Toledo union journal. [volume] (Toledo, Ohio) 1942-current, 1948-08-20
INSIDE
AMERICA
(Written by the Staff of
The CIO News

Government figures a c h
week show cost-of-living in
dex breaking through old rec
ords to new all-time highs.
But pressure on medium and
low income families to buy
necessities on living is worry
ing manufacturers of many
semi-luxury products. Stores
are having difficulty selling
big, expensive radios; automa-
tic washing machines, etc.
o. Bi-business apologists keep
screaming about need for in
creasing workers productive
ty. Actually, government fig
ures show, productivity is con-
stantly rising. Reports on
shirt-making, cement, other
products show productivity in
creases of 12%6 to 1879 dur
ing past few years. The facts:
workers are working more eff
ficiently, producing more each
hour, than ever before in U,
S. history.
3. Profits of amny big cor
porations are soaring. Figure
for 1948 will probably be
about $40 billion after taxes.
Two corporations - General
Motors and Standard Oil of
New Jersey - will account
for nearly one billion dollars
in net profits during the year!
Silly Season news from
Washington: Som govern
ment bureau chiefs are wor-
ried because they've been un-
able to find disloyal en-
ployees on the payroll!
Why? Because Representa-
tive Tabor's House Appropria-
tions Committee is threaten
ing to crack whip on those
u, S. Agencies which don't
use sufficient zeal in tracking
down alleged reds. Ultra-con-
servative Washington Times
Herald" reports that heads of
government agencies which
have gone through loyalty
probe with perfect record are
being told they'd better find
cases of disloyalty - or face
possible cut in funds from the
Republican-controlled Com
mittee.
Sounds like the traffic cop
who'd given a quota of tic
kets to hand out!
Recent primary elections in
the couth show CIO-PAC on
the ball - ringing doorbells-
and producing results.
Recent Tennessee primaries
marked startling defeat for
Boss" Crump of Memphis
and nomination as Senator of
liberal Representative Estes
kefauver. CIO, AFL, railroad
brotherhoods worked to-
gether, rolled up tremendous
vote for Kefauver.
] Kefauver fought Taft
Hartley bill, supported liberal
legislation throughout career.)
In South Carolina, a Con-
gresham who voted for TIL
Representatives John Riley
was removed from office by
27-year'old Hugo Sims, Jr.
Sims went to the state legisla-
ture at the age of %, fought
state anti-labor bills, and had
strong support from CIO tex
tile workers in his successful
bid for Congress.
In Kentucky, CTO political
acti on developed terrific
strength in the campaign of
John Young Brown for u. S.
Senator-though Brown lost to
machine-supported Represen-
tative Virgil Chapman. In
Louisville, strong union town,
Brown rolled up a 5000 lead
and city's Courier-Journal
said the plurality stunned the
regular Democratic county or.
ganlzation and the Clements
Administration. Both backed
Chapman"
CIO steel union has chalk
ed up new first: en-
ployees of private railroad
operated by Bethlehem Steel
at its Jonhnstown, Pa, plant
have just won the first night
shift differential for railroad
workers anywhere in u. S.
y
Does union membership nav
Off? 1t sure does-and Presi-
dent 0. A. Jack" knight of
the CIO Oil Workers Interna-
tional Union had the figures
to prove it when he talked to
the unions convention in To-
ledo recently.
Knight summarized nav
boosts won by the union.
l512c an hour in 1941: SIC
In 1912; 22l5c in 1945; 25c in
l947; 171ac in 1948.
Thus, oil union members
nave collected pay boosts of
30 1ac an hour since 1941-or
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