The existence of widespread dis-crimination in the hiring of teach-ers has been documented in a sur-vey reported by Wilson C. Riles,executive secretary of the stateCommission on Discrimination inTeacher Recruitment.The Commission was created a

few years ago by a bill sponsoredby the AFL-CIO Teachers in thestate with the active support of theCalifornia Labor Federation, AFL-CIO.Only one out of six large school

districts hires Negro teachers, Rilestold a meeting of the InstructionDivision of the state Department ofEducation.Although progress is being made

in the direction of ending discrimi-nation in the teaching profession,Riles reported that a recent surveyof 708 of the larger school districtsshows that 295, or 42%, had hiredno Chinese, Japanese, Mexican orNegro teachers in the last tenyears.Of the other 413 districts, 299

have hired Mexicans, 199 have em-ployed Japanese, 155 some Chinese,and 115 some Negroes.The fact remains, however, that

only one out of six large school dis-tricts hire any Negro teachers.

It was noted that only 2% of thedistricts answering the question-naire expressed any dissatisfaction

(Continued on Page 4)

WeeklyVol. 1-No. 51Jan. 15, 1960

News Letter

C. J. HAGGERTY Published by Caliornia Labor Federation, AFL-CIOExecutive

Secretry-Trmxurer I 04 161

IWC Appoints Farm Worker Wage Board:Chairman's Impartiality Challenged

The Industrial Welfare Commission of California last Friday took an-

other major step in the direction of extending a measure of long-overdueprotection to exploited farm workers in the state.

Following up on a previous decision to exercise its jurisdiction in thefield of agricultural labor, the Commission appointed a seventeen-memberwage board charged with the re-sponsibility for making recommen- equal number of representatives ofdations to the Commission for pro- employers and employees in the oc-mulgation of an order covering cupation, trade or industry beingminimum wages and other minimum considered, with the balance of pow-conditions of work for women and er resting in an impartial chairman.minors in agriculture. Selected to head the 17-member

The constructive action was agricultural wage board was Danielmarred, however, by the selectiio G. Aldrich, Jr., Dean of Agriculture

of a chairman which the Californiaa h nvriyo aiona n

Labor Fedirmatnwchallen Casfornl-l until just recently, chairman of theLabo Feeraionchalened s fll-

Department of Soil and Plant Nutri-ing short of meeting the qualifica- tion at the Davis campus.

tions of impartiality. Aldrich was the recommendationUnder legal procedures govern- of big-farm groups. Organized la-

ing the Industrial Welfare Commis- bor, recognizing that a chairman

sion, the appointment of a wage must have acceptability by both

board is required before any mini- sides and must be impartial, did not

mum wage orders may be promul- feel that interest groups were in a

gated. The law requires that such position to make recommendations.

wage boards be composed of an C. J. Hamertv. secretarv-reasur-

KUCHEL U:RCES NEW DISPUTE MACHINERY

U.S. Senator Thomas H. Kuchelof California has called for newfederal machinery to prevent tie-ups of basic industries by labor con-troversies such as the recent longsteel strike.Based on the steel dispute ex-

perience, the California Senator,who also is Senate Republicanwhip, is urging early study ofmethods of preventing future suchincidents, and said vague provis-ions of the Taft-Hartley Act, underwhich President Eisenhower ob-tained an injunction forcing steelworkers back to their jobs, must beclarified.

According to Kuchel, both the

lawmakers and agencies of the ex-ecutive branch of the governmentshould look carefully into meansof preventing labor controversiesfrom endangering the nation's se-curity or economic health. As a lastresort, he suggests that Congressmight authorize compulsory arbi-tration.

"I believe that this Congress,now that it has no pressure of anationwide strike affecting the se-curity of the people immediatelyupon it, needs to inquire into thepossibility of drafting and enactinglegislation to deal with the prob-lem of prolonged strikes in basic

(Continued on Page 4)

er of the California Labor Federa-tion, AFL-CIO, in a letter to theCommission forwarding recommen-dations for employee members ofthe board, stated labor's position asfollows:"The California Labor Federation

fully appreciates the importance ofthe step taken by the IWC in assum-ing its jurisdiction over women andminors in agricultural employment.

