Evening star., 1939-11-18
Charity Checkoff

With both sides granting conces-
sions, an agreement has been signed
by the United Cafeteria Workers
Local, No. All, and the Welfare and
Recreational Association whereby a
new contract embodying wage in
creases and certain other stipulations
will govern employe- employer rela-
tionships in twenty-seven cafeterias
operating in the Government depart
ments. Settlement of the dispute
has had the happy effect of averting
strike threatened by six hundred
union employees of the cafeterias.
Approximately one hundred of the
lunchroom force are not members of
the union, which is an affiliate of
the Congress of Industrial Organiza-
tions.
Under the agreement, announced
by John M. Carmody, administrator
of the Federal Works Agency, who
served as conciliator, the employees
will receive a fiat increase of two
cents an hour in minimum pay rates
for all hourly grades and sundry
other pay adjustments upward Orig
inally the union demanded an in
crease of one and one-half cents an
hour, then boosted the figure in re-
cent negotiations to two and one
half cents an hour-so that the
adopted rate represents a liberal
compromise on the part of the asso-
citation. The agreement also included
provisions for preferential hiring of
union members, recognition of a
union grievance committee and con-
tinuance of the present modified
'checkoff" arrangement for collect
ing union dues.
This extraordinary modified check
off" plan in operation at the Govern
ment-sponsored cafeterias proved to
be the chief bone of contention in
the discussions Immediately preced-
ing the signing of the agreement, it
is reported. The plan is extraor-
binary because it requires non-union
as we'll as union employees, to submit
to the checking off, or deduction,
process. The non-union deductions
in the exact amount of union dues
and fees totaling one dollar per
month-go to charity instead of the
union, however. These charitable
contributions from a group of en-
ployes in the lower salary brackets
are made compulsory under the ex-
listing contract and will continue so
under the new one. Each employe
whether union or non-union, is
obliged to sign form authorizing
deductions in the amount of the
union dues and to indicate thereon
whether he wishes the deduction to
go to the union or to some charity.
Welfare association officials have as
serted that some non-union employees
have designated the union unwitting-
1y and have been surprised to receive
union membership cards.
Obviously the effect of this pro-
vision is to penalize the employees
who do not want to join the union
in fact, it might we'll be considered
a device to coerce them into accepting
union membership.
That officials of the association
should have agreed to this arrange
ment, which they had previously de-
nounced in vigorous terms, is regret
table to say the least, and the picture
is not frightened when one considers
that the association is a semi-gov-
ernmental agency and that the
agreement was reached under gov
ernmental auspices.
Acceptance of this checkoff system,
in addition to being grossly unfair to
the non-union workers, implies off,
cial Endorsement of a vicious prin-
ciple, and it is not surprising that
the union leadership halls the "com-
promise" as "a great victory for the
union