Ban on Minimum Wage Law Blow to Organized Labor
Waldman, Louis
Ban on Minimum Wage Law Blow to Organized Labor By Louis Waldman tfttt Chairman of the Socialist E; part" ¦HE Court of Appeals four* to-three decision declaring J~ tninimum wage law of...
...Ban on Minimum Wage Law Blow to Organized Labor By Louis Waldman tfttt Chairman of the Socialist E; part" ¦HE Court of Appeals four* to-three decision declaring J~ tninimum wage law of New *Lfc for women and minora ^Institutional, is a blow to B jAoet exploited and underST women workers in our Ejfe...
...Connors and Richards...
...therefore the State Committee "jjbtests the action of Comrade Norman Thomas and calls on him not to write the advertised series of articles in The Day...
...It is the bitter enemy of the Jewish Daily Forward, the fighting organ of the Labor and Socialist elements among the population...
...It declares that this "organ of New York Tansmany Hall" is printing scab and unfair labor advertisements—as of the May Department Star* of Brooklyn and others where Norman Thomas and a number of other comrades are picketing from tiase to time...
...By its decision the Court of Appeals in effect says further mat the Federal Cp% stitution protects the meanest and the worst employers in their "freedom" to take advantage of the present industrial crisis and of the wide-spread unemployment to obtain the services of women at an oppressive and unreasonable wmP —a wage not sufficient to sustain such workers in health...
...Ralph Tillotson...
...One from a Newark, N. J-, branch of the Jewish Socialist Verband is typical of other piotSSte being received...
...write a series bF articles for thisl Tammany organ—having first got himself photographed with the I May strikers, he gets himself I played up- in the one big Jewish paper that accepts May's money to boost May's scab business...
...It proyested the payment to women sr minors gainfully employed k|his State (excluding domeslie service or labor on a farm) sf "an oppressive and unreaIgsohJe wage...
...The Forward, of course, refused May advertising...
...But is it good business for Thomas ? Is it going to be worm the price he pays—not in money, hut in loss of self-respect and of "he confidence which tens of thousands of Jewish working people have shown him...
...of locals and branches to attend...
...The request of Rhode Island comrades, who were represented by a delegation led by th* netoiau Socialist Joseph ColdweH, to have Robert Warner and Bernard 8aHfcer taken out of the state as party organizers was granted and the secretary was instructed to do so at once...
...It will be ham for the public to understand how it is possible under the same constitution to set up a price fixing board to determine the minimum price to be paid to farmers for milk and yet not possible to set up legal machinery to determine the minimum price (wage) to be paid to women workers for their labor...
...In the case of minimum wages, the problem of sustaining the family (replacement) or provisions for old age or illness (obsolescence) are not taken into consideration at all...
...Massachusetts State Ex...
...What led to the strife within the Socialist Party...
...If labor legislation is to be enacted and sustained, it will be necessary for labor to control the government — not only the legislative and executive branch of the government, but the courts as well...
...With the resignation of Comrade Lewis as a delegate to future conferences Leon Arkin was elected to take his place...
...It has been advertising the May department store while May'jj/ employees were on strike and while the pickets were being arrested and beaten up...
...The following commltto* was elected to drew up rules for the state convention: Loon Arkin, Sylvester McBride, Max Hamlin, Leslie Richards, and Alfred Baker Lewis...
...What plans has the Socialist Party for America...
...If the novelty of OUT Lost Leader writing in a snsh advertising Tammany organ will boost the Day's circulation, presumably the articles will be worth die price paid for them...
...By all canons of judicial construction, the doubt should be resolved in favor of the law...
...Yet, the Court of Appeals has said that the Constitution forbids even this very meagre legislation...
...Norman Thomas Begins To Write for "The Day" IINDER a big head as above...
...with reference to the situation in New York...
...against withdrawal, McBride, Hamlin, Arkin, Suominen, Nicolson, Syr Jala and Bearak...
...Replies to all these questions will be given by Norman Thomas in his articles in th* Day...
...Erie, Pa, and Sarah Limbach (Executive Secretary, Socialist Party of Pennsylvania...
...Committee Scores Thomas Articles in Scab Paper gOSTON.—A resolution protesting against Norman Thomas writing a series of articles on the internal party situation in "The Day," a Tammany Hall and bitter anti-labor Yiddish paper, was passed by the Massachusetts State Executive Committee of the Socialist Party here Sunday, March 1. "Militant" and "Old Guard" members supported the resolution...
...Whither is the struggle between Militants and the Old Guard leading...
...After puffing ThoenaS W ¦>'' successor of Eugene V. Debs and as "moat likely the Socianat fildential candidate this year," the advertisement goes on: "Norman Thomas begins a series of articles about the problems and plans of the Socialist Party in America...
