations in different locations. It would have stopped all progress toward eliminating unjustifiable wage
differentials, and would have created new inequities in our industry after we had
fought long and successfully to remove them.
We served notice on Washington that we would fight again if such inequities were reimposed on our members. In April, 1952, Regulation 17 established a general policy permitting wage adjustments to correct inter-plant wage
inequities on the basis of industry as well as area standards. The auto industry
was specifically recognized as one in which nationwide industry standards would
be applied.
IMPROVEMENT
FACTOR
Payment of improvement factor increases, initiated by the UAW-CIO, became one of the most significant issues to come before the Wage Stabilization
Board. Here again, the fact that our Union had negotiated such increases on a
long-term basis before the 1951 wage freeze, and our announced determination
to fight for preservation of our contract gains, forced the Wage Stabilization
Board to approve improvement factor increases not only for our members but
for millions of American workers, although the latter generally got them in
disguised form. For the first time in the history of our nation, a government
agency was forced to recognize the principle that workers have a right to share
in the fruits of technological progress.
However, despite repeated promises, the Board never got around to adopt- .
ing a general regulation on improvement factor increases which would have
SNe ne
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a
i te
i a
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ae
Labor played an important and partially successful role in the 1952 elec-
tions. While our candidates for President and Vice-President were defeated,
the response of labor at the polls was so favorable that we emerged from
the elections with a clear duty to both our country and ourselves to expand
the political beachheads we made.
General Eisenhower won a personal victory, and, in choosing him, the
people in no sense repudiated the program for human welfare and social
and economic progress which was developed during the past two decades
in which the Democratic Party was in power. Despite the claims of big
business spokesmen and the editorial writers of the anti-labor Republican
press, Eisenhower's election clearly was not a victory for reaction. In winning, Eisenhower endorsed many of the gains made in the past 20 years
over the bitter opposition of the leaders in his own party.
General Eisenhower received 55 per cent of the popular vote because he
convinced many people that he was ideally suited to cope with the grave
international dangers and that his administration would protect our hardwon social gains. At times he appeared to be campaigning on the Democratic
Platform.
The leaders of Republican reaction, such as Senators Jenner and Me-
Carthy, rode into office on Eisenhower's coattails, but they trailed him by
hundreds of thousands of votes. Some lawmakers, like Senators Kem and
Ecton and Cain, who stood for old-style reactionary Republicanism, were
defeated by labor-backed liberal candidates. Thosé are the brightest Spots
in the election results.
Actually, the reactionary coalition which has given the Old Guard Republican leaders effective control of the last two Congresses failed to make
more than minor gains, but since it now holds narrow majorities in both
Houses of Congress its leaders now will have to assume the responsibility
for their actions instead of shifting the blame to the Democratic leaders.
LABOR
STOOD
FAST
American labor did a magnificent job of combating the high-powered
heavily-financed Republican propaganda machine.. Where our candidates
were defeated, we made a good fight on behalf of our principles. We helped
keep many reactionaries out of office. More working people took part in
the campaigning and more working people voted than ever before. Through
the efforts of the UAW-CIO Political Action Department in cooperation
with the National CIO Political Action Committee, our members were better
informed on the basic issues than their unorganized neighbors and their
vote was determined by factual instead of emotional appeals.
Jubilant Republican newspapers leaped into print immediately following
the election results to proclaim that union men and women had disregarded
the recommendations of their unions and “switched” to the GOP. As is customary with the majority of the press when reporting news of labor, the
newspapers failed to examine the facts before celebrating.
MUST FIGHT REACTION
Although the facts will not support them, we can expect that the reactionaries in Congress will attempt to interpret the election results as a mandate to them to undo the progress made under the New and Fair Deals.
We can expect, and we must be prepared for, a determined effort by the
coalition of reactionaries in both parties in Congress to carry out Senator
Bricker's threat to destroy every vestige of the New Deal and the Fair Deal.
The members of this coalition will seek to restrict labor's right to organize
(Continued on next page)
EES
March,
.
UNITED
1953
AUTOMOBILE
ment of the social security, health and welfare of the people, they will ad-
vance numerous proposals for undermining these programs and defeating
their purpose; they will propose changes in the tax laws to shift a larger
of the burden
larger share
to the low-income
families
of the nation;
under the pretext of protecting us from a too powerful federal government,
they will propose to turn over to local and to private interests vast natural
resources which belong to all the people; they will pretend to promote
free enterprise by proposing to exempt powerful interests from necessary
restraints of government regulation and the anti-trust laws; advocating cuts
in military and economic aid and demanding higher tariffs, they will urge
us to abandon our allies and our friends throughout the free world.
DANGERS
AHEAD
of these reactionary and destructive policies,
and all the free areas of the world to economic
danger of world war. These purposes must
step of the way. We in the CIO join with all
In the pursuit
expose our nation
isolation and the
and fought every
progressive groups in the
to rob us of the gains we
whole-hearted support to
are prepared to defy the
they would
depression,
be exposed
liberal and
Sam
stake in political action in matters of local, state, national and world concern,
not only during campaigns, but every month of the year.
4, Enlist more and more people in politics as a prime obligation of re-
sponsible citizenship. The 1952 elections demonstrated the importance of
carrying this work beyond the membership of our unions into their com-
munities, to their neighbors and to other organizations dedicated to the defense and strengthening of freedom.
5. Raise the funds necessary for this work. Arrayed against us will be
vast concentrations of economic and political power having easy access to
every form of communication and propaganda. Our work in the field of
legislative and political action is in the public interest, while our enemies’
efforts will be against the public interest. We must have an adequate budget
and the budget must be met month by month and week by week if we are
to maintain the fight, hold our ground, and make progress.
In the basic conviction that the entire program of the CIO is the program
that embodies
the hopes
and needs of the American
ourselves to our program of political action,
people, we
rededicate
country to turn the spotlight on this conspiracy
have won over the past 20 years. We pledge our
liberal members of both parties in Congress who
coalition of reaction, to define the issues, and to
stand up and be cofinted. Only through such
opposition to this reactionary coalition by all
shall we be able to draw the lines on which
1956 must be waged to obtain a clear mandate
determined and unwavering
liberal and progressive forces
the campaigns of 1954 and
for the cause of human prog-
ress and world peace.
At the’time of our 1951 Convention, labor had achieved unprecedented
unity of purpose and action at the national capital. The United Labor Policy
Committee, formed in December, 1950, brought together CIO, AFL and bona
fide independent unions to promote fair and equitable mobilization policies,
Although we shall be heavily engaged in blocking reaction, we
including wage, price and credit controls, priorities and material allocations,
We must be prepared to support forward-looking recommendations that
civilian output.
