Toledo union journal. [volume] (Toledo, Ohio) 1942-current, 1944-04-14

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Edward ]. Duck q rp MIA
ton who will set up a picket
line and will get something
out of it"
These are the words of
Thomas H. Burke, vice presi-
dent of Local II and labor's
only representative to Toledo's
present City Council, in an
swer to the Cleveland Region
al War Labor Boards recent
directive in the Surface Com
bustion case.
There's a lot of truth and
common sense in Toms words.
Matthew Smith, who is an
alien, can raise the roof off
Washington without even
honoring that fair city with
his subpoenaed presence, and
scare He'll out of the powers
that-be within the walls of the
Department of Labors do
main.
WE WON
We won an NLRB election
13 months ago at the Surface
Combustion Co. by soundly
trouncing the AFL, which had
held bargaining rights for
about five years.
The Company didn't want
the CIO to get in there. Presi-
dent Frank Adams had Karl
Dahlman laid off" presum-
ably because of his CIO ac-
tivity. Karl Dahlman made
the mistake of switching over
to the CIO after about 16 years
of service with this company,
of service with this company.
With the assistance of the
workers in the plant, / was
successful in organizing Sur
face Combustion. Tom Burke
and l negotiated the agree
ment, together with the shop
committee elected by the
workers. | can truthfully say
that the contract which the
AFL signed prior to our nego-
tiations was one of the Iousiest
| have ever seen.
A small group of apple
sinners, who have been nur-
tured and pampered by the
management, constituted the
bulk of our opposition. These
men have never had any
thought save for themselves,
and right here | could start
naming a few names-but they
have been named before, and
they II be named again soon,
and publicly, once the battle
beginsl
WLB FAVORS ADAMS
The Regional War Labor
Board appears to have per-
mitted President Adams to
write his own decision. The
wording in the Boards deci-
sion is precisely the same as
that used by the company
president on previous occa-
sions. Things add up. 1t was
one of the worst deals we have
ever been handed.
The recommendations of the
WLB Panel have been ignored
by the Board, without reason.
The policy of the WI.B has
been discarded in order to in
woke a no-strike clause with
out granting us the union shop.
because the company didn't
want the Board to grant us a
union shop,
Wages in this plant do not
compare with the semi-skilled
and skilled workers in other
shops, Vacation pay has been
ordered which would consti-
tute a cut, compared with that
of the men who have worked
less than five years, and who
received a vacation check dur
ing the previous contract.
And now the AFL through
company stooges is trying to
make comeback and is will
ing to offer consolation TO any
one who is foolish enough to
blame the CIO for what the
company and the WLB have
done to the workers.
We intend to appeal the de-
cision of the Board. What's
more, we intend to protect our
rights in that plant. We have
not forgotten that one of the
former AFL committeeman re-
sorted to violence and hos
pitalized. CIO lad half his
size.
If they want to fight we'll
give them all the fight they
want. AS for the company, let
them remember that they ask
ed for it, so they will have no
kick coming when the score
is evened. It's their baby, and
they'll be holding it when the
final whistle blows.