Toledo union journal. [volume] (Toledo, Ohio) 1942-current, 1947-04-11
Behind the
Scenes In
Politics
by
Clayton
Rusch
Chairman

On Tuesday, April 8, dele
CATION of CIO members from
Toledo joined forces with del
egations from all over the state
to oppose passage of vicious
piece of legislation. The Ohio
Senate convened in the State
House in Columbus with
every gallery seat filled and
the room packed with standing
spectators. The presence of so
many voters did not stop the
Senate from going ahead with
the hatchet job on labor and
the plain people. Yet the ex-
istance of the delegation plus
the knowledge that there will
be more and the assurance
that the legislators are not
working in a vacuum, because
the people at home shall be
made acquainted with their
attitudes and actions is bound
to have a salutory effect on
the legislature.
The vital issue on the
agenda for April 8 was unem-
ployment compensation. Sen
ate Bill 112 which the Com
merce and Labor Committee
recommended for passage pro-
yides for a cut in the tax rate
to employers of at least $780,
100000 per year.
Under discussion, Senator
Metzenbaum of Cuyahoga
County pointed out that this
bill would give the employers
a tax cut at a time when
profits are the highest in his
tory and that the claimants
gained nothing, in fact the bill
provides additional disqualifl-
cations.
Despite the opposition OF
both the senators from Lucas
County, Ray Hildebrand and
Virgil Cramer, the bill passed
with a majority of 33 to 10.
The Toledo delegation was
successful in securing an in
terview with the senator's
from Lucas County just prior
to the convening of the Sen
ate.
Many well-known active
union members from Toledo
CIO shops comprised the To-
ledo delegation, Among them
were Tom Burke, Robert
Burkart, Tom Adair and Sam
Geddes, of Spicer Unit;
Charles Johnson and Frank
Falkowski, of Champion Unit;
Marshall Myers and Len Bodi,
of Gordon Unit; Charles
Heebsh, Robert Cousino and
Tom Noyes, of Overland Unit;
Melvin Lazette, Joe Shea and
Virgil Muetzel, of Toledo Pipe
Thread Unit; Ted Cline, OF
Hall Unit; Cornelius Railie, OF
Tillotson Unit, and Earl Nor
man, of Commercial Metals
Unit.
There is one piece OF legls-
lation which may fare better
from our point of view. That
is a bill to provide for an eff
fective and strong Fam En-
ployment Practices Commits
sion. Although both are off,
cially committed to support
FEPC there is a good chance
that it could be either de-
feated or amended into inn
potency.
The general legislative pic
ture looks very dark. 1t would
look even darker except for
the fact that the legislators
are withholding their more
drastic attacks until 1948,
hoping thus to avoid defeat at
the polls until the shots have
been fired and the labor move
ment is emasculated.
There is too much at stake.
We cannot afford another vic
tory for reactionary interests
at the polls. The price will be
the loss of all our gains and a
setback for the union move
ment to the conditions OF
fifty years ago.
Our time is growing short.
It is later than most of us
realize. Let us resolve here
and now to do a much better
Job on political action in 1947
than we have ever done.
Membership in PAC is only
one dollar per year. If you
are not a member, see the
PAC representative in your
shop or local or come to the
PAC office at 425 Winthrop
st. and join now. Then be-
Il Il