Here was the beginning of labor unity in action. The United Labor Policy Committee provided a practical, effective mechanism for marshaling
labor's maximum strength on behalf of the interests of its own members and
of all people in the continuing struggle that goes on in Washington between
the private power of vested interests and the public power of the American
also shall continue to press our/CIO legislative program attacking
poverty, disease, discrimination, insecurity and social, economic and
political injustice.
may be sent to Congress by the new President in the fulfillment of his cam-
paign pledges. During the campaign, General Eisenhower pledged himself
to carry on and improve large segments of the New and Fair Deal programs, including broadened and strengthened Social Security, farm price
support and international cooperation in supplying other free nations with
military and economic aid.
We shall not be obstructionists, but will offer our sincere cooperation in
the hope that President Eisenhower will and can carry out the commitments
he made to promote the public interest. But as free Americans we have the
duty and reserve our democratic right to challenge and oppose the policies
and acts of his administration when in our judgment they are not in the
public interest.
THE
Page 13
—0—0—0—0—0—0—S$—0—0—0—0—000—0—_00000088
SS
eee
and engage in free collective bargaining and will urge Congress to subject
unions to anti-monopoly legislation; while giving lip-service to the advance-
and
WORKER
JOB AHEAD
In the period ahead we face serious and compelling responsibility in both
the political and legislative field. The task is five-fold:
1. Rally maximum strength behind the true liberals in Congress, in state
legislatures and local governing bodies. Encourage them to make strong
fights for measures in the public interest and against raids of special vested
interests.
2. Keep before the people the record of the reactionary coalition and
of the liberal opposition in the 83rd Congress so that the people, having the
facts, can act intelligently between and during political campaigns.
people.
j
The hopeful outlook for maximum united strength behind labor's political and legislative program was abruptly blacked out when, five months
after our last Convention, the AFL suddenly announced, without explanation,
its withdrawal from the United Labor Policy Committee. As a hopeful augury
for the future, however, it should be noted that practical cooperation on
many legislative matters continues informally among CIO and AFL representatives in Washington, Practical working unity among labor organizations also continues throughout the country where labor's representatives
work in closer contact with the rank and file of their unions. The. break at
Washington was a top-level decision on the part of the AFL alone.
VICTORIES AND
DEFEATS
In sizing up the wins and losses on our legislative program since the last
Convention a fact to remember is that liberals in Congress have been in
the minority. Since 1938 a coalition of reactionary Republicans and Democrats has exercised increasing control of the legislative outcome in Congress,
especially on domestic issues. A size-up of the votes on test issues during the
82nd Congress shows that this coalition could marshal on the average 20
votes more than the liberals-in the House.
Nevertheless, victories have been won. And on many occasions
our support of the fighting liberals in Congress made it possible for
-
(Turn the page)
s
&
\\
3. Continue, extend and intensify the education of the people as to their
and the dovetailing of rising defense production with the curtailment of
ie
“iY
¢
ome
hd
A record number of UAW-CIO locals either built or bought new local
union halls in the past two years, Kaiser-Frazer Local 142 is joining this
parade. At the ground-breaking ceremony for the new Local 142 hall are,
left to right, UAW International Representative Eugene Wilson; Local 142
Vice-President Gerald Post; Committeeman John Burton; Paul Russo, assist-
ant director, UAW
Aircraft Department; Committeeman Tommy
Thompson;
Financial Secretary Terry Troutt; President Harley Neideffer; Committeeman Enoch Arnold; Committeeman BA Anglin; Shift Chairman Larry
Moore; Region 1A Co-Director Ed Cote, and Shift Chairman Ray Watson.
Cote is director of the UAW's K-F Council,
UNITED AUTOMOBILE
“Handcuffed"
WORKER
March, 1953
and 1952. Rollback of the extortionate price levels reached after Korea was
defeated by these amendments and by direct Congressional pressure on the
Office of Price Stabilization, Many commodities were exempt from ptice
control. Inadequate appropriations still further weakened control over prices
and at the same time subjected approval of wage increases to interminable
delays. When the modified Lucas Amendment of 1952 tied the hands of
the Wage Board and imposed greater delay, CIO President Murray had
no alternative but to call for an end to this mockery of stabilization which
encouraged prices to rise while holding wage adjustments in a deep freeze.
oe
Page 14
TAXATION
In the field of taxation, also, the people received shameful treatment at
the hands of the reactionary coalition in Congress. The revenue act of 1951
imposed an unwarranted and intolerable increase in income tax upon lowincome families, closed none of the loopholes by which wealthy taxpayers
and special interests evade paying their just share, actually opened new loopholes and widened others, added new sales taxes and increased others. The
bill fell far short of raising the revenue required by the national emergency,
which, as the CIO spelled out, could have been done by closing loopholes
and without putting unjust burdens on low-income families,
ee
22
Rule 22 in the Senate blocked all possibility of action on civil rights as
was admitted by the Senate Labor Committee when it reported an FEPC
bill in June, 1952. I represented the UAW-CIO before the Senate Rules
Committee,
October
3, 1951, and pointed out how
majority rule could be
restored to the Senate if a majority of that body desired to do so. At the
opening of Congress in January, 1953, this plan was put to the test. The
Republican caucus in the Senate overwhelmingly put itself in Opposition to
civil rights legislation by joining openly with the Dixiecrats to prevent
amendment of Rule 22.
them to block the reactionary coalition’s worst efforts. Isolationists in
foreign affairs and corporate special-interests in domestic affairs have
not been able to enact the program of utter destruction which the big
business called for.
Our success in defeating the Lucas Amendment to the Defense Produc-
tion Act in 1951 prevented an attempt to put labor into a firm straitjacket
of wage control. Again in 1952, the Lucas Amendment got by only after its
worst features had been extracted.
In both years many vicious amendments to the Defense Production Act,
designed to convert price control into outright profit grabs, were defeated,
as was the Davis Amendment to impose an absolute freeze on wages.
Extreme attempts of the isolationist wing in Congress, led by Senator
Taft, to wreck international cooperation by slashing military and economic
aid to the free nations were turned back. Had the real voice of America not
been expressed through the liberal minority in Congress, the united effort
against Communist aggression would undoubtedly have collapsed, paving
the way for inevitable war on the worst possible terms.
The give-away of some 40 to 100 billion dollars’ worth of national
off-shore oil resources passed both House and Senate, but the margin
of victory on the side of plunder was so slim that when President Truman put his veto on the steal and sent the bill back disapproved, no
attempt was made to pass it over his veto.
Senator Fulbright’s move to wreck the Public Contracts Act was defeated when UAW-CIO testified in opposition to his amendments. These
would have based permissible minimum wages in public contracts on rates
prevailing in the local city or town and would have excluded application
of the law to public contracts relating to goods produced generally for the
open market.
The public housing program was kept alive, though far below the level
of actual need for new low-cost housing in this country.
The attempt to capitalize on the Korean situation to impose permanently
upon this country a system of universal military training was defeated.
Congressman John Rankin’s effort to get the Congressional stamp
of approval for his racial theories failed when his bill to authorize a
segregated veterans hospital was defeated.
