Toledo union journal. [volume] (Toledo, Ohio) 1942-current, 1951-04-06


worker pension for the rest of his life. pension
that can be taken away from you after you have re-
tired is no security
Up here is slogan that says, Pensions, 5000
Month" And say to you that not too far
down the road expect to have opportunity of
standing before convention and saying that the
membership of the UAW-CIO now has $500 month
pensions in every contract.
We have to fight to lower the eligibility rule. We
have to fight to get vested rights and the ability to
transfer credits The guaranteed funded program is
the key to these other matters, because when the
money is in trust fund you win these other
things much easier.
Our fight in this field of social security has not
been for members alone. We have fought for all
the people.
And the UAW more than any other organization
in America is responsible for the fact broke the
legislative log jam in Washington where for twelve
years could not get increased social security.
Industry blocking increased social security
legislation, and said to them, either you go
along in Washington where you pay only half of
1T, or we will make you pay all Of 1T through col
Iective bargaining" We did not convert. them be-
cause they thought there justice side;
it was conversion through the pocketboOk.
Where our appeal to their sense of justice and to
their sense of decency, too many of these callous
executives of corporations will just look you with
complete indifference; but when you begin to put
some pressure on their pocketbook nerve they jump
through the hoops
We have hospital medical care provisions in con-
tracts covering million and quarter workers which
provide that the companies pay from e-haf to the
cost of hospital medical for the worker
his whole family. 1t is not going to be too far down
the road until we report to convention that every
worker has complete hospital medical paid for
Washington for social legislation the big insurance
companies, who tide in with Americas corpora
tons, down there fighting to block legislative
program and all progressive legislation.
These great insurance companies, like Metropoli-
tan, Prudential and John Hancock all tied in with
General Motors and Ford and Chrysler, and say
they getting hundreds of millions of dollars in
profits out of the workers of America We ought to
put stop to that.
And 1 hope this Convention will authorize the
Executive Board to set up a profit UAW-CIO
insurance company to take care of our own insur-
ance problems.
On vacation pay we have made great progress but
there again have just begun to fight We got 12O
hours in many contracts The eligibility requirements
are too high, but we have 12O hours That is long
way from where were back in 1896 and 1887. Go
bach and look at those contracts. They didn't
mention vacation with negotiated the first
tract in Local 174 back in 1897, and when stood
before the membership in that plant and reported that
had won $40 in vacation pay they thought was
hero.
If the executives in the front office who don't do
any manual work exhausted they need
months vacation, then the guys in the plant who do
the work ought to have at least month. And
going to have that month";
And then have got job down the road which
is perhaps of the most important tasks that we
have taken That's the job of winning guaranteed
annual Oh there will be people of little faith
and little courage who will say, window dressing
They said that about union security clauses They said
it about 12O hours vacation. They said it about the
pension program.
the leaflets that passed out in
locals after we had that sign up at the Milwaukee
Convention. They said, "Some of Reuthers
noble promises, but you will get them"
But said that going to get them be-
tween these two conventions, and did.
We prepared to mobilize Union to win
guaranteed annual wage just we won these
other things.
This is not only matter of economic justice for
the workers. 1t matter of economic necessity be-
cannot hope to achieve full employment and
full production and full distribution in free economy
unless begin to get tools like the guaranteed
nual wage with which to work.
The most difficult unsolved problem that free