"It is our desire, therefore, to seea wage board established that giveseffective representation to both ag-ricultural employers and employees,with an impartial chairman."The seriousness of the agricul-

tural employment problem, in ouropinion, demands a wage boardwhich can make recommendationsfor an effective and constructive or-

(Continued on Page 2)

vjvq ,i-f -

IWC Appoints Farm Worker Wage Board:Chairman s Impartiality Challenged

Water SubsidiesIn State Plan???

(Continued from Page 1)der, rather than any politically ex-pedient solution," Haggerty said.

In appearing before the Commis-sion last Friday, Federation repre-sentative Don Vial emphasized theimportance of the impartial chair-man in an evenly divided wageboard.He stated frankly that the Com-

mission had chosen "a skilled tech-nician and professor, who is un-doubtedly well qualified in hisfield."

However, the Federation repre-sentative declared: "Agriculturalprofessors generally do not have anysignificant knowledge of the vastand complicated social problemswhich attach to the employmentend of agriculture."

It was pointed out that agricul-tural professors, in their involve-ment with the technical aspects ofagriculture, have established work-ing relationships only with the em-ployer side of agriculture.A good deal of evidence exists

that the agricultural technicians inour universities are frequently vul-nerable to farm employer pressuresbecause of the latter's exercise ofcontrol over a good portion of thefunds available to agricultural tech-nicians for their essential research.

Vial noted that an impartial chair-man is one who is acceptable to bothlabor and employers. It was fur-ther pointed out that this status isfound in many individuals who areprofessional arbitrators and who areavailable to the Commission for ap-pointment as wage board chairmen.The selected chairman, irrespec-

tive of his status as a technician andprofessor, does not have the confi-dence of organized labor that he willbe truly impartial.A recommendation for reconsid-

eration of the criteria for selectionof a chairman was extended by theFederation, and in turn moved byCommissioner Mae Stoneman, butthe motion died for the lack of asecond.The California Citizens Commit-

tee for Agricultural Labor, repre-sented by Ann Draper, and com-posed of many interested religiousgroups, supported the labor -ex-pressed views on the selection of achairman.

Selection of the eight employeeand employer representatives, re-spectively, however, met with theapproval of both employer and la-bor groups.The specific responsibility of the

newly-established wage board is torecommend to the Commission onthe following:

1. An estimate of the minimumwage adequate to supply the neces-sary cost of proper living to main-tain the health and welfare of wom-en and minors in agriculture.

2. The number of hours of workper day in agriculture consistentwith the health and welfare of wom-en and minors.

3. The standard conditions of la-bor in the industry demanded bythe health and welfare of womenand minors.The Commission will have full au-

thority to accept or reject any orall parts of the wage board's recom-mendations, as the final promulga-tion authority rests with the Com-mission itself.

It was announced at the hearingsthat there was no requirement thatthe wage board must meet in publicsessions.The following are the respective

employee and employer representa-tives designated by the Commission,together with three alternates oneach side.Employee Representatives: Hec-

tor Abeytia, Organization Advisor,Mexican-American Education Com-mittee, Sanger; Mrs. Dolores Huerta,Field Representative, S t o c k t o n;Helen L. Hardeman, Business Rep-resentative, United PackinghouseWorkers, Salinas; Joe Ollman, Di-rector, District 4, United Packing-house Workers, Los Angeles; MikeElorduy, Secretary-Treasurer, Can-nery Workers, Sacramento; CliveKnowles, International Representa-tive, United Packinghouse Workers,Los Angeles; Connie Wilson, FieldRepresentative, I n d i o; NormanSmith, Director, AWOC, Stockton.Employee Alternates: Mrs. J. C.

