Montana labor news., 1934-01-18
EASTERN LABOR
NOTES

NEW YORK-(FP)- Disillusion-
ment and even disgust are the only
words to describe the attitude of
many labor leaders toward the work
ing out of the NRA labor situation.
The change in heart of many of them
who looked ON the NRA as "labor's
greatest opportunity" is the result Of
experiences they have had with the
inability or unwillingness of NRA Of
fieials to attempt to enforce the la
Dor provisions of the code. Two re-
cent cases where important strikes
were broken after the bosses defied
the National Labor Board has only
added fuel to the fire.
Has
In Edgewater, N. j., in a strike
against the Ford Motor Co., a nut the
A. f. of L. will have to crack before
it can claim success in Detroit, the
men returned to work with depleted
ranks after Gen. Hugh Johnson had
whitewashed Americas Chiseler No.
One.
#S#
And the Philadelphia taxicab drivers
strike, the focal point Of the recent
city-wide transportation strike, ended
with the strikers accepting terms of
defeat dictated by the Philadelphia
Rapid Transit Co. Here the National
Labor Board had ordered settlement
on terms favorable to the strikers but
the P. R. T. had consistently defied
them. When the N. L. B. made no
move to enforce its orders the men
returned, determined to rebuild their
forces.
That the taxi strike defeat will mean
only greater efforts in Philadelphia
organization was seen when the
Brotherhood of transportation Work
srs began a drive to u%nionize news
paper truck drivers. The slogan Of
the drive is "You can't get out of low
gear by yourself-join the union!"
##&
And the 900 Philadelphia retail food
clerks on strike seem to be slowly but
surely on their way to victory. Six
of the original "a chain stores have
settled and more than 30 Independent
groceries have signed union contracts.
%##
One reason why taxi drivers are or
ganizing in such numbers was reveal
ed when the Associated Taxicab
Drivers in Baltimore began an organ
~ization drive. The men work unlimit-
ed hours for something like So Oh SO
a week.
@#a
Another N. L. B. decision which has
not come true is that ordering the
Budd Mfg. Co. of Philadelphia to take
back the men who walked out. The
5000 involved are still jobless. They
have appealed to Pres. Roosevelt.
%#*
A New York drygoods manufactur-
er thought hard and fast when it ap-
peared that the regional labor board
would order him to take back seven
workers he fired for union organiza-
tion. He promptly announced that he
was going out of business. The I'M
ion, however, got the board to prom
Use that it would insist upon the re-
turn Of the union organizers no mat
ter what name he re-opened under.
Ms
Nearly 200 New York skilled work.
ers, including carpenters, painters,
dock builders, iron workers, plumbers
and sheet metal workers, won the
right to be considered as mechanics
at skilled pay by the CWA. They
had been enrolled as common laborers
at minimum wages.
&#&
The United Leather Workers Init.
Union is planning an organization
campaign among suitcase, bag and
portfolio workers on the Atlantic
coast from New York to Baltimore.
%#%
One of the most dramatic struggles
in the recent strike wave is the fight
Of New York shoeworkers against
three shoe factories. They have been
on the picket line for 25 weeks and
are evidently set to remain another
25 weeks, if necessary.
&*&
The situation among the New York
printers was eased a little when the
workers voted to put forth a 39-hour
compromise agreement instead of
their original demand of 30 hours.
Blk Six has been promised interna-
tional sanction of their strike if pub
fishers still balk.
&&&
When Haverhill, Mass, shoe boss
es announced a wage cut by merely
handing out reduced pay envelopes,
400 workers walked out.