The sub., 1945-10-04
Central Labor
 Union Notes

The Central Labor Union of New London ably represented nineteen Eastern Connecticut Unions affili- ated with their Central Body at the State Legislative hearing in Hart ford on Tuesday, Sept. 18th. This hearing was held at the request of Labor Unions in Connecticut in a demand that the State Legislature reconvene to act upon vItally im- portant postwar legislation.
 The AFL, CIO, and Brotherhood of Railroad Workers, backed also by public citizens spoke eloquently on the SIX POINT PROGRAM backed by LABOR to emphasize | the importance of an emergency session of the State Legislature being called by Governor Baldwin. The six points are: l. Unemploy- ment. The State should act at once upon the mass unemployment sit- uation that has been caused by the layoffs in the Hartford and other State war industries. Labor feels that in backing the Unemploy- ment Benefit Program of $25 a week for 26 weeks that the huge State fund of around $169,000, ,000 could more than take care of the situation, without further outside or Federal aid. However, it was the contention of the three union ] groups present that the Merit Rat ing Clause of the present unem- ployment set-up should be abol- ished.
 2. Minimum Wage. Labor is de- manding minimum wage of 65c an hour for unskilled workers with the minimum advanced to 75c an hour within two years.
 1 3. No Discrimination No discrim- ination against a worker for race, color or creed, is the democratic demand of Labor.
 l 4. Labor is demanding a RECON VERSION COMMITTEE to be com prised of three members from man. agement, three members from la bor, and three public members. comparable to the State Labor Board, that would act upon all RECONVERSION PROBLEMS and it's decisions would be final. . 5. PUBLIC WORKS. This prJ- gram is divided by labor into three vital units: a. Work for the build ing trades; b. Registered schools for returning veterans where they can learn a trade; C. More and bet ter housing!
 6. RETURNING VETERANS. La bor is asking that the State pay them a substantial bonus. They have not been home where they might have been able to put away | a few dollars for the times imme- diately ahead and so Labor feels that they should be given 8 bonus of at least $1,00O.
 This program was presented by Labor as an expanding and pros- porous program for Connecticut and the United States of America! Rowland Bishop, Secretary of the Central Labor Union, declared that the alarming situation today of un- employment calls for as drastic actions as did the call to arms af- ter PEARL HARBOR! That Gov ernor Baldwin should reconvene the State Legislature immediately and mobilize the facilities of In- dustry and Labor in THE CALL TO PEACE!
 Representing and speaking for the AFL at this hearing were: Edward Rice, B. A. of the Teams ters L-493 and the president of the N. L. CLU; Nicola Magro. fin ancial secretary-treasurer of the N. L. Central Labor Union and representing the Longshoremen; Rowland Bishop, secretary of the CLU of N. L.; Benjamin Peck, Danbury Matters; Harold Strauch. State, County and Municipal En- ployees; Joseph Cronin, LAM oi Hartford; A. M. Barry, president of the State Building Trades. Hart ford; Carl Galasso, vice president of the Conn. Federation of Labor; James OKane, secretary-treasurer, State Building Trades of Bridge bort, Conn.,; George Jocelyn, Sheet Metal Workers, Meridian, Conn.,; Joseph B. Cleary, Teamsters, Bridgeport, Conn.