Walker, Field Representative, Mo-desto; James Murray, Attorney, SanFrancisco; Ernesto Galarza, VicePresident, National AgriculturalWorkers Union, San Jose.Employer Representatives: Steve

Pilibos, Grower, Fresno; Dick Mar--2

Advocates of a "do-nothing" pol-icy on the vast problem of unjustenrichment in the California waterprogram are saying that if there areno subsidies there will be no prob-lem of unjust enrichment.

This approach is being developedby the Assembly Interim Committeeon Water. The idea being advancedis that somehow the concept of "sup-ply and demand, to the extent thatallocated costs are repaid," will pre-vent giant landholders from realiz-ing huge w i n d f a 11 s from theirparched lands when water becomesavailable.

It is reported in the press and theSacramento news services that theCommittee majority will definitelyrecommend a "no subsidy" policy.At the same time, however, it is

reported that the Committee willrecommend power be sold at thehighest market rate, rather than atprices based on the repayment ofthe allocated costs for developmentof the power features of the stateprogram.Water experts are noting-a sliglht

inconsistency in these two policyrecommendations. If power pricingis not based on allocated costs, theexperts are asking how it is possibleto say there will be no subsidy frompower by the power users.

It is recognized that the state hasvirtually no policies governing thewater program as it goes to the vot-ers this November. The programwas developed in a "policy vacuum."The California Labor Federation,

AFL-CIO, at its last convention, hasmade the enactment of sound pol-icies to protect the investment of thepeople from monopoly a conditionfor labor support of the water pro-gram at the polls.

karian, Grower, Fresno; William J.Thornburg, Jr., Thor Packing Com-pany, Holtville; Melvin W. Johnson,Johnson Ranch, Watsonville; Her-man J. Gerdts, Vice President, SanJose Production Credit Association,San Jose; Norman Liddell, Grower,Fresno; Jack Singer, Grower, Clare-mont; Mrs. Emmet T. Frye, Grower,Yuba City.Employer Alternates: Berge Bul-

bulian, Farmer, Fowler; W. S. Bre-ton, Grower, Morgan Hill; R. KeithMets, Farmer, Holtville.

LA NE5MGH RIFFINl USED IN

PACKARD-BELL PRODUCTS BOYCOTT

ANTI-SEMITIC ACTS

DRAW LABOR FIRE

The anti-labor teeth in the newlabor law are being employed bythe National Labor Relations Boardto put an end to a boycott beingwaged in the San Francisco Bayarea by the Radio and TelevisionTechnicians Union.The NLRB charged in a petition

before a federal court in San Fran-cisco this Monday that the union'sboycott against Packard-Bell prod-ucts violates the new federal laborlaw.

Recently, the California LaborFederation, AFL-CIO endorsed thelimited boycott being waged againstservice branches of Packard - BellElectronics Corporation, in SanFrancisco, Oakland and San Mateo.The Bay area branches were placedon the state AFL-CIO's official "WeDon't Patronize" list.

New GovernorAppointments-A number of new appointments

have been announced recently byGovernor Edmund G. Brown to posi-tions of importance to organized la-bor.Among them are two appoint-

ments to the State Industrial Acci-dent Commission, which administersthe state's workmen's compensationlaw. They are:-Daniel F. Del Carlo, secretary-

treasurer of the San FranciscoBuilding and Construction TradesCouncil, who will fill a vacancycaused by the resignation of John J.Synon. The Governor announcedthat Del Carlo will fill out Synon'sterm which expires January 15,1961.-Benjamin Narvid, a Van Nuys

attorney and referee for the Unem-ployment Appeals Board in the De-partment of Employment. Narvidsucceeds Ralph B. Mustoe of LosAngeles, whose term expires Janu-ary 15.Another post was filled recently

by the appointment of Ray Shukraftas State Fire Marshall. The appoint-ment, long in the making, was a sig-nificant tribute to the AFL - CIOFirefighters in the state. Shukraftis assistant fire chief of San Diego,and an active member of the Fire-fighters Union.