A bill to amend the anti-trust laws in favor of big business failed of
passage, with CIO joining small business, farm and other labor organizations in opposition to the measure.
On the administrative front, our Union was responsible for persuading
the defense mobilization agencies, headed by Charles E. Wilson of General
Electric, to put an end to mounting unemployment in civilian production
by exercising some responsible control over the placement of defense contracts by military departments.
Recital of these successful, or stop-loss, actions on the legislative front
cannot obscure, however, decisions in Congress that went against us.
DEFENSE PRODUCTION
ACT
a
The Defense Production Act was slanted further in favor of profiteers
and against wage earners and consumers by amendments adopted in 1951
While this effort to end the filibuster rule of the Senate failed, the po-
litical lines have been made clear. At the same time, it was established that
a motion to repeal Rule 22 is in order any time a majority of the Senate is
prepared to do so.
McCARRAN
ACT
A major defeat for liberals here and throughout the world must be
acknowledged in the passage, in 1952, of the McCarran Immigration Act,
which, like the Internal Security Act of 1950 by the same author, represents
in its most stultifying and frightening form the paralyzing effect of fear.
Such measures seek to preserve freedom by destroying it. Reflecting no faith
in the strength of a democratic system of human rights they pretend to protect our democratic system by adopting the methods of democracy’s worst
enemies.
Disregarding President Truman’s magnificent message of disapproval, Congress passed the Immigration Act over his veto. In the.
election
campaign,
Stevenson,
Truman
and
Eisenhower
for amendment of this gross Congressional blunder.
all called
This, in brief, is the record of our legislative action during the past two
years. A more detailed account will be found in the report of the Washington Office.
OUTLOOK
FOR THE FUTURE
Now, because of the Republican victory in the election, we must review
the legislative outlook and reappraise our position.
As pointed out under “The Elections”
in this report, the election was
a victory for Eisenhower rather than for Republicans. While the Republicans received a slim majority in both Houses, the size of the liberal minority was very little affected. The people voted for a man, rather than for a
reversal of policy. And the man.they voted for promised to continue and
expand the gains made for people under the New Deal and Fair Deal.
Most important fact of the new alignment
forces now for the first time clearly recognize
They no longer need to accept responsibility
apologize for its failures. The responsibility
program will now rest where it belongs—in
in Congress is that the liberal
that they are in the minority.
for the Administration, or to
for the coalition’s reactionary
the Republican Party, aided
by Republicans with a southern accent known
as Dixiecrats.
The new responsibility of liberals in Congress is to present an
effective and competent opposition to the coalition. They can and
must give vigorous and unencumbered opposition to many backward
measures which the coalition will bring to the floor. They can and
must—with the help of liberals outside of Congress—carry the issues
to the people, make sure they are understood, so that the voters will
have a clear-cut choice before them in future elections.
This situation creates a challenge and an opportunity for all liberal forces
throughout the country.
Liberals in Congress must be encouraged to keep pushing for improvement of those measures which have been the foundation of the program
for the general welfare begun by President Roosevelt and continued by
President Truman.
a
RULE
UNITED
AUTOMOBILE
Page
WORKER
15
stacles in the way of thousands of influential friends of democracy who seek
admission to our shores on temporary visas.
The Congress of the United States has a constitutional right to investigate,
and this right must be safeguarded, for the power to inquire into any matter of
public concern is a fundamental one in a democracy.
But that right is being abused and thus brought into question by Congress
itself, by the failure of the Congressional majority to protect this vital right to
investigate from the irresponsible actions of a small minority of Representatives and Senators.
Senator McCarthy has been most blatantly guilty of abusing the
Congressional power to investigate. He has taken refuge in his Congressional immunity and from this shelter has recklessly made blanket
and unsubstantiated charges of Communism which have spread fear
within government agencies without accomplishing the avowed purpose of exposing actual Communists.
McCarthy does not understand that the power to investigate is not a power
Both major political parties are committed
immigration laws. The McCarran Law must
even more important for Americans to check
trend of heresy-hunting led by McCarthy that
out of which the McCarran Act was born and
public life.
A nation that surrenders to the McCarthy approach to Communism will
never be able to stop Communism. McCarthy actually helps the cause of
Communist imperialism by spreading confusion and fear in our midst and by
diverting our attentions and energies from the great task of building a foreign
policy that could really weaken Communism by strengthening our true friends
abroad and removing the economic injustice on which Communism feeds.
to slander, to assassinate character, to spread fear and confusion with vague
The financial position of our Union is the
best in its history. The tools provided the
Union when the last Convention voted an adjustment in dues have enabled us to step up
the building of reserve funds, to redouble our
organizing efforts-and to increase the services to the membership.
As he has since first assuming office, Secre-
allegations, to intimidate witnesses, to assume guilt and attempt to prove guilt
by association.
McCarthy has pursued the dangerous and anti-democratic line of regarding
views that differ from his own as subversive. The measure of his irresponsibility
has been his branding so conservative a patriot as General Marshall, former
Chief of Staff, as one who had advanced the designs of Soviet policy.
FOG
OF CONFUSION,
to improvement of our
be repealed, but it is
the whole, dangerous
created the atmosphere
which is poisoning our
tary-Treasurer Emil Mazey has exercised care
SUSPICION
and vigilance over expenditures; and the In-
The McCarthy fog of confusion and suspicion has spread from Washington
ternational Auditing Department,
under his
and the government agencies over the entire country. The great American tradition of freedom of expression, of the right to hold and stand up for unpopular views, is threatened.
supervision, has worked efficiently to insure
honest and orderly accounting of all local
union funds as well.
An attack on the American public schools has been launched which may well
have the effect of depriving our children of the vigorous and courageous teaching they must have to fit them for life in these critical years. Timid teaching
will produce timid citizens, at a time when democracy, fighting for survival in a
world of encroaching totalitarianism, needs bold thinking and bold action.
The McCarthy, Jenner, Velde, Ferguson abuse of the Congressional power
to investigate may stem from a drive for personal publicity, ffom a compulsion
dation of the Secretary-Treasurer, the VAW
International Executive Board voted unanimously to advise the local unions and the
membership that “there is no need for an
to discredit the record of the New and Fair Deal administrations, or from other
motives. The effect of this reckless conduct has been to sow confusion at home
and to damage American prestige abroad,
DISCRIMINATORY
McCARRAN
ACT
The McCarran Immigration Law, a product of McCarthy hysteria, has
perpetuated the old discriminatory quotas and has erected a complicated network of administrative red tape. It makes no provision for the entry of men
and women who have fled from Communist tyranny in Eastern Europe, actively
discriminates against people from that part of Europe, makes naturalized citizens subject to deportation on arbitrary grounds, and places all kinds of ob-
The battle against racial discrimination is carried on through political
action and at the bargaining table and in conferences like the one above
where UAW-CIO members discussed the Union's program and helped de-
On January 14 of this year, on recommen-
increase in dues or per capita taxes at this time, and that we recommend to
the Convention that the dues and per capita taxes remain as they are.”
