LABOR GAIN IN NEBRASKA SETS A NEW RECORD
Labor Gain in Nebraska Sets a New Record Roy Brewer Is Given Much Credit for Fine Results LINCOLN, Nebr.—Three years ago, the Nebraska State Federation of Labor was dying on its feet. Membership...
...The new ones are at ScottsblufT...
...Rieve, who is also a CIO vice pres-iden...
...He had straightened out federation finances by persuading the AFL to shell out $2,400 for organizing, and the books showed a balance of more than $1,000...
...Five new central bodies have been set up...
...Viewed against agricultural Nebraska's pattern of conservatism, these figures become even more impressive...
...Fund for Organizing By 1939, Brewer had 89 unions, comprising 5,000 unionists, In the federation fold...
...The same eventuality can be cited for ail branches of the textile indusry...
...Barton Says He Isn't Barden WASHINGTON, D. C—Any doubts Rep...
...Consequence has been a relatively strong labor movement in the metropolis...
...Brewer popped up here, there, everywhere: organizing workers, seting up locals, wangling conract.s, maneuvering politicians...
...Things began to happen...
...Brewer reports that federation membership has nearly quadrupled since he assumed the presidency...
...Brewer's long missionary work bore fruit in dispelling rural-urban distrust, and anti-labor Burke was snowed under nearly as deeply m out-state sections as he was in Omaha...
...More, a sharp antagonism between Omaha and the rural area stymied any Omaha attempts to organize outstaters...
...Like Rep...
...bringing the state's total to eight functioning groups...
...For the first time in Nebraska's history, a powerful labor movement is being built up outstate...
...N. C.) went on the air with a speech in support of the amendments which he has proposed...
...Pres...
...of Teamsters Chauffeurs Stablemen & Helpers to push Omaha organization, he started building the outstate movement...
...Howard Smith, NLRB prober, Burke counted on the traditional bad blood between farm and city worker to nominate him...
...Emii Rieve of the Textile Workers Union (CIO) declares in a letter sent to every member of the house of representatives...
...For example," he continued, "any employer in the synthetic yarn industry might be compelled to deal separately with 21 unions—a physical impossibility—Instead of one...
...An outstater himself, Brewer was keenly aware of these problems when he stepped into the federation presidency...
...Membership in affiliated unions had dwindled to a bare 2,000...
...Four out of every 10 Nebraskans live on farms, and two of the other six live in towns of less than 2,500...
...Locals over the state were dropping out, folding up...
...15 locals with more than 1.-500 members are affiliated with the central labor union...
...In Grand Island, 300 workers in the American Crystal Sugar Co...
...In the meantime he's getting some idea of what the constituents of his •silk stocking district think about the law and his colleagues' proposed amendments...
...Roosevelt...
...Joseph Curran of the Natl...
...Several larger public utilities have signed contracts...
...Edward R. Burke's recent downfall...
...Nortoti Measure Is Embarrassing NEW YORK CITY—Employers as well as unionists would face chaos under the Norton craft-union amendments to the Wagner labor act...
...Others are in Omaha, Lincoln and Grand Island...
...In western Nebraska's sugar beet industry, Brewer has achieved virtually 100 per cent organization among factory production workers...
...Leaving a militant local of the Intl...
...plant have also won a union agreement...
...Fairbury and North Platte...
...One constituent wrote, "Why don't you have the courage to come clean and not try to disguise your voice with a southern accent...
...of Electrical Workers, has pushed membership In his union from a scant 200 to more than 1,100...
...Without natural resources except dirt and sky...
...Electrical Workers In the power industry, Robert K. Garrity, representative of the Intl...
...Graham A. Barden (D...
...warned that the amcudment "could force each employer to recognize and bargain wih a considerable number of separate unions...
...Shortly after the speech Barton began receiving numerous telephone calls and messages berating him for Barden's stand...
...N. Y.) may have had about the feeling of his constituents on amendments to the wage-hour act were rapid.y dispelled recently when Rep...
...The federation was broke...
...Rep...
...a skeleton outstate...
...Formerly, organization had centered chiefly at Omaha and Lincoln...
...All six of Great Western Sugar Co.'s plants are under closed shop contracts, embracing 2.200 employes...
...Maritime Union (CIO) strongly opposed the Norton amendments in a letter to Pres...
...In 1937, chubby, bespectacled Roy M. Brewer, Grand Island movie operator, was elected president...
...Eleven IBEW locals and 19 branches are now functioning in the state...
...Greatest membership gains have been made In the electrical field, the outstate factories, the trucking industry, and in government service...
...Pres...
...Doubling as state organizer, Brewer has taken an active role in most of these organizing efforts...
...Today at Grand Island...
...Norfolk, Hastings...
...Patiently Barton tried to explain that it was not he but Barden who was sponsoring the amendments and who had made the radio speech...
...the state has few factories outside its one metropolis, Omaha...
...The enrollment of member unions is rapidly nearing his goal of 10,000...
...Eloquent testimony to his work came in Sen...
...Barton (R...
Vol. 10 • April 1940 • No. 17
