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UAW Solidarity
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UAW Solidarity
-
1959-06-01
-
Vol. 2 No. 6
-
Closeup:
4rcearr
nh a a
OU
Vol.
No.
GUARANTEED.
POSTAGE
Ind.—RETURN
Aijrcraft Workers
See pp. 4, 5
Michigan Edition
6
3579 attached
Form
copies with
undelivered
Send
E. Washington St., Indianapolis
mailing label to 2457
POSTMASTER:
directly under
7,
2,
UAW
a>
-
the
Forand
Bill
“1959
Second
Ps
P CUD
HC
July,
Needs
800
E.
monthly
class
postage
Jefferson
at 2457
paid
at Indianapolis, Ind.—EDITORIAL OFFICE
Detroit
14.
Mich.—5e
a
copy.
Published
Ave.,
E. Washington
Protect Retirees’ Health,
St.,
Indianapolis
7,
Ind.
Income:
Pass Forand Bill, Reuther Urges
Mazey Sends Out
Convention Call
call to the UAW
Official
to be held in the Convention
16, has
9 through
urer Emil Mazey.
Local elections to
Hall, Atlantic
issued
been
constitutional
17th
UAW
by
|
convention
City, N.J., Oct.
Secretary-Treas-
secretary-treasurer
not
later
than
orous
be in the
must
‘amendments
hands
of the
International
secretary-treasurer not later than Thursday, Sept. 17.
@ Mail duplicate credentials and copies of resolutions,
etc., to Emil Mazey, Secretary-Treasurer,, UAW, 8000 E.
‘offerson, Detroit 14, Mich.
A HUGE SCROLL bearing the signatures of more than 1,700
and more than 400 peronal letters urging Congressmen to
support .he Forand bill was presented to the House Ways and
Herbon
Jennie
by Mrs.
in Washington
Committee
Means
(above) and John Fitzpatrick, who testified before the committee.
(See story on p. 8.)
|
Greathouse Lashes GOP;
testiWASHINGTON—In
mony before the House Agriculture Committee that was
sharply
critical
Eisen-
of
hower administration farm
Vice Presipolicies, UAW
dent Pat Greathouse urged
Congress to enact a national
farm program that would:
@
Raise
farm
UAW-IAM Aircraft
Conference Near
Aid for Farmers
Demands
income;
As Greathouse was called
to the stand, Charles Hoeven
(R., Iowa) waved a copy of
his prepared testimony and
shouted angrily, “This is a
political tirade and has no
business being presented to
this committee of agriculture.”’
The
chairman
of the com-
The
mittee, Harold Cooley (D.,
N.C.) said Greathouse could
testify and
agree
with
that he did not
Hoeven
that
it
was a political tirade.
“But if it is,” Cooney added, “it is a pretty good ti-
rade.”
Presumably what aroused
Continued
on
Page
8
joint
national
con-
ference
of UAW
and
IAM
aircraft, missile, rocket,
electronic and related workers will be held in Kansas
City, Mo., Aug. 5-8, top officers of the two unions have
announced.
The session previously had
been scheduled
for Alberquerque,
N.M.
About
445
delegates representing 600,000 workers in both unions
are expected to attend the
Kansas
City meeting.
:
@ Use food surpluses to
correct diet deficiencies of
hungry
human
beings
home and abroad.
director
Greathouse,
the
UAW
plement
agricultural
department,
at
of
im-
told
the committee the union will
“support programs to conserve the soil, protect the
and
cooperatives
farmers’
improve the stabilization of income of rural people.”’
Appearance of Greathouse
before the committee precipitated an uproar from Republican members. who at-
publican
block
members
his testimony.
who,
at-
of the For-
(D. Tenn.) and Harold Cooley (D. N.C.), committee chairman, chat amiably with
President Pat Greathouse following his testimony before the congressional group.
Medical insurance for older people, which was scarce<
Iy available at all until proposals for federal insurance
began to be discussed seriously by the Congress, is so
expensive as to be out of
reach of most retired citizens, he said.
Its restrictions and reservations disqualify a vast
number who would be willing to pay its exorbitant
costs, and the benefits it provides are so inadequate they
do not nearly meet the costs
of medical care, particularly
Continued
on
Page
8
Labor Solid
In Support
Of USW
The steel industry’s refusal to share spectacular productivity gains with work-
ers and steel consumers and
its rejection of good faith
collective bargaining led to
a nation-wide walkout
by
more
than a_ half-million
members of the United Steelworkers union last week.
