Toledo union journal. [volume] (Toledo, Ohio) 1942-current, 1949-05-27
Women's News
And Views
By Odessa Overy
Secretary Women's Bureau
Region 2-B

The Ford strike is now going
into the fourth week. And GER
tainly hope that they have the
courage to hold out until the
Ford corporation understands
that the people are tired OF these
so called corporations trying tc
make the people put out much
more then good days work.
would like to quote message
from the United Auto Worker
in the May issue "The UAW'
CIO is unalterately opposed to
and will fight against any at
tempt by the employers to en-
danger the health and safety OF
workers by forcing them to per-
form an unreasonable wor X
load. One of the main reasons
that our union came into exis-
tence was the revolt of workers
against the inhuman speed-ul
that existed in the automobile
industry before it was organized
"New model changes in the
auto industries have historically
created dispute over the ques'
ton of production standards
These problems have been fur
ther complicated by efforts or
the part of certain corporations
and plants to improve their com,
petitive position by trying tc
cut costs at the expense OF the
workers.
"The UAW-CIO fully recog'
nizes and supports the idea thai
the standards of living of the
people can be raised only by
reducing unit costs and making
available more goods at lower
prices.
However, we insist that re-
ductions in the unit costs of pro-
duction must be made possible
by improved technology ano
production processes and In et-
ficient engineering and manage
ment and not by placing unfair
work loads on the workers.
"While supporting efforts to
reduce unit costs on the sound
and legitimate basis of tech
nology advances, we stand un-
compromisingly opposed to, and
will resist with all our strength
any efforts on the part of man
agement to reduce costs and ex-
pand profits by speeding up the
workers.
1T is our policy to authorize
strike action in any plant, large
or small, big corporation or
small shop, when the facts show
that an employer is attempting
to drive his workers to make
them produce more than a fair
days work"
These are the things that are
existing in many of the plants
throughout the n a t o n. Each
manufacturer is trying to pro-
duce more then the other, with
less help to do so. This is one of
the big problems that exists in
my plant today, and they cer-
tainly are trying to scare the
workers into killing themselves,
when they are on jobs that they
can't even make out, with out
making the least bit of bonus.
The new machinery that is be-
ing installed in the plants to
eliminate workers, and speed-up
production, are w-back
into the employers face, in some
instances.
There are certain jobs that
exist in my plant that are said
to be fool proof, and still at the
same time put out more produc-
ton, that do not so do, even
t h oug h the management has
some of the committee thinking
that the workers are laying
down on the job. I know this
from my own experience for /
work on one of these new ma
chimes. And to my surprise l
was quicker then the machine
and got my fingers smashed.
Lucky that ] wasn't a lite faster
or l would have lost my finger.
And still they think that we are
laying down on the job. And
then they want perfection and
quantity. These jobs have been
timed and much lesser standard
placed on them, then existed on
the former parts that we were
working on, which was much
less difficult to handle, with less
effort, as the parts were much
smaller. These standard prob
lens exist all over the Auto