Toledo union journal. [volume] (Toledo, Ohio) 1942-current, 1948-05-21
What's
New?
EdWdrd ].
Duck,
Assistant
Director,
National
Auto-Lite
Division
BY

neyed to Detroit for a three
hour conference with Vice
Presidents Dick Gosser and
John Livingston. Sitting in on
the parley was Miss Novella
Hamlar, representing the re-
search department of the in
ternational union.
Virgil Barnhart, newly elect
ed president of the national
Auto-Lite int ira corporation
council, was accompanied by
Earl Stu C k er and Howard
Cutcher, plus yours truly.
Armed with a bundle of rate
sheets and other pertinent
data, we discussed the COM
petitive situation, the organiza-
tional progress of Delco Remy,
the Chrysler strike, and the ma
tional aspect of bargaining for
the economic detectives and
Job security. Since it is none
of the management's business,
we shall not elaborate further
in this column. Suffice to say
that a very interesting and pro-
ductiVe conference was held.
Following the meeting we
visited the picket line at the
Main Dodge Plant. Local 3 is
across the street from the
plant, and it was a beehive Of
activity. The kitchen was real
ly humming, and one could see
that it costs considerable
money to supply coffee and
sandwiches to the pickets, who
cover the gates on a round
the-clock twenty-four hour
basis.
We met Marvin Polinsky,
one of the Dodge spark plugs,
whom we had known from var
ious conventions, and he eX-
planned to us the financial need
and the plans for carrying on
the strike. Ford Local 600, he
said, had just voted a donation
of Sl25,000 to aid in the fight.
What many people are likely
to forget is that it is not the
battle of the Chrysler workers
alone. 1t is the struggle of the
American workingman, CIO,
AFL and even the unorganized,
whether they realize 1t or not.
What comes out of this strike
might very we'll set a pat
tern" for American industry to
follow. Whether industry de-
cides to force a number of
fights, rather than accept the
settlement as a pattern" basis
is doubtful. This writer per-
sonally believes that GIN and
Ford will attempt to force sep
arate strikes in hope of break
ing the union treasury and dis.
crediting the CIO in an elec.
ton year.
However, this is lnescapable.
If it happens we will. simply
have to accept it and make the
struggle, The Chrysler strike
was certainly not desired by
anyone in the union except the
screwballs. There was just no
way of avoiding it, unless the
American people are willing to
accept poverty as their accept
ed way of life.
Chrysler could raise wages
thirty cents an hour, with
equivalent increases to sal
aried employees, and still give
14l2 percent return to the
stockholders.
General Motors, by the way,
could raise wages fifty cents,
cut the cost of its passenger
cars by $3.50 each, and still
have profits of 6 percent on
the stockholders investment.
Its profits during t h first
quarter of 1949 neared % per-
cent, the greatest ever accu-
mulated anywhere on the face
Of the earth during a single
three-month period. During
this quarter its profits total
led 96l2 millions.
The pre-war normal average
of all American manufacture
ing industries, based on the
years 1936-39, was "A percent
profit. ChrySler actually aver
aged 224 percent, and after
covering up 312 millions it
readily admits to profits of
1874 percent.
The Chrysler workers earn
Sl3 less per week than the
United States Government
says they need for bare sub
sistence, that is, food, cloth
ing, and a place to stay. Yet
Chrysler President K. T. Kel-
ler's income for 1947 totalled
S250,800, and Vice President
Herman Weckler's take-home
pay, after taxes, has been
raised from $4,000 to $4,000
by the new tax law, even if
he were to receive no in
crease.
During 1947 Chrysler made
25.6 percent on its investment,
after taxes. The workers were
offered a 40 increase while
the executives q ava thay,o