The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-01-09
Printers Head
Uses NRA Threat
Over Membership
Min GRITTY ProDOsal of
30-Hour Week Is De-
feated by Trick

NEW YORK.-By vote of 234 TO
$50 Big Six last Sunday at Stuyvesant
High School turned down the minor
ity report Of F. E. Brown, a member
Of the Unions Scale Committee, which
embraced the demand for the 4-day,
30-hour week at the present wages
and per cent from the newspaper
publishers for unemployment relief.
The majority report which calls for
the 39-hour week had for its barker
Leon H. Rouse, president Of Big Six,
who pointed to the Newspaper Pub
fishers Code (4o-48 hours at 40 cents)
and said: "See that-if you don't vote
for the 39-hour proposition, you'll be
sorryl" A month ago at a union
meeting Rouse remarked that he had
full faith in Roosevelt, the MIRA
and Major Berry, arch-betrayer Of the
Pressmen's Union, at that time on the
MIRA. Labor Board, now General
Johnson's first assistant.
The speakers urging the acceptance
of the minority report pointed out
that the thirty-nine hour work week
would not help the more than 5000
unemployed members of Typograph-
ical Union No. 6 Chg Six. The
shorter work week of 80 hours, 1t has
been shown, would create more than
1900 jobs for the unemployed. Under
the minority reports proposals the
weekly wages would be the same as
is now paid for 81 IL hours: day
shift, $48.75; night shift, 5125, and
lobster" (third) shift, $53.75.
Previous to the action Of last Sun
day the Union had twice rejected the
publishers proposal for a 35-hour
week at $1.36 per hour, and would
not yield on the Unions original de-
mands for the 30-hour week and
per cent assessment on the publishers
composing room payrolls for the relief
of the unemployed and their families
President C. M. Baker, Of the
International Typographical Union
who was called in when negotiations
were deadlocked, told the members
that he suggested to the majority's OF
the Unions scale committee that they
consider the thirty-nine hour pro-
position, of which he is the author, as
a counter proposal of the newspaper
publishers Upon that basis, he said
the Executive Council of the Interna-
tional might" grant strike sanction
IF the publishers continued to balk.'
This maneuvering, would seem alb
surd were it not for the fact that
it has all the earmarks of a sell-out
The Executive Council, which in
cludes Baker, has refused to grant
strike sanction to Big Six at any time
Before the voting took place the
sentiment in favor of the minority
report was very strong, and those
urging its acceptance were loudly
cheered and applauded. Baker in his
remarks later said that this small
meeting doesn't represent the desires
of the great majority of No. 6's mem
bership" Yet last year the vote of g
smaller meeting-S55 to 155-was &C
cepted by the Executive Council az
Representative" on the question Of
arbitration. Subsequently, the news
paper printers were the victims of &
10 per cent wage cut and the staggel
system-put over by an "impartia
arbitrator recommended by Charlie,
P. Howard, president of the Interna.
tional typographical Union.
There will be an adjourned meeting
of the Union at Stuyvesant High
School next Sunday, at which tins
the question Of reopening negotia-
tons on the book and job (com-
merciaD wage scale may come up.