The Chronicle-star combined with the Moss Point advertiser., 1945-10-26

"a the IUliaclst WIlp SulIiinOntu
Deputy Sheriff John r. McNeal
to arrest him. At a hearing
Tuesday before Justice of the
Peace Kate Denny Lowry was
fined $40 on a charge of disturb
ing the peace. County Attorney
L.. K. Mcintosh in prosecuting
the case said Lowry had in
vaded the rights of a group of
citizens in entering and speak
ing at the meeting over their
protests. Lowry asserted that
no meeting in a public building
could be a closed meeting, UNI
der Mississippi law. and that he
had not disturbed the peace. At
torney Mcintosh had asked a
Jail sentence on the charge.
Joiners Want Bonus
In presenting the point of view
of the striking joiners, several
of their unofficial spokesman
said that the great majority of
the men of Department IL de-
sired the bonus system and that
they had been informed that the
money was already there for
them"
They pointed out that the bon
us system was already in force
in many other crafts, including
welders. machinists, pipe filters,
erectors and riggers, gantrymen
and also Department 10, which
includes carpenters of the scat
folding G, stage-building and
launching crews. These carpen-
tiers are also members of Local
500 of the carpenters union.
j. M. Sublett, m of the strik-
ing joiners, said: "The company
has told us that the money is
available to pay us bonuses. 1t
is our understanding that the
cost of each ship is figured in
dividhially, allowing a certain
number of man-hours for each
departments work. If the de-
partment can do the work in less
time, they are entitled to a large
part of the margin of labor costs
that will be left over. That is
our understanding of the bonus
system, and we want to have 1t
in Department IL just as the
other departments in the yard
have it,"
Boilermakers Have II
Several of the joiners who
testified at Lowers hearing that
he disturbed the peace at their
meeting, said in discussing the
bonus system that "the system
is in effect in Lowry's own
union, the boilermakers." This
union includes welders, tackers
and several other types of work.
Several officials of the carpen-
ters union, in discussing the gem
eral picture of the bonus or in
centive pay system, said that
although it existed In most de-
partments of the yard, its status
was unofficial and that the
system was not covered oil ack-
nowleged in any labor contract
between ingalls, and the Metal
Trades Council. They said that
the bonus system had been in
force before the labor election
in 1910 at which the Metal
Trades was named bargaining
agent, and that the system had
continued with unofficial status
since then. The labor contracts
signed between the company and
the Metal Trades Council speci-
ficaIIy covered only the flat
hourly rates for the crafts, along
with certain working conditions.
Metal Trades View
In response to the joiner's as
sertion that the bonus system
existed in his own union, the
boilermakers, while he and the
Metal Trades personnel we're
opposing its extension to the
Department IL joiners, Lowry as
serted that the bonus system was
a carryover that had been in the
yard longer than the Metal
Trades jurisdiction.
However," he said, "all bonus
and incentive systems r strong
ly opposed by the principles of
labor organization. They tend
gradually to turn wage work in
to piece work, and they lead to
the stretch-out. 1t is true that
the bonus system is in force in
the boilermakers union here.
But members have already voted
about three-to-one to abolish 1t
at a meeting held about a month
ago. In addition to that, the
painters, pipe filters, and cleo
trical workers have voted to
abolish it unanimously. The
Carpenters local 500 itself voted
against the bonus system, includ-
ing the Department 10 carpen-
tiers, who are already getting
it,"
THE reason the Metal Trades
Council is moving to abolish the