Mazey attributed our improved financial position to “increased membership,
which is a result of increased employment in many of our plants and the success
“of our organizing drives,” as well as to the dues and per capita increase.
Since the Union is owned by its members, full reports on the Union's
finances are published periodically in the United Automobile Worker so that
every member may know where and how his dues dollar is spent. These
reports are submitted in much greater detail than is required by law.
The delegates to the last Convention may well be proud that their
action in adjusting dues and per capita has been wholly justified by the
record,
velop ways of making it work. At the far right is William H. Oliver, codirector of the UAW’s Fair Practices and Anti-Discrimination Department.
Other UAW departments cooperate in the work,
Page 16
UNITED
AUTOMOBILE
WORKER
March,
1953 ‘
ical job on any individual member of Local .600. The present leadership of the
International Union has always put principles ahead of personalities,
“What we did propose to do was to demonstrate to the membership and
officers of Local 600 that it is possible, when politics are not permitted to interThe solidarity in the ranks and teamwork in the leadership which we in the
UAW-CIO
established at our historic 1947 Convention has continued just as
firmly in the last two years as it did in the four years between the 1947 and 1951
conventions. The results which this unity has produced are revealed vividly in
the other pages of this report in terms of organizational and collective bargain-
ing gains for the membership.
This kind of solidarity was marred by only one flaw during the last two
years—certain actions by the leadership of Ford Local 600 which made it necessary for the International Union to administer the affairs of the Local Union
over a period of several months from March to September, 1952.
After affording full opportunity to the officers of Local 600 to present their
case during hearings and deliberations extending over 13 hours, the Interna-
tional Executive Board, in the light of the overwhelming evidence, decided by
unanimous action on March 15, 1952, to establish an administratorship over
fere with day-to-day union work, to do a constructive trade union job that benefits all Local 600 members.
AFFAIRS
HANDLED
WELL
“We have shown that grievances can be handled in an orderly and satisfactory manner, just as they are in other local unions, through concentration and
hard work, Those responsible for supervising the affairs of the Local during
the period of the administratorship can cite many instances of important and
knotty grievances that have been resolved satisfactorily during the last six
months. Here, from the record, are a few of the most important ones:
“1.
“2.
The working out of the seniority relationship between the Dear-
born Iron Foundry and the Dearborn Specialty Foundry;
‘The working out of the job security relationship between the
Casting Machine Shop, the Tank Engine project and the Motor
Local 600, UAW-CIO. This action was necessary in order to prevent further
damage to the Union and its membership resulting from the failure of the offi-,
cers of Local 600 to carry out their obligation$ in conformity with the provisions of the International Constitution.
“3.
Establishment of the seniority and transfer arrangement between
the Motor Plant and the Dearborn Engine plant;
BOARD OF ADMINISTRATION
“4.
Stopping the Ford Motor Company’s speedup on the cone-automatics in the Gear and Axle plant;
the policies, programs, and Constitution of the International Union, the Inter-
“5.
Correction
tration consisting of President Walter P. Reuther, Chairman; Secretary-Treas-
“6.
To place Local 600 on a sound union basis and to insure compliance with
national Executive Board, UAW-CIO, established a six-man Board of Adminis-
urer Emil Mazey, Secretary; and Vice-Presidents John W. Livingston and
Richard Gosser and Co-Directors of Region 1A, Joseph McCusker and Edward
J. Cote, Members.
It was the intention of the International Executive Board to remove as
few as possible of those holding elective and appointive positions in the
Local Union, or the Units thereof; but to remove ll such persons as may
be necessary to carry out the letter and spirit of the International Constitu-
tion and protect the interest of the Union
and advance the welfare of the
membership. Specifically, the Board of Administration was directed by the
International Executive Board to remove from their Union positions any and
all persons who appear beyond a reasonable doubt to be petsons ineligible
to serve in such elective or appointive positions by reason of their being
members of, or subservient to, any political organization, such as the Communist, Fascist, or Nazi organization, which owes its allegiance to any goy-
ernment other than the United States or Canada, directly or indirectly.
COMMUNIST
MINORITY
In the opinion of the International Executive Board the difficulties in Local
600 arose from the manipulation of a small but well disciplined Communist
group which exerted influence far beyond its actual numbers. The evidence presented to the International Executive Board proyed beyond doubt that this dis-
ciplined Communist
minority was able to subvert the policies, programs,
and
publications of Local 600 to their own ends and against the best interests of the
Union membership.
Action by the International Executive Board was taken to put an
end to Communist influence and manipulation so as to protect the
good name of the International Union, UAW-CIO, to strengthen the
collective bargaining power of Local 600 in dealing with the practical day-to-day problems of workers in the Ford Rouge plant and to
strengthen the organizational and legislative work of the Union.
BOARD
STATEMENT
In the late summer, the International Union arranged for élections of Unit
and Local Union officers to be held at Local 600. Then on September 19, the
International Executive Board issued a statement, excerpts of which follow:
“The administratorship established over the affairs of Local 600 last March
14, 1952, will be lifted as soon as the newly-elected officers of the Local Union
are installed on Sunday, September 21, 1952.
“The International Executive Board welcomes the removal of the
tratorship over Local 600 just as we regretted the necessity of having
lish the administratorship in the first place. The authority to establish
tratorships is one which this International Executive Board has rarely
and then only in unavoidable cases.
“When
administo estabadminisexercised
the administratorship was established over Local 600, we stated
(Ford Facts, March 22, 1952) the reasons that made our action necessary:
““Put an end to Communist influence and disruption in Local 600;
““Effectively meet and solve the problems of Ford workers;
““Get the truth and facts to the membership; and
““Stop irresponsible action which was doing great harm to the
whole Union.’
“We also made it clear at the time that our action was not the result of any
personal differences between the officers of the International Union and the officers of Local 600. Neither were we desirous, as we stated then, of doing a polit-
Unit;
“7.
of numerous
incentive,
problems in the steel division;
scheduling,
and
crew
size
The return of laid-off women workers.in line with their seniority;
Establishment of equitable rates of pay in the new Dearborn
Engine plant.
“These and many other adjustments have reduced to a minimum the huge
backlog of grievances existing last March and have resulted in the much
smoother operation of the grievance procedure, a fact generally acknowledged
by those familiar with the day-to-day functioning of Local 600.
“We have shown during the administratorship that the official publication
of the local union, Ford Facts, can be an effective and constructive instrument
to transmit the truth to Local 600 members and to give them the facts about
issues affecting their own welfare.
“The International Executive Board hopes that it will never again have reason to take over the publication of Ford Facts or any other local union publication. Such actiongyill not be necessary if the newly-elected officers of Local 600
follow a policy Be
the publication for the benefit of the Local 600 mem:
bership and in a manner that will not cause damage to the membership of the
International Union.
