T - International Brotherhood Of Electrical Workers

More documents

Recommendations

Info

534 The Journal of ELECTRICAL WORKERS and Operators Catwnea COOPERATION *i/at o4d $90 S ic. * /o-tl El.i S. BEVATIN) fN orm psident of the Scott ih Trades Union Coun- N oil and now the president of the British Cooperative Congress and of the Scottish Cooperative Wholesale, came to the United States in October. When Beaten speaks, he speaks as the representative of a great majority of the people of the British Isles. In his cooperative organizations in Scotland are more than 60 per cent of all the people of Scotland. The British Cooperative Congress represents a majority of the people in all the British Isles and now that cooperatives and tries unions ae assodated in the Eritish National Council of Labor, most of the workers of ll kinds arid classes are affiliated in a common effort. Beaton believes the consumer cooperative offers the best key to building a new social order in G ..eat Britain, ili Scottish Wholesale Society now owns ship i1neos, tea, plantations, chain stores, factories. industrial plants, and is the biggest kinile business in the British isles. His business organization lent hundreds of millions of dollars to the British government without interest. Iis o'franizatilon purchaes a great deal of gasoline and ill from Amer iaon corporations. Plans are llow tnder way to operate other great enterpries in Great Brhain by the same method of ownership onl a non-profit basis. The cooperative so.iety is looking to private electric utilities in particular. "THEY SHALL INIfERIT" "Ninety per rent or more of the people at home are workers" he said. "We have not more than 10 per cent made up of the rich or wealthier classes. And this time we are determined to have our place at the peace conference and to make it known to the world that we are determined to have another kind of a world and that there shall be no more war." Beaton was asked why he had confidence that the workers in the British Isles would be any more effective at the peace conference and in post war planning than they were in the past. He was reminded that organized workers had made many speeches and declarations and had undoubtedly tried to express their will before but that for some reason they had not succeeded. "This time it is different," he said. "We have organized the National Council of Labor. It represents the trades unions organizations, the cooperatives and the members of the Labour Party. We confer and try to reah an understanding of what is most necessary and where we can agree, we go forward. We preserive our autonomy On matters that concern us, sops- Neil Beaton, Chairman Scottish Wholesale Society, visits United States with philosophy of new social order raely, but we find we agree on so many things and we are agreed that we ar, going to build a bettor world. WAR FACE TO FACE "Until this tie, our peond, really did not know what war was. We have fought many wars, too m.any of theln Ibt they were fought away from our shtwe. andl we only cane close to war when/ We lost a dear one. In other word,* wa was not brought home to us. But n o it is brough home to us. We kbnw what it is. We kn.o.w what it is to have air iplanes ovtrhead, when you cannot see theml, I when[ you know they arc thore to rain dawn on lUs death and destruction. We know whtat it is to exist under a blackout every night. We know what it m 1 ileans tine lds and this thee, I assure you, there is goi/g, to be determination that the'e will be further war." Eteaton's cooperantivye . rgs n zatins stretch into every hamlet. They have berome the most powerful inust ria organi - zations in Scotland and they are owned ntarely by consulnrs and are operated on a non-profit basis, "It would be hard fur you to find a member of a trdes union who was not a member of a cooperative organization," he said. "We art e the largest nillers in with them us we should because we recognize and they reeognize thai tbey are the Scotland, the largest hoe no .ufa.turers, the largest distributive organization, the largest manufacturer of tweleds and cloths uf various kinds, the largest furniure manufacturers. We have learned that we can operate business far better than did those presumably great business minds who made the mess that we are now in. "We are providing for ourselves, through our cooperative organizations, with everything the consumer needs