The
companies,
which
account for nearly 90 percent of the nation’s steel
output,
were
completely
closed by the strike.
__.
The
Steelworkers
union
was assured of the solid support
of
the
trade
union
movement,
having
had
pledges to-that effect from,
among others, the AFL-CIO,
@ Protect the familysize farmer from absorption by giant agricultural
corporations ;
support
and bill at the committee
hearings as a spokesman
for both the IUD
and
UAW.
Thurs-
:
17.
.
day, Sept
@ Copies of all resolutions, grievances and constitutional
of the Industrial Union Department of the AFL-CIO
and of the UAW, told the
House
Ways
and
Means
Committee,
Reuther testified in vig-
select convention delegates are now
being held and will continue to mid-September.
The following additional points were listed in the call for
the information of delgates and affiliated local unions:
@ Voting strength for the convention will be determined
by the average membership strength for the 30-month
| period beginning January, 1957. —
@® Registration of delegates will take place in the lobby
entrance to the hall, 10 a.m., Thursday, Oct. 8. .
@ Duplicate credentials must be in the hands of the
International
The only practical way
Americans 65 years of age
and older can hope for more
adequate health protection
is through federal legislation
Bill,
as the Forand
such
Walter P. Reuther, president
UAW
Vice
the Industrial Union Department
of the
federation
and
the UAW.
Negotiations, which had been
in progress
for two
months,
produced little more from the
Continued
on
Page
8
Mrs. Jennie Herbon (displaying leaflet at left) and John Fitzpatrick, both 69. Mrs. Herbon is the mother of nine living
children, four of them World War II veterans.
Fitzpatrick is
secretary of the steering committee of the UAW Detroit area
retired workers program and a former Ford Motor Ca worker.
Both testified on the need for the Forand Bill.
_
A HUGE SCROLL, 72-feet long and bearing the signatures of
more than 1,700 citizens and over 400 personal letters urging
Congressmen to pass the Forand bill is unrolled by some of
the retirees who did the hard work of getting the scroll together. The scroll was presented to the House Ways and Means
Committee in a hearing on the Forand bill in Washington by
Tell Your Congressman:
PLS
Tee
ELS
eRe
Me
FRIESE
RR
aH a7 00 ae
Sse.
<—
Pee,
Health’ Bill for Retirees
Back Foran
my,
The Forand Bill—HR 4700—is now
considered by the House Ways and Means
are being
Hearings
mittee.
on this vitally important
Solidarity goes to press.
UAW
WASHINGTON D.C.
being
Com-
held in Washington
piece
of legislation
as
President Walter P. Reuther has testi-
fied in support of this bill.
In his testimony, he cited several letters from
retired workers. Some of them are reUAW
produced on this page.
One of them, a Ford retiree, wrote: “They
have took $4.32 more out of my Blue Cross and
Blue Shield. They are taking $16.13 out of my
Ford pension which is $33.75. That don’t leave
enough to-pay my gas bill. Is there anything you
|
can do about it?”
Yes, there is something
Marth $/ 7947
GELSie
ee
Ley cz
ee
you can do about it.
“You, too, can do what thousands of other
citizens—young and old—have done. You can
do what the hard-working, dedicated older people
did when they wrote enough letters to make up
the 72-foot long scroll which was sent to Washington.
;
You
into law.
can
help
get
the
Forand
bill
enacted
The most important unmet need of retired
people is the lack of adequate, prepaid hospital
and health insurance.
:
Louise Brock.
22116 Francis
Ave,
St Clair Shores, Mich
March
:
eb
Ue preying
Senator
T/7222 fer yee
Sor Meal De Deter, ret. cf £0
House
ak
ht
1959
Hart,
Build
15,
D.C,
Dear Sirs
i AEE CI
T am writing you 4m regards to the Forand BilR
Wo. 4700. We would like you az our Senator to pass
Ewe
this bill,
We think this is a very good and needed
bill, and think it will hale our people who are ow
Social Security.
