Ottawa County news. (Port Clinton, Ohio) 1931-1956, 1954-01-15
STEVE ]. NovAK, PRES.
LOCAL 497, uAW-cio

Again approximately 20% of our
working force were laid-off at
Standard Products last week.
We've been warned this was COM
ing and now we certainly believe
it. First, we noticed the recession
farmers were feeling and warned
how this could affect workers.
Then the first major lay-offs came
in the Farm Implement industry.
Lay-offs quickly spread into other
industries, including the Automo-
bile Industry.
Numerous letters have gone out
from the CIO, to employers and to
the government, urging their ac-
ton to help prevent unemploy-
ment. Now that we have begun to
feel the recession locally, we look
with renewed interest at the many
requests for such action and the
apparent lack of interest shown by
big business and the Administra-
ton.
We remember how in the New
York Times of Sept. %, Vice-Pres.
Shields of Manhattan Bank and of
American Iron and Steel Institute
boasted, "a small, corrective de-
preston is very possible, AND
PERHAPS EVEN DESIRABLE. !"
Wonder if these of our members
who have already been affected
can look upon recession as desir-
able? With high prices at the
present peak, we doubt it very
much!
We remember how Walter Reu-
ther assailed officials who be-
lieved "a little bit of depression
is desirable thing" AT that time
Reuther warned, ''it won't stop
there. This is the attitude that can
make big depression out of a
little recession"
But pointing accusingly does not
help our immediate problem. Lo-
cally, we who remain on the job
with seniority rights could grow
hysterical during the confusion of
reclassification, etc, but that
won't help either.
This union can best help by
giving, every cooperation In carry.
ing through necessary changes or
derly and fairly according to pro-
visions for such emergency which
have been in our contract for the
last THREE or FOUR YEARS.
MARY KOSTESKY is just back
from a holiday-vacation, spending
two weeks IN Akron. Mary re.
ceived a Television set from her
two daughte-s-nice Christmas
present, ehi
anyone VINO excuses a slight
recession rs natural or desirable
in country which is growing as
fast as ours iS-and has the ever
increasing productive capacity
ours has--has no heart, and pre-
cious little head" -. Wander
cook on CIO News.
Welcome back to work, JOE
PERRY, JOHN YURLSTA, and
GEORGE MILLIE. Glad to see you
back. You may not find very
cheerful atmosphere 20 return to
after an illness-not this week.
But it's work, boys-it's work!
ELLA MAZUREK seems to have
had second Christmas" this
year. With her beautiful, new,
second Christmas" dress, Ella
may even be joining the Girl
Scouts yet.
GRANDPA WHIPPELTREE sez
!. -. my oldest daughter pasted
picture of circus FAT LADY on
the inside of the refrigerator door
to discourage her when she wants
a snack. She says a GIRDLE is an
ACCESSORY after the FAT" An
she calls reducing 'wishful shrink
ing"
The Department of Commerce
report on 1,850,OOO unemployed in
December was bad news but this
report doesn't begin to tell the
whole story. Two weeks ago the
figure was 2 ia million unem-
ployed and according to addition
al lay-offs reported daily, by now
the figure must be crowding the
3 million mark.
WALTER POKEY is still on our
Local 497 sick list.
Petersen Appeal Heard
On Wednesday, January 4th at
4 p. m. five members of the Inter-
national UAWICIO Union Appeals
Committee held hearing On the
Gordon Petersen case in the local
union hall with Patrick J. OMal-
ley, Director of Region 2, in
od n ~rn