from the cradle to the grave. Our burial societies, which provide everything and provide it at far less cost and in far better taste. handle 300 fulerals a week. We provide our people with all the service and the needs of a funeral at about 12 pounds, or $60. You know, years ago in Scotland the private funeral directors used to say that 'the time to get them 'as When there was a tear in the eye.' Well, we are trying to help them to bear their sorrow and suffering with less tears,." Beaten was andis a trades union inenlher. Every cooperative employee, and there are thousands of them, must be a member of a trades union. There are no NRIL BEATON strikes an]d oI. lockouts hecarise the .o- .peraive oigntization. .wn.ed by n.en. hers of trade4s unions. and the workers ill thb cooperatives, have agreed to settle aly dispute over wages and working condifions without lockouts or strikes. 'We pay wages higher than are paid by private tralers and higher than the tiniou scale a.id we do more than that," Beat.n said. "We've just agreed to a nine-day oltIday with pay for our work- Irs and priva e trade gives them no holiday with pay. We have alrldy agreed on I 12-day with pay holiday after the war. SPECIAI WAR PAY *'We have arranged to pay all the formnr vor'krs in cooperatives who have gone into til war a wage of $2.50 a week in addition to their var pay from the g inmenet ~We have a rrnged to keep in touch v ith then. and t. send then, bundles. We provide for any disability that they may suffer, We have worked owners along with all other cooperators ef our great organizations. "I was a trades union man. I hecam.le an apprentice in a shop at 12 years of age and I worked from 8 in the morning until 10 at night five days and fromn S untei 12 midnight on Saturday. I stood it as long as I could and then I handed in my apron and fortunately I get work in a cooperalive store. There I worked from 8 until 6 and with a half holiday on Wednesday. I had so much time on my bands then I did not know what to do with it. I joined the trades union when I was employed by the private traders and I still believe in the trades union but I know that trades unions are riot enough. As fast as the trades union gets for its members $2 or $5 or $10 .ore a week, the private traders raise the prices and about all we did in that way was to increase the riches of the private traders. We only found the answer to our problems in getting control of the facilities of production and distribution and that we have nov done." Beaton said that werkier in the Unated (Coninued oni page 566)
NOVEMBER, 1942 A. F, 4 LS.am / eta fr yin paeod Soc/cl Sea44~ 535 ie coucil of the A nterieat Fede,,atmio of Leh.or o atines isues and poi icy i. staM¢ietl! ,iehic is later inedorsed by the etire i ,...le.. .tion at Toro tlo. UR program of society initiated by the Soeial Security Act, effective August t4, i25. must , be the foundation upon .we.. wage earners ea. plan their future Social security, as the Federation views it, is a basic social justice measure by which workers who have successfully demonstrated their ability to be sell-supporting are protected against bemninng dependent reei pients of relief because of emergencies outside of their conItol. These emergencies fall under three catgoiles: ( I) old age, when physical work ability declines; (2) disability, which is both permanent and akin to prelmature old age ald temporary, due to illness, which cause unemployment; and (3) unemploynlent due to loss of jobs. The Federalion is cnoec rned rot only that benefits for these emergencies shall be available, but that they shall be adequate t inalidi the seff dependency of wlorkers aid that they shall be well adt [1intste ied. DOES TIlE SYSTEM WORK? NNowv that our social security system is KING STREET, TORONTO Notable statement becomes official policy at Toronto 1942 convention in its seventh year, it is our obligation to evaluate and determine whether the sys tern accomplishes the purposes for whieh it was designed, and, if not, to suggest am~endmients. As the duration of employment for wage earners is determined by the needs of production and business chance, work ers though performing inldis pen sable service for the company and for society, have no guarantee of permanent eplohyment or in.ollie. In order that this instability, wvhich is in the interests of the copany and the public, shall not exist solely at the expense