:
COMMUNIST
INFLUENCE
REDUCED
“The results of the elections recently concluded in Local 600 show that Com-
munist Party influence in the Units, the Local Union, and the General Council
is at its lowest level in the history of the Local Union. Completing this task of
eliminating the Communist Party from all influence in Local 600 is a responsibility which now rests squarely on the shoulders of the membership of Local
600 and its leadership.
“The cases of the five Local 600 members who were removed from unit
offices in the Local Union (under Article 10, Section 8 of the International
Constitution) on the grounds that they are, beyond a reasonable doubt,
members of or subservient to the Communist Party will go to the International Union Convention on their appeals. These five members will have
their day in court at the Convention. They will be given a full hearing and
will be free to state their cases. The Convention itself will make the decision
on their appeals
CONVENTION
TO REVIEW
CONSTITUTION
“However, it will be necessary at the coming UAW-CIO International Con-
vention to review the whole matter of just how a free and democratic Union,
such as the UAW-CIO, can deal with the few Communists in our ranks who,
while attempting to take advantage of the democratic privileges that they have
as members of our Union, would use such privileges to weaken and destroy
both our Union and the free institutions of our country.
“The members of the International Executive Board are resolved
to make no compromise with the Communists, either as an organized
subversive force or as individuals within our ranks. Organizationally
and as individuals, Communists
are against our Union, against our
country and against everything that free men stand for throughout
the world. Communists are not just people who may have a different
point of view on how things ought to be done. They are an organized conspiracy with only one loyalty, and that is blind service to the
Soviet Union.
“Today, Communists are going underground.
Some who hold office in
unions have publicly resigned from the Party before signing non-Communist
affidavits, but they have then continued to carry out the Party line in every de-
tail. Since Communists have no conscience about lying to conceal their affilia(Continued on next page)
.
March,
UNITED
1953
AUTOMOBILE
WORKER
tions, in order to more effectively carry out their work, it has become increasingly difficult to prove technical Party membership.
“A free and democratic union, like the UAW-CIO,
must neces-
sarily devise adequate constitutional protections against people who
would use the very freedom and democracy of our Union as a screen
behind which to destroy the free labor movement.
“Because of these changed conditions, the present provisions of our Consti-
tution, adopted at the Buffalo Convention
in 1941, are no longer adequate.
The inadequacy of these provisions was one of the contributing reasons for
the establishment of an administratorship over Local 600. So that such action
will not be necessary in similar cases in the future, we in the UAW-CIO at our
next Convention must devise new and more effective machinery
the problem of any Communists w ithin our ranks.
APPEALS
BEFORE
to deal with
CONVENTION
“This issue, together with the appeals of the five individuals removed from
office—Paul Boatin, John Gallo, Dave Moore, Nelson Davis and Ed Lock—
wil] be the only issue growing out of the administratorship over Local 600 that
will be on the agenda of the Convention, so far as the International Union is
concerned. However, a repetition of the kind of events and actions which made
an administratorship necessary will tnevitably broaden the issues which the Convention will have to consider and act upon.
“Apart from Convention action on the appeals of these five individuals, the
administratorship over Local 600 can be regarded as a closed chapter. The decision as to whether or not it remains closed rests solely with Local 600.”
In accordance with the foregoing statement, the International Executive
Board has recommended to the Constitution Committee of the Fourteenth Con-
stitutional Convention of the UAW-CIO certain constitutional amendments de-
signed to make it possible for the Union to protect itself and its members
against those subversive elements who: would try to destroy it.
In the past two years, more
summer schools staffed by more
of the Union’s history. This is
dents” are all UAW members.
the students is Brendan Sexton,
UAW-CIO members have attended more
expert instructors than in any other period
a picture of a college campus. The ‘‘stuLeaning against the arch talking to one of
the UAW-CIO’s education director,
unions when disputes arise. A new comprehensive Time Study Manual is currently being prepared for use by stewards and committeemen to aid them in this
vital task of protecting workers against the evils of speedup.
This is one area in which vigilance, education, and, if necessary,
militant strike action, properly taken, pays off. By the same token,
laxity, emotionalism or irresponsible wildcat actions lead only to
frustration and possible defeat.
There is a right way to fight speedup wherever it raises its ugly head—and
the UAW-CIO is always prepared to make that fight. *
The fight against speedup, for better working conditions, is one that requires continued vigilance on the part of the officers and committee members of
every local union, supported by the membership and the International Union.
The policy of the UAW-CIO as adopted and reaffirmed by repeated convention
action is based upon the principle of a fair day’s work for a fair day's pay. The
UAW-CIO policy, which has been carried out and supported by militant action,
reads as follows:
“The UAW-CIO is unalterably opposed to and will fight against
any attempt by employers to endanger the health and safety of workers by forcing them to perform an unreasonable work load. One of
the major reasons that our Union came into existence was the revolt
of workers against the inhuman speedup that existed in the automobile industry before it was organized.
“It is our policy to authorize strike action in any plant, large or
small, big corporation or small shop, when the facts show that an employer is attempting to drive his workers to make them produce more
than a fair day’s work.”
The International Union, in cooperation with local unions, has been carrying out this policy in all parts of our Union, in large and small. companies
alike, in order to protect and improve the working conditions of our members.
During
schedules,
the two years since the last Convention, changes in production
resulting
from
material
controls
and
shortages,
and two
annual
changes in models have occurred. Certain managements have attempted to take
advantage of these situations by embarking on campaigns of speedup. These
tactics have been aggressively met by local unions with the full support and
assistance of the International Union.
Twelve General Motors local unions took strike votes to implement their
bargaining efforts in production standards disputes. In nine of these plants the
disputes were satisfactorily settled before coming to the International Executive
Board for strike authorization. In three of these disputes the International
Executive Board granted strike authorization to the local unions involved, but
the disputes were satisfactorily settled without the need of striking.
Similar disputes arose in plants of the Ford Motor Company, and numerous
Ford locals took strike votes to back up their fight against management's efforts
to introduce speedup in their plants. For all of the cases coming to the International Executive Board strike action was authorized, These disputes as well
were all satisfactorily settled but only after strikes occurred in three of the
plants involved.
These illustrations could be multiplied manyfold in plants in every region of
our Union,
The fight against speedup is a never-ending one, requiring constant vigilance on the part of our Union and a readiness to fight on
the picket line, if necessary, to maintain fair production standards in
the plants.
Workers must be educated on their contractual rights and protection provided by our contracts, Stewards and committeemen must have a working
knowledge of the tools necessary to handle production standards disputes as
they develop,
Our Research and Engineering Department is constantly engaged in this
program of education, in addition to providing technical assistance to local
It has been said that history is a race between education and chaos. This
has never been more evident than in the period of the cold war—and the
atomic age in which we live.
The UAW-CIO
can make its maximum
contribution in finding solutions
to the basic everyday bread-and-butter problems of its members—we
can
help in shaping the decision on which war and peace hang in balance only to
the extent that the membership of our Union understand the problems of the
world in which we live.