When & person has reached
m@
Bunn Sf
Office
Washington
Pkt C4 hat, Me bt Nahe te Teche aarnt og
+h Je ke Safa Yah
it ge baw
Yiake
Bill
31,
the age for Social
Security it is almost impossible to obtain any kind
of employment to suppliment their monthly income,
‘The
Social Security checks they receive does not cover the
medical tare that they may need,
If sickness befalls
one of them they have no way to get medical attention
other than Wefare or other sorces of this kind,
By tke
time they receive this aid, after going thru the legal
red tape they are either dead or so near it that it
costs the tax payers more te get themb ack on their feck
then if they had attention at the tine the illness firs&
started.
This 1s no way to treat our older generations
Consequently we are diffinately for thie bile
Thanking you I remain,
The most practical way to meet this need is
to get Congress to pass the Forand bill. It proposes to amend the Social Security act so as to
provide insurance against the. cost of hospital,
nursing home and surgical services to all those
eligible for old age and survivors insurance benefits.
The Forand bill is opposed by such powerful
groups as the American Medical Association and
the United States Chamber of Commerce.
But the power of a free people, aroused to
action, can unleash an irresistible force of public
opinion which will guarantee passage of the
Forand bill,
Write to your Congressman today and urge
him to support the Forand bill. Do it now.
Tomorrow
“It
B) HOUSE OFFICE BUILDING
f WASHINGTON 25,D.C.
may be too late.
is universally
agreed that
the. spectre
Oyj
failing health and the cost of hospital and medical care is the greatest problem facing our
older people... I therefore. regard passage of the:
Forand Bill as a much nean
d d
posie
e
tived
step.
BN Me
eelee
ulee leer
e tty act ie
‘
é
S
~ President, UAW
we
y this same period, the 18 major
2d by 41%: and those of the “Big
ugias, ‘Lockheed, North American
“more than 55%.
“recession” hit the industry. Sales
for example,
about
1%
however, profits remained heavy.
, the 18 major firms took in a net
vestment. - The “Big Six”
year was 22.3%.
profit
1e “Big Six’? made a 15.3%
return.
This
military
year,
the sum amounts
call
estimates
to about 40%.
showed
a net profit
to 732,000,
the UAW
Moreover,
he
Vice President stressed.
said,
the
since
upturn
job
the
and
more
that
period
government safeguard of aircraft
protect
and
the
buildings
interests
Woodcock: pointed out, has been
r union.
sized by problems now confronting
of
consideration
~
cut-
Wood-,
plani *
all received
stockholders
workers.
-curity and Exchange Commission
aircraft industry last year aver1, compared to a return of 9% for
companies.
ave made possible the high returns
yany stockholders.
ment protects them by putting up
oney. It does so, of course, to proproduction.
layoffs
only to about 2%
amounted
Jobs just didn’t open up again
to absorb most of the workers
who had been laid off. Manpower
needs of the plants working on
missiles, rockets and space-craftbacks and _ stretchouts,”
cock said, “managements,
lingness to
50%.
ventional aircraft, particularly fighters and ee
Woodcock explained.
In terms of overall empoyment, in the past two years,
this was a major factor in the drop from 903,000 workers
than
fa:
the
of people are a
“The problems
lot more real. We have insisted that new contracts must
go to those areas where aircraft workers have distressing
problems of unemployment.
“Moreover, we have been fighting for severance allowfor
ances
_adequate
said.
aircraft
hit by
workers
relocation provisions,”
such
layoffs
the UAW
along
with
Vice President
In addition, the growing importance in the industry
of the electronics control of missiles, rockets and similar
space-vehicles’ also has had a heavy
ment, Woodcock said.
impact
on employ-
New plants and facilities have been set up to produce
these,
many
of the country.
in other areas
One result is
plants already working on these products now are operating at less than normal capacity. This means that jobs. are
_taken away from these
unemployment.
communities,
thus
creating greater
In addition, these plants employ fewer workers than those
turning out other aircraft.
But it also has resulted in new
job classifications at the plants
has
“That
work.
this
doing
brought about a need for training
workers as well as for establishing proper wage rates for the
new
classifications,”
Woodcock
added.
of
problems
their
Despite
to
amounts.
in what
working
a one-customer industry and of
working under rapid changes in
both the product and plant operations,
the
union
has
made
im-
_ portant progress for the aircraft,
missile and ‘rocket workers it
' represents, ‘Woodcock noted.
Pension plans finally were
gained generally in 1956. Union shop provisions have become common in many eastern
plants but still are to be estab-
techulical andl éffice workers are members of UAW.
lished at the larger companies
of the west and southwest.
