The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1944-05-29

EGQON ClnnaCl, Went TO
high school for two years, took a
years course In the Ford technical
school, went into the Ford plant In
Detroit and soon became a fore
man. He is Of medium height, pink
checked, clear-eyed, neatly dressed,
soft spoken, grammatical. He has
never been fired from any job and
he has no grudges against manage
ment
He got the idea for the Foremens
Association Of America back In
August, l941. He was, he says, sick
and tired Of seeing good foremen
in the Detroit area called into the
office, handed check for a couple
weeks pay and summarily fired. He
was tired, too, Of seeing the ways in
which labor was sometimes kicked
around, and Of the ways some labor
days work. He thought that II he
didn't give management good
could form q professional associa-
ton Of foremen, the men who were
IN the middle and could see both
sides, he might be able to do a
little towards correcting some of the
things that were wrong with de-
Tense production.
FORD FIRST TO SIGN
His idea caught on. The Ford
Motor company, last to give In and
sign a contract with the United
Auto Workers, was the first to sign
contract with the Keys foremen's
association, Henry Ford himself rec
ognizing the Importance Of the
foremen In production.
Chapter No. 5 was formed at the
Packard Motor Oar Co. A relatively
small company before the war, 1t
had expanded tremendously on gov
eminent contracts. Also, Packard
was having trouble with It's foremen
who were mostly on straight salary.
When the Merlin engine plant went
on three-shift, .48-hour week opera
ton, a lot Of the foremen just didn't
show up on Sunday because they
said they weren't getting paid for
1t, They Joined the Foremens AS
ISOLATION Of America by the dozen.
Initiation was 50, dues 81 month.
There has been one special assess
ment Of So. Keys says charges that
he is backed by the U. A. W. or
anybody else are false.
When the Packard chapter had
enough members, Keys says he went
around to bargain. The manage
ment told him to never mind taking
the case before the National Labor
Relations Board-the compan y
would hold its own election and let
those results govern future rela-
lions. The management wanted to
draw up an agreement on the cleo
ton, exempting certain supervisory
personnel. Keys asked who, and
they named ~ general foremen and
superintedents. Keys okayed those
IL. and the agreement was written
up.
HOW THE PACKARD
STRIKE STARTED
There" says Keys, IT learned my
first lesson" The election was held
on company property on one of the
coolest days Of last February. The
foremen stood In line for several
hours waiting to vote. Instead of
exemption ~ supervisors, the COM
pany challenged SO votes. In spite
OF y, the Foremen'S Association won
the election 483 to Q.
Negotiations began. There wasn't
anything too good for us" says Keys.
They wined us and they dined us
and they took us on picnics. We
were the heroes of the production
line. And then on May II the Ma
tional Labor Relations Board hand
ed down its decision in the Mary
land Dry Dock case, saying that
foremen were part Of management
and not entitled to the rights Of
collective bargaining. and the Pack
ard management said, Sorry, boys,
you see, the government says we
can't bargainr"
And that's what led to the strike
at Packard.