The Connecticut labor news., 1923-02-16

into Connecticut and, of course, the sheet metal workers tried to claim them which necessarily made 1t ob- ligatory on the part of the united
 brotherhood to have to go to battle | to malnaln our claim on them when men had to be removed from job in kGreenWich over which a dispute had developed as to who they belong to. Another very important matter that
 l wish to call to your attention IS the | monthly reports that are sent out by
 the state secretary. The state sec
 retary receives from 10 to 10 reports
 per month. We have affiliated with
 the State Council 36 local unions, so that you can see that less than half
 of the locals affiliated fail for some ] reason or other to send in the month 1 ly reports. This matter should re-
 ceive your earnest consideration as 1t
 IS the duty of each local union to re-
 port monthly to the state secretary
 in order that he in turn can fulfill his duty and send his report to each | local
 Again, too, some secretaries are | neglectful in not sending III prompt replies when information Is request ed. Recently an unfair firm from New
 Britain went into Greenwich on some
 work. State Secretary Chandler, who
 is also business agent of Greenwich, | sent out communications requesting | information as to whether this firm | had any work in the locality Or not 1 He received some replies, and from
 some he has not heard even yet. In
 order for the State Council to give good service local unions through
 their proper officers should do their
 part and furnish information when requested.
 There Is also another matter that, ! if 1 did not bring to your attention, 1 would consider myself remiss in my duties, Possibly many of you have the same thoughts on your minds, that IS the attendance of members at the meetings of local unions. It has been my pleasure to visit several local unions during the past year and 1 have had impressed on my mind that many members of our local unions do not have the interest in local meet ings that they should have, and each and every one of us should, when we go back home after this convention, take this matter up ln our meetings and try and find the reason for non attend dance at meetings. Our mem- bers must in some way be brought to the realization that neglect on their part is going to cost them time and money for their neglecfulness, as the open shoppers are not by any means dead or dying. They are very much alive and looking for every chance to break down the conditions that have been won through many hard fought battles on the part of those that have spent a lifetime in the movement. Only very recently the ch ha1 aaf1 in New Haven and made their plans to continue their fight against organized labor so that 1 repeat-take this mat ter very, very seriously to heart and try and remedy this non-attendance at meetings.
 As per instructions from our last convention, your executive board has co-operated with the state branch of the A F of L. We believe that we have been of some help during the last election in assisting the officers of the state branch in their political work We have&responded to every call made on us and at every local visited we have tried to impress on all members we have met at meet ings that it was their duty to forget party affiliation and do their best to elect our friends tnd defeat our enc
  has not been fully realized, yet much progress has been made, and your en- tire board earnestly recommends that all affiliated locals keep the political situation in mind and bring forward 1 in their meetings for discussion the l many bills that will be presented at l this session of the state legislature, l in order that our members may be | kept interested and posted to the end | that when the next election comes | around we can be in a position to | work and vote for our friends and l also to help to defeat our enemies. And as one of the best means to keep 1 local unions and their members post ed, 1 would recommend that the state | secretary be instructed to secure copies of each and every bill that effects the laboring people of the state, even if he has to pay for the printing of enough to go around and send them to every local union of carpen ters in the state with request of every local that they bring matters con- aimed therein to the attention of their members for discussion and action.
 On September B, 1922, l received a verbal resignation from Brother A. w. Branch, who was elected as a fraternal delegate to attend the Massachusetts State Council conven- ton which was to be held on Octto- Der 9, 1922. Brother Branch's em- Dloyment prevented him from attend ing the convention. On October 6, appointed Brother John Fly Smith ( of Local 70 to go in Brother Branch's ( place, inasmuch as the Derby conven- ( ion honored Local 7o by electing I Brother Branch from that local and Y as Brother Smith was a delegate to he Derby convention last year and a I member of No. 70, 1 thought it right } and proper to appoint a representa- I IL L.. 1 \