_ On wages, UAW
has succeeded in considerably reducing the lag in aircraft wages
behind those in other metalworking industries.
In. 1949, for example,
aircraft
18c
an hour
April of this year,
less than
their average
the wages
hourly
amounted to $2.59 an hour, just 9c under auto.
|
paid
earnings
3
_
Moreover, 1958 negotiations enabled the more than
half the industry’ s workers, most of them members of a
different union who were not enjoying the cost-of-living
features in their contracts, to gain them, thus ending the
The growing shift to the production of missiles has
“During
tools,
By
1963,
of about
expenditures
for
By
averaged
auto workers.
aircraft procurement budget was earmarked for missiles.
are not as great.
machines,
workers
of the government’s
been coupled with a sharp dropoff in production of con-
cers were laid off...
major firms
In 1950,
—
previous spread of 16c an hour.
.
This “catch-up” money represented a healthy increase,
Yet in addition, general increases of 5c an hour also
were won although the industry was unstabilized and cone |
tracting. Other important gains also were chalked up.
But, Woodcock noted, each set of negotiations “is not
an end in itself.”
in
‘Some problems are paeds others remain to be solved
future negotiations. New problems come up,’ he ex=
plained.
“We’re
missile and
this.
UAW
In
ing
intent
on licking
rocket workers,”
those
he said.
problems
—
©
for aircraft,
has made plain what its goals are to do much of
addition
improvement
to
rates, these include:
continu-
in
wage
@ Higher pensions to enable workers to keep a deof living
standard
cent
when they retire. The pensions also must carry vested rights so'a worker will
he
when
not lose them
leaves the employ of one
aircraft company for another.
® Raising the total insurance
coverage
of
aircraft
workers to provide more adequate standards of hospital,
medical and surgical coverage and sickness and accident.
weekly disability benefits.
@
Severance pay based on the worker’s length of service,
@ Doing away with inaccurate and overlapping job. .
descriptions through which management can downgrade |
workers, thus lowering wages while the worker’s job duties
stay the ‘same.
@ Achievement of greater individual and job security
through the union shop where state laws permit.
“We’re not shooting for the moon,” Woodcock said,
a
though UAW members make the products for space
travel.
“But the workers aren’t going to be left behind.”
Texas Local Stages
Bronc-Bustin' Rodeo’
©
president
represents
Aircraft
E. GADSDEN,
president
Ala.—Roy
of UAW
Local
487 here, was elected president
of the union’s Allis-Chalmers
last
its meeting
at
Council
month in Chicago, Ill.
He succeeds Ed Merte, im-._
mediate past president of Local
248 at West Allis, Wis. Frank
Scharf, president of Local 1319,
Porte,
Ind.,
was
elected
a
council trustee.
Pat
President
Vice
UAW
the
of
director.
Greathouse,
union’s A-C Department, said
the sessieon also, heard reports
on an upswing in employment
and an. organizing drive.
1155 NEGOTIATIORS
LOCAL
details
over
HUDDLE
the
before
meeting
which
ratified
the
of
workers
plant
Included
Col-
George
said
gether,
Flects Colvard
La
°
place on each of two successive nights to raise funds =
to give Local 218 :
building, it also wa s designed
families the chance to get to- ~
A-C Council
vard,
=
in
here.
local
Cayce,
which
at the
the
Bell |
c
22-hour <
as ww
features
such
were
show
bull 4
riding,
bronc
. bareback
roping and riding, steer wrest- wo
barrel race,
ling, a women’s
and saddle bronc riding.
In addition, “the youngsters
had their own part on the program with a ‘kiddies’ chase’ in
which a young calf wearing a
was
its neck
around
ribbon
turned loose in the arena. The
first yougster getting. the rib--
bon won”, Cayce added.