The reported history of the dis-pute is as follows:The local union struck the three

Bay area service branches on No-vember 1.The dispute followed a decision

by the non-union corporation toend ten years of bargaining with theunion and to run its Bay area serv-ice branches on an open shop basis.It was revealed at that time by acompany spokesman that the mainplant and 30 other branches werenon-union.The union began handing out

leaflets early in December at majorBay area department stores urgingconsumers not to buy Packard-Bellproducts.The intervention of the NLRB

was based upon the provision in thenew law which allows a boycott onlyif it is a primary dispute. GeraldBrown, regional director of theBoard, said that the union's disputeis with the company's servicebranches, and not with the manu-facturing plant.The case is widely recognized in

labor circles as proof that the Land-rum-Griffin bill is designed specifi-cally to isolate trade unionist fromtrade unionist and to prohibit co-operation in accordance with thebasic principles upon which thetrade union movement has beenfounded.

The wave of anti-Semitic vandal-ism sweeping through foreign coun-tries and parts of the U. S. since thedesecration of a synagogue in Col-ogne, West Germany, is drawing thefire and vigorous condemnation ofAFL-CIO leaders on all levels of or-ganization.The acts of vandalism in West

Germany particularly are being rec-ognized by labor leaders as a crudedemonstration that the job of de-nazifying the Germans has not beenfully accomplished, and that muchmore needs to be done in the edu-cating of boys and girls on the basicprinciples of a democratic society.One point by labor leaders stands

out clearly. This is the fact that inGermany a Catholic Church also suf-fered at the hands of the anti-Sem-ites, proving once again that hateunleashed does not discriminate,and that once bigotry is directedagainst one religious group no otheris safe from attack.On numerous occasions, organized

labor has recognized that it has avital stake not only in the figlhtagainst anti-Semitism, but all formsof religious and racial prejudice, asthe forces which foment and prac-tice religious bigotry also work forthe destruction of the trade unionmovement.

World Refugee Year Celebrations UrgedCentral labor councils in the state

were recently called upon by Fed-eration Secretary - Treasurer C. J.Haggerty to join with other groupsin commemorating World RefugeeYear in various areas of the state.The call for local activities was

sent out pursuant to a resolutionadopted by the 1959 convention ofthe California Labor Federation,AFL-CIO.The purpose of World Refugee

Year, which will continue throughJune 1960, is to inform the publicof the world refugee problem, andto encourage approPriate actions,such as revision of the MacCarran-Walter Immigration Act to end dis-criminatory national origin quotasystems for allocating immigrationvisas.

3-

During the six months remainingfor commemoration of World Refu-gee Year, Haggerty said, "We urgethat your council join with otherpublic spirited grouts in your areato arrange for appropriate activities,if your area has not already doneso."'As an example of such activity,

the state AFL-CIO leader cited theWorld Refugee meeting staged inSan Francisco on December 10,1959, which was sponsored by BayArea groups, including the SanFrancisco and Alameda Central La-bor Councils.

Materials on various aspects ofthe world refugee problem and theWorld Refugee year commemorat-ing activities were sent to all centrallabor councils by the Federation.

'-7M

California Labor Federation, AFL-CIO995 Market St.San Francisco 3, Calif.

FORM 3547 REQUESTED

Mosk Rules onPrevailing Rate

Prevailing wage scales of pri-vate construction must be main-tained for employees of a publicflood control construction project,with the exception of some fringebenefits, ruled Attorney GeneralStanley Mosk today.The Labor Code covers persons

employed by a flood control con-tract, and also covers county em-ployees engaged in building chan-nels, dams, bridges and buildings."The county or district may de-

duct from the prevailing wagethose benefits of public employ-ment which have a reasonably com-putable dollar value," Mosk's opin-ion states.Where p r i v a t e employment

