The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1938-09-22
Unionisn1 For The :
Federal Employees
Government Workers Prob
lens Si1nildr To Those Of
Other Workers q
100000 EMPLOYEES

Washington, D. C.-Efforts on the
part of certain propagandists to drive
wedge between government employees
and other working men and women
are unavailing, according to informa-
ton that has reached the American
Federation of Labor Government En-
ployes Council, composed of repre-
sentatives of A. F. Of L. unions made
up of government employees.
The propaganda has at times been
insistent and determined. Government
employees, many of whom are of the
white-collar group, have been told that
they should not associate themselves
with trade unionists. All manner of
appeals to snobbery and self-interest
were devised to keep the government
employees from unionizing, right they
possess as citizens of the United
States, to gain privileges that only
unionism can bring them.
100000 Belong to A. F. of L. Unions
Conversely, efforts are constantly
being made by propagandists to con-
vince the working men and women OF
this country generally that govern
ment employees are overpaid and un-
derworked, and that they should op-
pose the efforts of government work
ers to improve their wages and work
ing conditions.
Both schemes have failed. There
are now nearly 100000 government
employees, about 40 per cent of all who
work for Uncle Sam, who carry cards
in A. F. of l.. unions, and the num-
. ber is constantly growing. Moreover
while the propaganda adverse to gov
ernment workers once carried some
weight, the employees of private in
dustry now recognize it for what il
is-an effort to batter down standards
in the government service, in order
that the way may be paved for wage
cuts and lay-offs in private industry.
"Overpaid" BugabOO Shattered
The American Federation of Labor
Government Employees Council has
been much gratifed by the increasing
community of interest between gov
ernment workers and others, partic-
ularly those in the labor movement
AS an example of the falsity of the
claims of the propagandists that gov
ernment employees are overpaid and
underworked, it points to the fact that
government employe unions include
the National Association of Letter
Carriers, the Railway Mail Associa-
ton, the National Federation Of Post
Office Clerks, and District No. ID, In
ternational Association of Machinists
all of which groups, as their names
imply, are composed of employees
whose duties clearly are such as tt
take them out Of the alleged "over
paid and underworked" class.
AS for the American Federation OF
Government Employees, which includes
many types of government workers, ;
large part of it's membership is made
up of hospital attendants, prisol
guards, Lighthouse Service employees
custodial employees in government
buildings, and others who, as an,
fair-minded observer would admit, ar
more generally underpaid than over
paid
The recent primaries have afforde
several illustrations of the unity o
government employees and other trad
unionists. Not only have many anti
labor candidates been elected to sta
home," but one notorious propagan
dist against government employees wa
retired, for the time being, at Least
from public life, in a section wher
there are very few government work
ers, circumstance indicating that in
dustrial workers knew definitely wha
to do in his case.