With all expenses paid, the
local’s rodeo profit amounted
to $440, Cayce said. The money
is earmarked for a new local
Profits
union hall, he added.
from last year’s Local 218 rodeo
were set aside for the same
purpose.
settle-
e
wer
ht
rig
to
t
Lef
Ala.
m,
gha
min
Bir
in
Co.
ft
cra
Ait
es
Hay
the
at
ike
str
y
gth
len
ment of the
n
dde
(hi
mer
Cro
Don
an
irm
cha
tee
mit
com
ve;
ati
ent
res
rep
l
ona
John J. Case, Region 8 Internati
ent
sid
pre
s;
May
s
rle
Cha
ary
ret
sec
ing
ord
rec
s;
don
Sid
rge
Geo
man
tee
by camera angle); commit
to
r
ove
g
nin
Lea
).
era
cam
to
ck
(ba
or
ect
dir
al
ion
reg
C. A. Hollingsworth; and E. T. Michael,
nFro
rge
Geo
are
row
ond
sec
the
in
ted
Sea
ms.
Rea
Bob
man
tee
mit
talk to Hollingsworth is com
ist
ass
ve
ati
str
ini
adm
,
one
est
Blu
ing
Irv
and
ve,
ati
ent
res
rep
t
men
art
Dep
ft
cra
gillo, National Air
ant to Vice President Leonard Woodcock, who took part in the negotiations.
Company
Workers
the
ELKHART,
LE
"Get
Ind.— Workers
CTC
ECOL
ELLE ALE LESLIE
LLL
OL LLLLO LLL
LAD LALLA
Business
at
the
Corp.
Miratile
know
here
inside story of a company union. They’ve had one.
But they’ll soon have the chance to toss it out. A National
Labor Relations Board election
has been filed for by UAW.
120 workers are emAbout
which
plant
the
at
ployed
Office
Local
Wage in—
DOVER, Del.
creases of $5 a week plus inequity increases which boosted
many pay hikes to as much as
$18 a week have been gained
by UAW Local 223 in its first
contract for office employees
of Air Mod, Inc., here, Region
8 Director E. T. Michael rechose
workers’
The
ported.
UAW as their bargaining repelecresentative in an NLRB
tion in March.
Automatic progression to
Air
the
for
rates
maximum
also will
office workers
Mod
mean additional increases unment,
the
he
new
said.
one-year
agree-
Other economic gains include
8 paid holidays, first and second shift premiums of 7% and
10 paid sick
respectively,
8%
leave days per year, a 2-weeks
vacation after 6. months service, and call-in and premium
pay provisions.
Local 223’s negotiating committee included Fred Bullock,
Alice eKiser and Croner Caudell, Jr.
manufactures
trim
interior
ALL
Barnard Appointed
Exposed;
Union
A Winner for
der
LCC
LE
sec
for
company
trailers. The
house
also has a plant in Chicago.
It was there that the comand
Wallboard
pany-slanted
A
Ind. —
INDIANAPOLIS,
UAW local union president has
United
the
to
named
been
Fund’s allocations advisory
here. He is Edgar
committee
L. Barnard, president of UAW
Local 98 which represents International Harvester plant mployees. Barnard was appointed to the committee along with
Russell E. Hopper, president of
1150, and
Local
Steelworkers
George
Hensley,
E.
AFL-CIO
Central Labor Council representative.
ce
Women’s
Barrel
Race
at
Local
218’s
Rodeo
Aluminum Workers group was
startec in 1954. When Miratile
put thé Elkhart plant in operation in 1957, the so-called
“union” got going in the new
plant at the same time.
Some laid-off UAW members
hired into the plant. They were
confronted by the information
that they had to join the “unto “get
ion” if they wanted
along.”
said
refused
who
Those
they either were fired before
their probationcompleting
ary period or were ruled out
for promotions and pay in.
creases.
Moreover, the “steward”
fees
collected initiation
who
and
“dues” insisted he didn’t know
a thing about the workings of
the “union” he was taking the
money for.
In addition, workers said, his
stock answer to questions about
the matter
was
that the plant
manager made the
he abided by them.
os
srespertnnte
See Se
Th
ae
rules
beginnin
OVER,
Henderson, second
Local 218 president
committees,
Se
De OSE
and
IT’S ALL
s
oe
and takiig their bows
vice-president
George Cayce,
|
hae
|
thrills for a crowd of more than 3,000.
for
&
wo
®
staged by UAW ©
action andY
with
full-scale rodeo
Tex—The
FT. WORTH,
packed
was
218 at nearby Arlington
Local
Taking
a new
"~~
before the
appreciative
of Local 218; rodeo queen
and Basil Harris, chairman
“a2
crowd
were
(left to right)
Bill
Sharon Walton, 16, of Ft. Worth;
of the local’s recreation and rodeo
- Item sets