A democratic rank-and-file-controlled Union such as the UAWCIO will be as strong and as effective in helping to win security and
dignity for our members and their families in a world of peace and
freedom in direct proportion to the level of understanding and consciousness of our members.
Developing understanding of the basic day-to-day problems and the
broad problems of our interdependent world has therefore been an important aspect of our Union work,
The strength of a democratic union flows from the knowledge and active
participation of the rank and file.
One of the serious shortcomings of many old-line unions is their opposition to educational programs. Too often such unions take the position that
the less enlightened the rank and file, the easier they are to control. This
natrow and bureaucratic attitude considers that the, essential function of
the rank and file is to pay dues and that all other activities can best be performed by the leadership.
The UAW-CIO rejected this unsound and undemocratic philosophy.
We believe that the payment of dues is but the first responsibility and that
the rank and file must be involved in an ever-broadening area of union participation. It is for this sound and compelling reason that we in the UAWCIO have placed an ever-increasing emphasis on our educational activities.
No union in America devotes as large a portion of its incomes—
both at the local and international levels—to educational purposes.
During the past two years, many thousands of UAW members participated in UAW Summer Schools—held throughout the country—in classes
scheduléd
activities.
in local
CLEVELAND
unions,
week-end
EDUCATION
education
conferences
and
in other
CONFERENCE
The highlight of UAW-CIO educational activities was the International
Educational
Conference
held
in Cleveland
during
the first week
of April
of
1952.
This Educational Conference—both
in its size, its range of subjects and
the new techniques developed—constitutes an important milestone in the development of workers’ education,
Approximately 2,000 delegates and almost 1,000 guests from all over
(Turn the page)
Page 18
UNITED
OT
AUTOMOBILE
WORKER
March, 1953
____________
the United States and Canada participated in the four-day
opening the Conference I stated, “If we are going to solve
our people, we have to equip them with an understanding
which we live. We have to work not only on the economic
Conference.
the problems
of the world
front but on
In
of
in
the
political front; we have to work to solve our problems on the basis of help-
ing people everywhere move ahead together in the solution of their problems.”
I am sure the Cleveland Education Conference was an important step toward the achievement of these goals. Delegates worked diligently to get all
the information possible from the many experts on hand, and I am sure
that the knowledge they gleaned will be of great service to them and to
their locals in the days and years ahead.
The special needs of simultaneously maintaining defense and civilian
production have created a demand for skilled workers which runs far ahead
of the supply, and this, in turn, has created great pressure to bring workers
lacking journeyman status into skilled trades classifications, In order to
help meet the country’s need for skilled trades workers, and at the same
time protect them against dilution of their trades, the UAW-CIO has developed its model job-protecting Changeover Agreement and accompanying
Apprenticeship Training Agreement.
General Motors and Chrysler agreed to programs incorporating
the principles of the Changeover Agreement, and the acceptance of the
The functions of the UAW-CIO Veterans Department have been expanded
steadily during the past few years as opportunities to serve our membership
have grown.
Approximately 30 per cent of the present UAW
membership saw
service in the Armed Forces during World War II. Other thousands of our
members
either
have
taken part or will take part in the Korean conflict so that
:
.
7
we can presume that between 40 and 50. per-cent of the UAW-CIO
Binal be tailitarevererans.
P
member-
yi
The Veterans Department, headed by Secretary-Treasurer Emil Mazey, was
created in 1944. It has cooperated with the locals in making sure that returning
veterans got their jobs back, sometimes taking cases to court to force proper
action.
The Department has tackled the veterans’ housing problems, and
has forced unscrupulous contractors to make adjustments in housing
so that homes purchased by UAW-CIO members have been brought
up to the contract and GI Loan specifications.
The Department keeps veterans informed of their rights under the GI Bill
of Rights and other laws affecting veterans. Several hundred national service
life insurance cases have been processed through the Veterans Administration,
and, through our efforts, other hundreds of our members have received the
additional $1.50 a day they had coming under provisions for service people who
received inhuman prisoner-of-war treatment.
In addition to the vitally important task of keeping our members informed
about changes in the laws, the UAW
some of those changes about.
Veterans Department has helped bring
Many parts of the veterans’ program adopted in
our 1951 Convention in Cleveland have been written into the law including the
Korean GI Bill of Rights, increases in veterans pensions and increases in the
pension and allotments for dependents, Social Security credit for servicemen
and mustering-out pay for Korean vets.
Some changes still must be secured,-including scrapping that
highly discriminatory selective service deferment system which places
an undue portion of the burden of supplying fighting men on the
shoulders of workers and their families.
Jubilant aircraft workers wave retroactivity checks received after suc-
cessful contract negotiations. The women have a right to those big smiles,
Their checks are just as big as those received by the men because they get
the same pay as men for doing the same job. The UAW-CIO had a greater
Agreement by many other corporations has enabled skilled workers
to keep pace with the expanded need for their services and, at thé
same time, has protected their jobs. Future dilution of skilled trades
classifications through excessive use of lower-paid, semi-skilled workers is banned in the Agreement.
A
4
pigs
E
the same time, the Union is attempting
toGa
expandeethe force for truly
skilled j
Whil
:
k
as
journeymen.
al €
sighted
some
corporations
would
view of their skilled trades needs, we have
prefer
been
to take
t
a short-
|
able to negotiate
260 UAW-CIO Apprenticeship Training Programs. Our program, administered by joint, Union-management committees, places the emphasis on de-
veloping really skilled workers instead of getting extra production out of
workers who are still learning their trade. At the same time, we have continued pressure upon state agencies and educational institutions to improve
the level of theoretical training for skilled workeis by placing greater em-
Roast on related insicucton:
Our goal is to develop a skilled trades force adequate to care for
the country’s needs; large enough to meet most emergency situations
without the need of temporary upgrading and at the same time realistic enough to prevent an oversupply of skilled workers after our
need fot skilled tradesmen has leveled off.
The outburst of machine tool work created by the Korean crisis, and
the accompanying mushrooming of small job shops has created considerable
wage confusion. We have attempted to clear up inequities through the es-
tablishment of area skilled trades councils which work
scales and the highest level and through
organizing
for equalizing wage
unorganized
shops.
At the same time, we have been forced to carry on an educational campaign
among out own workers to show them that taking extra work in lower-
pay shops actually is undermining their own jobs.
We have made some giant steps toward solving the spetial problems of
the skilled trades worker, and our Skilled Trades Department, under Vice-
President Richard Gosser, is one of the busiest in the Union, but only
through the cooperation of our many thousands of skilled workers will we
be able to bring the skilled trades situation under firm control.
upsurge in aircraft membership, made more contract advances and, incidentally, won more retroactivity in the past two years than in any previdus-
two-year period in the Union’s history.
ers than any other union,
The UAW represents more aircraft-
‘
|
UNITED
DY
Workers
a
NO
Since the UAW-CIO Convention in April, 1951, the number of women
in our Union increased 50 per cent to 150,000. More than 700 women hold
local union offices.
