Evening star., 1942-08-16
Wage Increase Given
$1,000 Workers in
Textile Industry
War Labor Bourd Denies
Rise Asked by $4,000
AIcoo Employees
p, the Associated Press.

FS tEt ASsUCldlcu fIese.
Weighing present, earnings
against the rising cost of living,
the War Labor Board announced
yesterday it had approved a 7h-
centS-an-hour wage boost for
$1,000 textile workers and turned
down the request of $4,000 alumi-
mum workers for a $1-a-day in
crease.
The textile workers are employed
In 40 New England and II Southern
mills, while the aluminium case in
volved employees of 10 plants OF the
aluminium Co. of America.
The pay increase for the textile
workers is retroactive to June Is,
and the boards IL members voted
unanimously that the boost was
needed ito narrow inequalities be-
tween the wages of the workers in
volved in this case and the wages
in other industries in the same
areas"
THE wage rates of the companies
involved in this case have Jagged
behind the wages of many other
companies in the industry. which
have recently granted voluntary
wage increases, particularly in the
South" the board continued in
statement announcing it's decision.
It's formal opinion will be released
this week.
Board Weighs GMC Raise.
The boards announcement fol-
lowed by single-day revelation
that two of three panel members
have recommended a scent hour
ly increase in pay for 225,000
General Motors workers. Two CIO
unions had asked raise of 81
day or 1871 cents an hour. The
panel members recommendation
was being considered by the entire
board.
The average hourly earnings in
the cotton textile industry in April
we're 5l5 cents an hour, compared
with 8l9 cents for all manufactur-
ing, the board said. The average
weekly earnings in February were
S24.46 in the North and 1882 in the
South.
The Textile Workers Union of
America, CIO, representing workers
in % of the New England mills and
al II Southern mills, had asked a
10-cent hike in the North and 20
cents in the South in order to wipe
out the North South differential
The United Textile Workers of
America. AFL, which represents II
mills in the New Bedford Mass
area and one in Waterville, Me,
asked a l0-cent increase.
Workers Held Compensated.
In the aluminium case the board
said it applied the wage stabilization
policy which it had announced in
deciding the little steel" case and
found that the workers had received
average hourly rate increases suf-
ficient to compensate for the Is per
cent rise in the cost of living which
had occurred between January i,
l941, and May, 1912
The boards vote in the aluminium
case was 8 to 4. with the labor
members dissenting. The majority
contended the workers peacetime
standards had not been broken and
that they we're thus mot entitled to
any further general wage increase"
A membership maintenance clause
was granted to the unions, however,
at eight plants. 1t provided Is days
for a member to resign If he does
not want to be bound for the dura-
tion of the contract.
The clause applies to the plants
at New Kensington, Pa; Detroit,
Edgewater, N. j.; Alcoa, Tenn.
Bauxite, Ark; Badin, N. c.; Vernon,
Calf, and Garwood. N. j.
A representative OF. the board will
be appointed to study the "unsatis-
factory relations between the COM
pany and the Die Casting Workers
Union at the Cleveland plant" the
board said, explaining why that
plant had been omitted in the
membership maintenance provision
Workers there were denied the wage
increase along with the others. The
representative report will be the
basis for "a more informed deter
mination by the board concerning
the issue of union security and more
harmonious relations between the
company and the union" the board
added.
Omission Not Explained.
The board offered no immediate
explanation of why the Bridgeport
Fairfield, Conn, plant had been
left out of the maintenance clause
The Alcoa contract expired No
vember II and has been contin-
ued on a day-to-day basis. The
board came into the dispute
March 2.
Workers at the Edgewater, Alcoa
Bauxite and Badin plants of AL
Goa will benefit from an extern
sion of the night shift diffe, en-
tial. It amounts to cents an hour
on the second shift and 5 cents on
tn third shift, except for those
workers engaged in continuous
process operations.
The board asked the Bureau OF
Labor Statistics to continue it's wage
study to determine whether any in
eoualities exist within or between
the company's different plants.
Also involved in the aluminium
company case were 1900 employees
of the American Magnesium Co. at
Buffalo, a subsidiary. They asked
for an increase of IS cents an hour
which likewise was denied.
The United Automobile Workers
of America represented the Alcos
plant at Vernon. The die casting
workers bargained for employees al
Cleveland and Garwood. The Alum
mum Workers of America repre-.
sented employees at New Kensing'
ton, Detroit. Edgewater, Alcoa
Bauxite. Badin and Bridgeport