of wage earners, p'ovisions should be iade to tide workers iver the In ergenie s that intelfete wilb income earning. Under I tr competitive system it would be difficult indeed for any coIn parny or any one industry to guarantee the economic security of its work stafr throughout their lives. But by poolirng the rishs, and by each company making contrilutiOns hlo a poolhd lund, companies can ul led ively provide for the human side of industry as they do for the materlI through depleciation or amortization funds. EMERGENCY STRAINS SEVERE In nnrmal timies social security can meet the need, but in times of great emergencies such as we are passing through, there is grave apprehension lest our system may not be adequate for the load it will have to ca]ry. At present employment demands are so large and so urgent that the number of those on the natironal wok force in both military and civilian occupations is between 58 and 59 millions. As our manpowe r hasbeentaken by the military forces older men and women have been called to take their places and toI fill new jobs. Each year that the war continues, the military will require Tore men, and more of our normal reserves ,ill have to carry on civilian work. This means that a larger percentage of ou. population will be members of the work force and direetly.oncerned with social security provisions, paying contributions into it and looking to it for benefits to tide over e..e gence s. T]he greater the nu e),r of people on war wrk, II he grea tor will he the ' ost-war readjust eant aid uneiplhyinnt. It is el Iitne{st nportance t hat during this period of peak eplynient we mlan ample provisitn to previd{ l) for Infiis the transition to a peace time econony. Nut only is this course wise plannnlg fo wage r earners I.t it is quatlly a prudent and constructive policy for business and for the, go.eranieet. Fur busi.s.. n expatnsion and strengthening of the social security s; S- ternW iiow ears the accumluation of reserves for meeting fature el igaLions which wold otherwise require iose-war taxation, and wi i assure constinie r buy - mig power duling emergencies. For gov erm .nt. it mesans larger reserves . 'wh wheun invested in fedsral oands become.. available for current use, and by increasing current savings inflationary f.rces are proportionately decreased. For the wcrke $. it means the provision of insrance as a right while there is time to accumulate reserves to assure payment qof that insurance. PREPARE FOR FUTURE Obviously this is the cruclal time for revising our social s curity system to enable it to meet needs of iorkers in a period when emergencies will be cate elysnole in sharpness and i. Scope. Now is the time to set up an adequate and coordinated system capable of meeting the preoblems of post-war transition and peace-time production.
Page 1 and 2: E-G I I I I a MIRACLE YARD- UNION o
Page 3 and 4: InTERnATIonAI ELECTRICAL WORKERS nn
Page 5 and 6: THE JOURnAL OF ELECTRICRL WORKERS A
Page 7: NOVEMBER, 1942 533 A VIEW OF SOME W
Page 11 and 12: NOVEMBER, 1942 SOCIAl, SECURITY IN
Page 13 and 14: I NOVEMBER, 1942 o474a 4otd Man C"o
Page 15 and 16: NOVEMBER, 1942 m41 bidding and bona
Page 17 and 18: NOVEMBER, 1942 S 4 sUnn i Aa4l " 04
Page 19 and 20: NOVEMBER, 1942 GAIN the JOURNALA OF
Page 21 and 22: NOVEMBER, 1942 O(e in th, verics of
Page 23 and 24: NOVEMBER, 1942 fore, the following
Page 25 and 26: NOVEMBER, 1942 651 aWOMEN'S AUXILIA
Page 27 and 28: NOVEMBER, 1{942 Editor: L. U. NO. B
Page 29 and 30: NOVEMBER, 1942 555 Work still plent
Page 31 and 32: I NOVEMBER, 1942 left heIs ld Is >
Page 33 and 34: NOYEMBER, 1942 559 a trip to New Yo
Page 35 and 36: NOVEMBER, 1942 551 that they are go
Page 37 and 38: NOVEMBER, 1942 so nelview, "Why don
Page 39 and 40: NOVEMBER, 1942 With the playinh jIn
Page 41 and 42: NOVEMBER, 1 942 517 I tIsol ],1.O i
Page 43 and 44: NOVEMBER, 1942 569 Ramie A. flyers,
Page 45 and 46: NOVEMBER, 1942 5;n CLINTON METAL MF
Page 47 and 48: NOVEMBER, 1942 573 Catfish Have Nin
Page 49 and 50: NOVEMBER, 1942 "I is rnos pleased d
Page 51 and 52: NOVEMBER, 1942 577 lee trueit i. Fa
Page 53 and 54: NOVEMBER, 1942 579 LOCAL UNION OFFI
Page 55 and 56: N OVEMB ER, 1 942 761141 701200 704
Page 57 and 58: WNDVEMBER, 1 942 6{3 L.UV. 318333 3
Page 59 and 60:
Il L 2/hem'cs a Xrauoh o It lo,, ..
show all

T - International Brotherhood Of Electrical Workers

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?