Page 19
dence of democracy’s superiority, and launch long-range economic programs .
to help them raise their living standards.
iy
pe
Women
WORKER
AUTOMOBILE
While much of this increase in the female work force is ~
due to the defense effort, an ever-increasing number of women are the chief
supporters of family units, and, aside from simple justice of women receiving equal pay and equal treatment on the job, the fact remains that the
economic needs of our women members are as great as for men.
SHORT-CUT—NO
GUARANTEES
There is no short-cut to peace.
Millions of Americans may have voted
for President Eisenhower in the belief or hope that he would be able to end
the Korean War. But we are in a position to see now that difficult choices
must be made, considerable risks must be run, in the working out of a policy
to end the Korean conflict. And even if we can somehow dispose of the
Korean stalemate, there are the wars in Indo-China, where the French have
expended more of their national income than they have received in American
economic aid, in Malaya, where the British are engaged.
Great advances have been made in securing equal pay for equal
work. With the cooperation of Vice-President Livingston, thena
member of the Wage Stabilization Board, we were able to secure
automatic approval of such contract adjustments.
And even if these conflicts are settled, we shall have no guarantee against
the outbreak of others anywhere in the world where men are driven to revolt
by the poverty and misery and exploitation that Communism uses against us
in the global struggle for men’s loyalties.
With the cooperation of local unions, we have been able to eliminate, in
many places, another evil—the separate seniority list for women along with
The revolt and rebellion of the have-not millions cannot be “bottled up,” soothed, or “managed” by taking Acheson out and putting
Dulles in, by sending Truman back to Missouri and placing Eisenhower in the White House.
the twin evil of seniority systems which discriminate against married women.
Considerable progress still must be made, Discrimination against nonwhite women at the hiring gate still crops up constantly, but the UAW's
contracts.
Peace and freedom cannot be made secure in the world as long as hundreds of millions of people are denied the necessities of life, so long as
millions and millions of people are doomed to belong to the have-not nations, so long as they and their children are denied the right to achieve economic and social well-being.
The Women’s Department also attacks the problem of securing on-the-job
justice for women by helping organize the unorganized. One recent success
was in Kohler, Wisconsin, where approximately 400 women were working
for as much as 20 cents an hour under the rate paid men for equal jobs. Now
es
they get the same rate.
Whatever happens in Korea and Indo-China, and Malaya, there is no
easy or cheap way out of the world crisis. There is no formula for by-passing
the challenge to use American power and wealth to move the have-not peoples of the world up out of their poverty and misery. For as long as Ametican power and wealth exists in a world of poverty and hunger and human
clearly stated policy against such practices, together with its national campaign against them have brought encouraging results. The UAW also has
developed model maternity clauses which have been incorporated into many
In order
Union,
the
to help
Women’s
our
50,000
Department
women since the last Convention.
active in FEPC work.
female
new
sponsored
members
12
to understand
regional
conferences
the
for
In addition, women haye béen extremely
desperation,
Communism
will continue to forge that poverty and hunger
and human desperation into the weapons of political and military aggression.
ONE
WORLD
This challenge is a challenge to make peace and freedom possible by
giving them the necessary foundation of economic security. America has not
sought leadership in this struggle. Leadership has been forced upon us by
history, by the decline in strength of the whole western world in the first
half of this century. Foreign policy is no longer foreign. It shapes our lives.
It sets the framework in which our children must grow and live.
js
_ We have the opportunity, through our activity in the international labor
movement, to move directly and immediately on the world front to put democracy on the offensive.
Through CIO, we are affiliated with the International Confederation of Free
Trade Unions. Founded in London in the winter of 1949, the ICFTU is growing not only in the more highly developed countries of the West but also’ in
We cannot afford to leave foreign policy to the State Department, to the
Defense Department, to the President, or to Congress.
The question of war
or peace in the age of the hydrogen bomb is a question of life or death. As
- men and women
who have built a union to win a
better life, as parents and
citizens, we must’ give to foreign policy, to the whole matter of working for
peace, the importance and attention it demands.
the vast reaches of Asia and Africa where the inhuman exploitation of labor is
a perpetual source of trouble and weakness for the free world and a ready
source of strength for Gommunism.
The ICFTU has set itself the task of building real trade unions in
those critical areas. ICFTU is establishing training schools for labor
organizers and building up a cadre of leaders who can keep the millions of workers of Africa and the Far East from Communism by
giving them a democratic hope and a democratic instrument—amilitant
trade unionism—for realizing that hope.
We contribute to that great task of ICFTU. We must continue to support
that program, while we press for greater recognition on the pact of the shapers
of American foreign policy of the importance of free trade-unionism in the
world-wide struggle.
;
UAW-CIO,
moreover,
is an
affiliate of the International Metalworkers
Federation of the International Trade Secretariats, and we have been repre-
sented at meetings of the IMF and of its automotive section through the CIO
Representatives in Europe.
We must maintain and strengthen these ties, for in the greater solidarity and
mutual understanding of free trade-unionists everywhere we shall forge a
strongly organized and highly articulate force for peace and the economic wellbeing upon which peace must resc.
YY
y
I
: | Working for Pe ace
4
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Gj
typ
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A strengthening of our military defenses against Communist aggression
is essential. But in strengthening those defenses, we are losing sight of the
importance of a positive, bold program of economic support to those underdeveloped areas of the world where poverty and misery serve the Communist
cause. We are forgetting that men’s minds are the real battleground between
Communism and democracy and that the struggle for men’s minds will be
lost unless democracy demonstrates that free men can win security without
sacrificing their freedom.
Throughout
the have-not areas of the world, men
in the colonial and ex-
ploited lands are reaching out for independence, for freedom, and for eco-
nomic justice, They will pass from the dictatorship of colonialism and
poverty to the dictatorship of Communism unless democracy can seize the
initiative, use the great technology of the West to give them tangible evi-
MY
Philip Murray and Allan Haywood
The death of Philip Murray is a
tragic loss to the labor movement of
the free world and to the cause of
social justice and human freedom
everywhere.
In his lifetime Philip Murray dedi-
cated himself unselfishly to the task
of bringing a fuller measure of economic security, human dignity and
happiness into the lives of working
people. He will long be remembered
by the millions
riched,
whose
lives he en-
No one better understood the hopes
and aspirations of working people,
and no one worked as hard in the
vineyards of American
democracy
to
make it possible for people to realize these hopes and aspirations.
In the struggle against Communist tyranny and all forms of totalitarianism, American democracy was strengthened by Philip Murray's leadership,
vision, courage and deyotion,
%
We in the UAW-CIO
have lost a true friend, the labor movement a great
leader, ‘and America a great citizen.
