The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1938-10-20
At. Of I. Executive
Continued From Page One)

invitation of Secretary of Labor
Frances Perkins, appointed President
Duffy to represent the United States
at the International Labor Conference
in Geneva, Switzerland.
The honor is not misplaced, The n.
B. of o. P. has been making rapid
strides in recent years and this is un-
doubtedly due in a great part to the
men elected to lead the organization.
Upon the introduction of the RFC
resolution at the seventh session of the
recent convention in Houston, Presi-
dent Duffy made the following speech
in its behalf:
delegates to the Fifty-eighth An
nual Convention of the American Fed
Grafton of Labor think l am only
speaking the truth when | say that
the theme of the battle cry of the
American Federation of Labor, as ex-
pressed in this convention, has been
that of biased decisions, unfair rul
ings, usurpation of power and pro-
mitigation of policies by the various
departments and agencies of the Fed
eral Government that have definitely
resulted in serious interference with
legitimate trade union activities. There
is an old saying that where there is
much smoke there is bound to be fire.
Goodness knows, there has been much
in the way of condemnation offered
by this convention, by reason of this
conduct on the part of the various
agencies and the individuals heading
these various boards of our Federal
Government.
"Here is an instance where, by
reason of the practice Of the Recon-
struction Finance Board, they threaten
the very existence of the National
Brotherhood of Operative Potters. We
have been dealing collectively with our
employers for nearly so years, and
these employers, during all OF that
time, have regularly, in season and
out of season, sat around the confer
ence table with our Conference Com
mittee, and we have always brought
forth an agreement which was the re-
suit of true collective bargaining. |
can say with all sincerity that the re-
suit of these wage conferences Of ours
has been that our employers have dealt
fairly with our people, and | believe
to a degree not exceeded by the en-
ployers of any other industry in the
United States Of America or any place
in the world.
81 wish to mention in passing the
fact that we have been affiliated with
the American Federation Of Labor
since 1900 without single break in
all that time. Recently joint COM
mission was sent to England to make
study Of the collective bargaining
arrangements, or the employer-em-
ploye relationship in Great Britain
That commission brought back a most
glowing report, commencing to the
highest degree the policy of the en-
ployers in England because of the, fair
ness with which the employers deal
with their employees. May | repeat, we
have made accomplishments in these
nearly SO years relationship with our
employers that not even England has
exceeded. May say to you that the
basic intent of the MIRA was to raise
wages and to shorten hours, of course
with the ultimate objective of helping
labor, advancing labor's interests and
furthering the improvement of labor's
welfare.
"The n. |. r. A. came and went !;
it was not noted in its coming nor
in it's passing in our industry, because
we have practiced honest-to-God col
l,.,,,
these omplishments, can you i'm
agine our concern? Do you wonder
why we are alarmed and worried when
all Of these things are going to be
taken from us because the Recon-
struction Finance Corporation is lend
ing money to individuals, or rather to
new concerns coming into an industry
that is already overdeveloped and
whose market is extremely limited? :?
Then too, we have the menace of for
eign competition to degree that no
other industry has to face.
"Do you wonder that we enter a
protest and why we are asking the
American Federationof Labor to say
to this American Government of ours
that it should not be a party to tear
ing down something that they have
been striving for in these various ac
tivities since 1888, and those OBJ
jectives sought in the enactment of the
many laws that have been enacted by
Congress since 1888?
"Some individuals who absolutely
could not go to any bank of standing,
or to any financial institution that has
the security Of its funds in mind, found
the Reconstrutionion Finance Corp.
would loan them money; and only be-
cause of political influence they are
parties to lending money to new con-
Germs coming in-may say again, to
an industry that is already override
veloped and has very limited market.
A sad part of the whole thing is this:
One Of these firms in particular Of
fers its products for sale to competi-
tors Of our employers at 25 to 80 per
cent less, only because Of the fact that
they are paying their employees 40 per
cent less i'm wages than our EMPLOYERS