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Show THE SALT LAKE TIMES FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 1957 Page Three Organized Labor Respected In Utah Communities active programs in their respec-tive communities. They coordi-nate the local activities which are not of a statewide nature. They have their Committees on Political Education, and have a structure similar to the Utah State AFL-CI- O. The plan of organization is clear, from the National AFL-CI- O in Washington, D.C., to the State AFL-CI- O in Utah, to the local central bodies working in their respective communities. All these organizations work in many fields. We are interested in education, including not only the public school systems, but vocational education and appren-ticeship training as well. We are interested in Commu-nity Services and have taken an active part in the United Fund, the Heart Association, the Com-munity Chest, Polio Drives and the Utah Association and Mental Health. We serve on various commit-tees in connection with the In-dustrial Commission of Utah, as well as numerous other commit-tees interested in the industrial, economic and cultural develop-ment of Utah. You will find labor representa-- I tives on each and every group fighting for a worthwhile cause within our state. Labor is an important segment of your community. It deserves status and recognition. Our or-ganizations are headed by the type of leadership which the community demands, and the re-lationship between labor organ-izations and the community are mutual. I suggest that you recognize and support labor in Utah. Its past record would indicate that it deserves your support. It is true that labor has had their Becks and Hoffas, but this type of leadership is a minute part and is being stamped out by labor itself as rapidly as pos-sible. Restrictive legislation such as the so-call- Right to Work bills much to the dismay of labor haters in this state will not stop By Lamar G. Gulbraasen President, Utah State AFL-CI- O Utah labor's role of commu-nity leadership is no accident. Being a part of community life and serving the people with whom we live has been a condi-tion of existence of our organiza-tions since their inception. This role of community leader-ship is directed by an affiliate body of some 50,000 workers in Utah. Heading this group is the Utah State AFL-CI- O, which was born in August, 1956 when the Utah State Federation of Labor and the Utah State Industrial Union Council were merged. The Utah State AFL-CI- O is headed by an executive commit-tee consisting of the president, " vice president and the secretary-treasure- r; and an executive coun-cil, made up of twelve members who are elected at the annual convention by a delegate body representing the various local unions in Utah. Four Council members are elected from each districts: District No. 1, a;hree the northern part District No. 2, rep-resenting the central portion of the state, and District No. 3, rep-resenting the southern portion of the state. This broad base of representa-tion selected through the demo-cratic process is one of the se-crets of labor's success. Labor organizations are the most demo-cratic bodies in America today. Democracy in labor unions is an absolute necessity, for they are composed of the workers, and must be led by workers who have the confidence of the mem-bers. To be effective, this must be done. Labor unions just don't hap-pen. They are effetcive and con- - organizations are just as im-portant to our members socially as the Kiwanis or the Rotary clubs are to business men, and quite frankly we accomplish as much good, sometimes more, than these civic organizations, although we do not receive as much public acclaim. Third, workers need political and legislative representation. The recent newspaper talk call-ing labor a monopoly which forces the political opinion of the leadership upon the rank and file members is far from being true. Workers have a right to support political candidates of their choice. Our organization is bipartisan politically. We follow the rule laid down many years ago by the father of organized labor, Samuel Gomp-er- s, when he said, "Elect your friends; defeat your enemies." We are interested in the candi-dates who are interested in us, and the type of legislation which is good for all the citizens of Utah. We have had some bitter ex-periences in the past, and you may rest assured that our future course will be carefully planned. At the present time Utah labor is in the process of reorganizing their Committee on Political Ed-ucation. A new division has been added to this movement in the form of a Women's Activities De-partment, and it is growing by leaps and bounds. It is our plan that through the efforts of this committee, and with the support of the move-ment as a whole, we will register every member of organized labor within the state, and do our ut-most to see that every member votes on election day. It is certainly not our intention to have the leadership select a our growth. This type of legis-lation merely clouds the issue, creates prejudice and makes it more difficult for labor to do an effective job for the whole com-munity. This is not a Dark Ages state, but the so-call- ed Right-to-Wo- rk Act is dark-age- s legislation. Most of the