The CIO and the entire nation have suffered another grievous loss in
the death of Allan §. Haywood.
the welfare of workers,
His entire life was identified with promoting
He was a courageous
fighter for human
rights, a
man who truly loved his fellow-men. His heart was instinctively attuned to
the needs of the under-dog. Like his good and devoted friend, the late Philip
Murray, Allan $. Haywood was a man of the’coal mines who carried with
him every day of his life the dream of a better future for everyone.
He will be mourned
by the millions of trade unionists, at home
abroad, who knew him, respected
votion to the common cause.
him and
loved him
for his constant
and
de-
SSS
—
rs
UNITED
Sao
AUTOMOBILE
¢
WORKER
March, 1953
‘
’
When I was elected to the presidency of the CIO on December 4, 1952,
I told the delegates to the CIO Convention I was well aware that in assum-
ing this high office I was not in the remotest sense taking Phil Murray's
place, because no man
can take Phil Murray's
place.
In recognition of this fact, the Convention had already taken action to
draw upon the abilities and the strength of the whole leadership of the CIO
to assist the new president, whomever he might be, in his tremendous re-
sponsibilities. The Convention amended the CIO Constitution to create an
Executive
Committee,
consisting of the president,
the executive
vice-presi-
dent, the secretary-treasurer and the eight other vice-presidents of the CIO.
This
Executive
Committee,
which
meets
bi-monthly,
functions
as a team
to
share among themselves, along with the president, the responsibility of administering the affairs of the CIO. Had I been asked to assume the responsibility of running the CIO alone, I would necessarily have had to refuse, because
I would not have felt equal to that responsibility.
*
The decision that I accept the presidency of the CIO was not a personal
decision on my part, nor was it made by me. The UAW-CIO
International
Executive Board, conscious of its responsibilities as the largest CIO affiliate,
discussed carefully and deliberately, before and during the CIO Convention,
the problem of filling the void created by President Murray’s tragic and
untimely death. When the leadership of other CIO unions representing a
majority of the CIO membership asked that I accept the office, the UAWCIO International Executive Board voted that I should make my8elf available to accept this additional responsibility.
In this new task I rely upon the support of our UAW-CIO membership
as well as upon the cooperation and assistance of the CIO leadership and
membership, for without that cooperation and assistance we cannot build the
ever stronger and more dynamic CIO that America needs.
a fetes Unity
-.
The CIO, at its Atlantic City Convention in December of last year, reaffirmed the position taken by prior conventions in favor ofthe “development of unity in ranks of the free democratic labor movement of the United
States.”
ib
The resolution further declared:
"
“Throughout the years, the CIO has repeatedly sought the unification
of bona
fide labor organizations.
In our efforts to attain
this goal,
we
in
the CIO have recognized that united action on social and economic, legis-
lative and political issues could not wait for final agreement on the countless
important organizational problems involved in the final attainment of or-
ganic unity. This is particularly true today in the situation which confronts
all of labor; now, therefore, be it.
“RESOLVED: This Convention of the CIO reaffirms our traditional devotion to the ideal of organic unity in the American labor movement, and
our hope and belief that organic unity will be achieved through a spirit of
cooperation, responsibility, and sincerity in the relationship of all democratic
free American trade union organizations; and be it further
“RESOLVED:
This
Convention
authorizes
the
officers
of
the
CIO President Walter P. Reuther and AFL President George Meany
meet in Washington to discuss plans for labor meetings,
“On taking this responsibility you have given me, I want to make it
abundantly clear that as far as I am concerned, as an individual and as an
official of this organization, I want to assure you fully and completely that
at no time will a question of vested right in an office be the smallest obstacle
‘in the way of achieving a united labor movement.
“I say that the real measurement by which we must judge what is an
honorable basis for working out labor unity is not what happens to the
status of those in positions of leadership. There is only one measurement and
that is the measurement of what is good for the rank and file back home.
We do not count. You and I are not important, excepting as we are the symbols, and as.we are the collective instrumentality through which the rank
and file carries on its work. What is good for the rank and fileymust be the
only measurement of our judgment.”
;
In accordance
organizations, Following this meeting,
for unity in itself will perform no miracles.
''* “We must stand together in a united labor movement without compromising the basic principles upon which the CIO is built. We>can never get
ourselves in a position where we sacrifice principle for expediency. No union,
whether large or small, must be sacrificed in working out these problems.
Board named
POSTMASTER:
of
67B)
No.
E,
address
and
3579
on
Send
Form
copies
(Canada,
Washington
St.,
,notices
3578
returned
labels
of
(Canada,
No.
under
29B)
Indianapolis
both the CIO
and AFL
named
com-
the following to act in its behalf:
tary-Treasurer James B. Carey; David J. McDonald, Acting President, Steelworkers; Joseph Beirne, President, Communications Workers; L. S. Buckmaster, President, Rubber Workers; Joseph Curran, President, Maritime
Union; O. A. Knight,. President, Oil Workers; Michael Quill, President,
Transport Workers; Emil Rieve, President, Textile Workers, and Frank
Rosenblum, Secretary-Treasurer, Clothing Workers.
The February meeting was postponed because of the untimely death of
Brother Haywood, and, as this report is being ptepared, we are engaged in
working out with the AFL the time and place for another meeting.
_
=
Teamwork in Leadership
Except fona few minor instances of factionalism such as that discussed in
the section of this report devoted to the Local 600 situation, we have had in the
last two years a solidly united Union with “teamwork in the leadership and
solidarity in the ranks.”
This kind of solidarity is
made on all fronts since our
retary-Treasurer Emil Mazey,
ingston and members of the
responsible for the substantial progress we have
last Convention. I want personally to thank SecVice-President Richard Gosser and John W. LivInternational Executive Board for their cooper-
ation, their hard work and their unfailing devotion to Union principles.
Their
contributions to the work of the Union have made possible the two years of
progress recorded in this report,
ak *
With sincere and fraternal good wishes to all members of the
UAW-CIO and their families, this report is
change
Form
Respectfully submitted,
labels
to 2457
7,
Presi-
The CIO President, Executive Vice-President Allan S$. Haywood, Secre-
—_—_—_—.e.e.eRe«mvx«—X«,_\_\V°\°\vQvvvQvVQQSSSSS———
6
action, J met with AFL
mittees to meet, and set a date of February 24. For the CIO, the Executive
through the appointment of an appropriate committee, to advise the officers
of the American Federation of Labor of our willingness to meet and earnestly discuss and seek honorable. Iabor unity that will advance the welfare of
all of labor.”
es
ment we could be stronger than if we are divided, but this must be qualified,
Convention
dent George Meany to make arrangements for a meeting between the two
CIO,
In accepting the Presidency of the CIO, I had this to say on the question
of Jabor unity: ;
“I accept and J share the spirit of the resolution adopted by this Conyention and the remarks made in support of that resolution. All of us, deep in
our hearts, recognize the fact that standing together in a united labor move-
with the CIO
Ind.
ie
President
(A full and detailed report on the activities of the various departments,
corporation councils, wage and hour councils, and on further activities and plans
of the International Union will be presented to the International Convention
this month.)
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