grants two weeks' vacation, asagainst a county employee's threeweeks' vacation, the county can de-duct the dollar value of one week'svacation in establishing the prevail-ing wage. Permanency of employ-ment in private labor contracts maynot be included in public work be-cause of its intangible character,states the ruling. Sick leave consid-eration can be reduced to anamount which represents the aver-age cost per man per hour."The value of sick leave to the

individual employee is too variedfor easy calculation," the opiniondeclares. "Career personnel fre-quently claim little or no sickleave, though others utilize all towhich they are entitled. . . . Be-cause of this wide variation in in-dividual experience, sick leavecannot be said to have an averagemonetary value to the employees. . .we conclude that the averagecost of such leave to the publicagency should not be deductedfrom the prevailing wage in calcu-lating the wage to be paid full timepublic employees."The opinion was requested by

Albert Weller, County Counsel ofSan Bernardino County, and was

InIi-v';r l Relations LibrarianIns '',*t 3f rnisLtrial Relation214 California HallUn*¼erslty of CaliforniaBerz'eley 4, Calif.

Kuchefl Urges NewDispute Maehinery

(Continued fron Page 1industries where the security oreconomic welfare of the nation isinvolved," the California Senatorstated.

Kuchel's views on compulsionare as follows:"We are all thankful this strike

has been brought to a conclusion,but I think it is the duty of the ex-ecutive and legislative branches ofthe government to inquire into thebest means of controlling such sit-uations along the line of additionalservices in the field of conciliationwith finality of federal compulsion,if necessary."We need legislation to provide

for the federal government - onlyin those interests where security oreconomic welfare is involved, ifsuch (Presidential) findings aremade - to assume jurisdiction toconciliate and recommend a settle-ment, and that thereafter provisionbe made for arbitration by the gov-ernment as a last resort, with ap-propriate judicial appeal provided,of course."

Discrimination Documented(Continued from Page 1)

with the performance of minority-group teachers.The AFL-CIO-initiated Commis-

sion has been making significantprogress in eliminating discrimnina-tory references to race in teacherapplications.The problem of discrimination

among teachers, however, still re-mains a major blot on the equal op-portunity record of the state. Whilemany q u a 1 i f i e d minority-groupteachers go unemployed, m a n yschool districts throughout the statecontinue to hire unqualified whiteteachers on a provisional basis.

prepared by Deputy Attorney Gen-eral Preble Stolz of San Francisco.

NON-PROFITORGANIZATIONU. S. POSTAGEPAID

Permit No. 7085San Francisco, Cal.

ApprenticeshipConference Set

The new Jack Tar Hotel, VanNess & Geary Streets, San Fran-cisco, will be the scene of the Cali-fornia Conference on Apprentice-ship, May 18, 19, 20, 1960.The announcement was recently

made by the Conference PlanningCommittee. The last statewide con-ference was held in 1953.The purpose of the conference

is to stimulate statewide interestin apprenticeship, to provide forexchange of ideas between confer-ees, as well as appraise industrialchanges occurring in our economyas it relates to apprenticeship.A dynamic three-day program,

with an agenda to include generalsessions, workshops, and forums, isbeing planned.The Planning Committee is com-

posed of representatives of the Cal-iforia Apprenticeship Council;Statewide J o i n t ApprenticeshipCommittees; and Labor and Man-agement Committees. Consultantsto the Planning Committee are rep-resentatives of the following gov-ernmental agencies: Division ofApprenticeship Standards; Bureauof Apprenticeship & Training, U. S.Department of Labor; State Boardof Education; Department of Em-ployment; and Department of Cor-rections.

Invitations to participate in thecoming Conference on Apprentice-ship will be extended to state andlocal joint apprenticeship comit-tees, trade associations, manage-ment groups, labor organizations,governmental agencies, P.T.A.'s,state and local school boards, com-munity organizations and othersinterested in promoting the devel-opment of apprenticeship in Cali-fornia.

Financing of the conference willbe on a -voluntary basis.

-4

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