The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1947-08-21
Tobin Given
New Powers
BYTedmsters
Refuses To Accept
Increase In Salary

San Francisco (LPA)-President
Dan Tobin, 72-year-old chief of The
Int'l Brotherhood of Teamsters.
AFL since 1907, was given broac
additional powers by the unions
18th convention but personally
killed a move to raise his salary
above the present $4,000.
The 2CO0 delegates represent
ing an all-time high membership
of 100000, voted to: Permit To-
bin to appoint an executive vice
president at whatever salary Tobin
chose; Permit expulsions from
the union for membership in the
Communist Party cor other sub
versive organizations" with the
right of appeal no longer guaran-
teed; 3-Changed the IBT constitu-
tional provision affecting team
sters owning their own truck.
On only one issue was Tobin
voted down. The convention defeat
ed a resolution which would have
sliced the $4,000 salary of Secre-
tary- Treasurer j. f. English of
Boston to $4,000 on the grounds
that lesser official should not re-
ceive the same compensation as the
unions president.
There was opposition to the pro-
posal giving Tobin the power to
name his own executive vice -presi-
dent with some delegates maintain
ing that this officer should be
named by the convention. 1t was
generally believed that the post
will be filled by Dave Beck, veteran
west coast IBT leader.
Another decision provided that
Teamster conventions shall hence
forth be held every four years,
coinciding with presidential cleo
tion years, instead of the present
five.
The convention was treated to
the unusual spectacle of a major
employer denouncing the Taft
Hartley law and calling for joint
union-management action "to com
bat the lawyers holiday which is
seemingly just ahead of u.s."
President Philip A. Smith of the
Natl Conference of Local Carriage
Operators, was loudly applauded
when he declared that trucking
firms were not planning ITO grow
wealthy by suing the union or the
government or our customers for
Of statutes or laws which
we or they don't understand and
which we feel are unnecessary for
our successful operation"
There seems to be a movement
on foot" Smith said, "to relegate
unions to the status of debating
societies thru the dubious medium
of legislation"
Tobin assailed the Int'l Long
& Warehousemen's
Union-CIO, headed by Harry
Bridges, and said 81 think the en-
ployers in this region now appre-
ciate the service rendered by the
Teamsters in protecting them from
foreign systems of organization
which were endeavoring to be in
jected into the U. S. to the detri-
ment and injury of the masses of |
the working people. That is what |
some of us believe they desired: to
destroy the free enterprise in
industry and business"
Tobin, who was chairman of the
Democratic Natl campaign COM
mittee's labor division in the last
four presidential elections, said that
For years, ever since the days
IF Samual Gompers, | have been
against third party but times are
changing. | may change my mind"
He emphasized, however, that
There is no hope for a third party
lntil this labor movement in
America is cemented into one or
,anization. If we had had one or
,anization of labor the Taft Hart
ey bill would never have become
aw."