states which have passed this kind of legislation are backward states, industrial-ly, economically and culturally. I do not believe Utah deserves to be classified with these types. Utah is a state of which we can be proud, and Utah's Labor movement is an outstanding ex-ample of the diligence, thrifti-nes- s and hard work which our forefathers performed to give birth to this movement. Be proud of your labor move-ment. Accept it as a part of the community. Encourage its activ-ity and growth. It will pay great dividends to you as an individual and to the community as a whole. growing because they atly workers' needs in many areas. Primarily the three basic areas of importance include eco-nomic needs, social needs and political and legislative needs. Certainly representation of the workers at the bargaining table is important, and it is our aim to constantly improve the stand-ard of living of each and every worker in Utah, and thereby im-prove the conditions of employ-ment for all citizens in Utah. Let's remember the prevailing wage schedules established for various industries are based on union rates. Secondly, labor unions give workers an opportunity to be-long to the organization of their peers. Social needs are met. Members become officers in the local unions and have an oppor-tunity to meet socially with the people with whom they work. Social functions throughout the year, aided by the auxiliar-ies of the various local unions, are highlights of union life. Our list of candidates which the membership will support, for this is not the way COPE works. Rather, an extensive educational program will be conducted that will enable the worker to decide for himself who supports the principles for which he stands, and who is against them. Here again, a Democratic pro-cess is involved. COPE conducts meetings attended by local rep-resentatives, where it is deter-mined which candidates have the best attitude toward the working people. After conducting a very careful study of the candidates and .issues involved, the decision is made by the delegates to the COPE meetings. The next step, in the role of community leadership, lies in our city and county central body organizations. There are three such bodies in Utah, located in Ogden, Salt Lake and Provo, covering the areas designated as Districts 1, 2 and 3 as previously outlined. I These central bodies carry on Sandack Says Benson On Way out of Cabinet A. Wally Sandack, Democratic county chairman for Salt Lake county, this week predicted the early resignation of Secretary of Agriculture Ezra Taft Benson. Sandack said he based his pre-diction upon inside information that Republican National Chair-man Meade Alcorn has joined wth Vice President Nixon in a party drive to force the resigna-tion of the Utahn from the cabi-net, within a matter of only a few weeks. "Republican leaders," Sandack said, "evidently have come to the conclusion that Secretary Ben-son is a definite liability to their party, and that he must go. They have become convinced that the feeling which a majority of the nation's farmers have against Benson is deeper than mere price and production that the farm-ers have a phobia, or a deep-seate- d fear of Benson." Demo Women Begin Drive for Utah Clubs Women members of the Utah State Central Committee, meet-ing Tuesday following Senator Kennedy's speech to the whole committee, voted unanimously to begin a drive at once for the organization of Women's Clubs all over the state. A motion was made by Lucille Greenwood of Richfield and sec-onded by Mrs. J. C. Jack of Salt Lake City to begin the organiza-tion from the bottom upward, with clubs being formed in all the counties of the state, and then a convention being called of delegates from all these clubs to set up a state organization to be known as the State Federa-tion of Democratic Women's Clubs. It was pointed out that one of the main reasons this state has failed to elect Democratic candidates for the major offices in the last two elections has been the lack of active women's clubs, there being only eight or nine in the entire state of Utah, and most of them in the always-activ- e Salt Lake County, where they have been actively encou-raged by County Chairman A. Wally Sandack. The Women's section of the Central Committee also voted to publish a Democratic cookbook as a major funds raising project, and elected Joseph H. Weston to be editor and business manager of the book. A general manager of the proj-ect will be a woman, and is to be named later Kathleen Meikle, state chairwoman said, after she had conferred with Milton J. Weilenmann, state chairman of the party. If It's Printing . . . Phone EM 4-84- 64 gjjM JIMBEAI RJIMBEAM .Uhtrus, ' KERTimiCHT World's Finest Bourbon for r BOURBON WHI5KEY ggg!j 162 years. te J DRILLING CO, CLERMONT, Ke'hIUCICY Who pays the lost taxes? Conditions in mining have forced some Utah mines to shut down, others to cut production sharply and still others to operations to be able to continue to produce. ine One of the net results - lost taxes. This loss must be met and the burden will fall on other taxpayers - individuals and businesses. Healthy mining benefits all Utahns, so all should support efforts to return mining to its former vigor. UTAH MINING ASSOCIATION "From the earth comes an abundant life for all" |