...Max Hamlin, Albert Sprague Coolidge and Joseph Bearak wots chosen as a committee to hear the appeal of Comrade Bead on Wis expulsion by the Lynn LocaL--g.& Tri-State Conference in Western Pennsylvania PITTSBURGH...
...The resolution declares that "The Day hag always served the interests of the employers against the workers in every strike," and that it "has always opposed the candidates of the Socialist Party in i New York and elsewhere...
...the Day of February 29 printed a full page advertisement announcing a series of articles written for the Day by Norman Thomas...
...Pittsburgh comrades will provide overnight hospitality for all those mho will be attending both th* Party Protests Thomas Writing for Scab Organ Protests against Norman Thomas writing for the scab and Tammany Hall Jewish daily, "The Day* continue to pour into The New Lsadii' office...
...After hearing the report of Alfred B. Lewis, Joseph Bearak and Tom Nicolson, the three delegates of the committee to the Eastern State Socialist Conference in New York with the purpose of trying to iron out the internal party difficulties, a motion to withdraw from future participation in the conference was voted down . by 7 to 3. For withdrawal, Epstein...
...They are allowed prices not only to permit current maintenance of their plant (analogous to health condition in case of human beings), but they are allowed even for obsolescence, replacement and reasonable return...
...Fred Schwartzkopf (City Clerk of Bridgeport, Conn...
...Others who have been invited are: Elmer Ledford, Toledo, Ohio...
...Devere Allen will be asked to present the position of the N.E.C...
...So Thomas, thirsting for revenge on the Forward and seeking to inflame the Jewish-speaking public against the regnla> Socialist Party in this city and state, contracts to...
...to stop these promised articles as they will surely add to th* demoralisation of the Socialist ssevoment...
...Those coming from a il ill saps are requested to write hi advance...
...Local Allegheny County is inviting Socialist Party members in Western Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia to attend a conference on "The Party Situation...
...It is also a blow to the jgpement for progressive laThs»law was extremely modfejst in its provisions...
...To what extent can They work together...
...We reproduce in*, miniature the full-page advertisement in last I Saturday's issue of th* Say introducing Thorns* to its readers...
...Emfl Limbach (Secretary, Socialist Party Interstate Conference) and William J. Van Essen (former member of-the N.E.C...
...By its decision the Court of Appeals has proclaimed that the Federal Constitution does not permit the Legislature^-of New York to protect women receiving oppressive and unreasonable wales for work-done even though such oppressive and unreasonable wages are below the reasonable market value of the work, labor and services rendered by women I workers...
...Not will the public understand how it is possible for the utility corporations to receive protection under the constitution in fixing prices (rates) for gas, electricity, telephone-or railway services, "which must be sufficient to maintain their business and allow for a reasonable return on investment, and yet impossible to fix minimum prices (wages) to be paid to workers sufficiently high to sustain such workers in health...
...Why has th* Socialist Party not made any progress In America ? What is the difference between the programs of the SocaaHsf and COTfrmnnist parties...
...The Pay <Der Tag), is a Jewish daily paper in New York—not only a Democratic paper, but a Tammany paper in the full sense of the word...
...That the decision nullifying this law was a four-to-three division is another illustration of the unsoundness of the principle that courts may nullify an act of the Legislature on constitutional grounds though the validity of the act is fully sustained in the minds of three out of seven judges of the highest court...
...Albert Sprague CooUdg* and Alfred Baker Lewis were elected to represent the party at th* hearing for the repealer of the Massachusetts Teachers' Oath bill...
...This has been jgpsad to mean that the minijsjb wage must be such a wage & would (1) not be lea* than rVJIsw and reasonable value sfthe services rendered, and f2j not be less than sufficient to meet the minimum cost of living necessary for health...
...What is the Day...
...Whose fault is it...
...What wOuld it do if it took power today...
...Allegheny County invites individuals as well as representative...
...Certainly, mere must be a doubt as to whether such law is invalid on constitutional grounds...
...The Day has a long record of printing advertisements for scab houses...
...This requirement is much lower than what has been said to be constitutionally protected in the case of the utility companies...
...There is nothing in the, Federal Constitution which gives such protection to chiselers and exploiting employers...
...The sessions 'will be held at Local's Headquarters, Saturday, March 14, at 8 p. m., and Sunday, March 15, at 9:30 a. m., 122 Ninth St., PiPttsburgh...
...Yet, in spite of this fact, the Court of Appeals by a majority of one vote struck the act down...
...There is a lesson and a warning in this decision to organized labor...
...The branch requests th* N.1LC...
...will lead the discussions...
...The standard of reasonable market value has been for a long time recognized is the law...
...This may be good business for the Day...
Vol. 19 • March 1936 • No. 10
