Local 713 This is Your Official Organ AE EFON UNION PAPER of UPW CIO SUPPORT IT!
Non Politieal FREE Vol. N23 PANAMA, OCTOBER, 1949 EDITORIAL Warning to the of Supreme Court declares Canal Wage Policy Against Congressional Intent FEDERAL WAGE HOUR LAW APPLICABLE TO CANAL ZONE The recently publicized proposal of Walter Jones, of Legislative Representative, that the Panama Canal dislodge some 15, 000 non citizen employees from their Canal Zone quarters, deprive them of Clubhouse and Commissary privileges and remove their children from Panama Canal schools is th: most unconscionable, sordid and avaricious move yet on the part of this heartless outfit.
This vulgar demand of the of has shocked the senses of every right thinking and self respecting person on the Isthmus. It goes beyond even its past record of unbelievable hypocrisy and cant. most interesting facet of the event is the reign of silence in the press. Where are the voices who would cry out at this shameless maneuver of the of the people wring their hands and shed their tears over the injustices endured by the silver employees and who deplore their affiliation to UPWCIO? We need not answer this question. It has been answered in the minds of our members as it has a hundred times in the In a decision on the Vermilya Brown Lumber Co. vs. Connel case handed down by the Supreme Court on December 6, 1948, the Court indicated that the Caribbean Wage Scale policy of the Panama Canal in determining the wage level of non citizen employees is against the intent of the United States Congress.
Thousands In Back Pay IMPRESIVE SHOW OF STRENGTH The case arose several years ago when employees of private contractors sued for back and overtime pay under the WageHour law. The Wage Hour Act establishes a 40 cents. hourly minimum wage and provides time and a half pay for overtime work in excess of 40 hours per week. These employees were receiving less than 40 cents per hour and were paid straight time rates over 40 hours. The employees won thousands of dollars in back pay as a result of the Supreme Court decision.
past.
Dislocation Argued In addition to its viciousness, the Jones declaration contains a number of wilful and pernicious misstatements. The proposal is offered as an economy move so that prices for the harried and oppressed gold employees can be reduced. Jones wails that Silver commissaries and clubhouses sell at a much cheaper rate on account of the low rate of pay in this group, and any loss incurred is covered by higher prices in the activities for United States citizens.
We defy Jones to purchase a single article in a silver commissary at a lower price than in a gold store. That food prices are lower in silver clubhouses is nothing but an unexploded myth. customer can obtain a dinner in a gold Clubhouse for 65 that he will be forced to buy for 95c or more in a silver clubhouse without service, condiments, or the attractive surroundings that he is ordinarily accustomed to.
Jones is either woefully misinformed, or blindly ignorant about Canal Zone conditions. Does he think that the fancy swimming pools and bowling alleys in gold communities pay for themselves? If he doesn know, we ll inform him (and Congress too if the occasion arises) that the Clubhouse Division loses thousands of dollars on these joy riding facilities each year. And how are these thousands of dollars made up? The Clubhouse Division is forced to charge higher prices for the merchandise and food it sells and which is bought from the hard earned salaries of the non citizen employees.
If the silver employees were deprived of clubhouse privileges, Jones and his clique would either have to give up their swimming pools and bowling alleys or else påy such increased rates that they be howling to Congress for relief. We also wonder how long Jones would enjoy his superior commissary services without the fat profits made each year from the silver stores.
Partial view of the approximate 5000 Union members and In its arguments before the their families participating in the Labor Day Parade on the Atlantic side.
Supreme Court the State Deparment and Department of Best Letter to be Convention Time Justice argued that if the law Published Approaching were made applicable to these In the past ACCION has areas, the local, economies maintained a policy of not The Fourth Annual Con would be dislocated by the high publishing letters written vetion of Local 713, UPW er wage level required. This is by members to the paper. CIO is scheduled to take the same argument advanced by This has been necessary place on November 19 and the Panama Canal administrabecause of limited space.
20 at the La Boca Clubtion in its maintenance of the This policy has been house. Caribbean Wage Scale. The changed to permit at least Steward elections have argument runs that if a higher a minimum of rank and been in progress since last level of wages is established file expression in the month and will be comthe economy of the Republic newspaper Readers are pleted within the next ten of Panama would be disturbed now invited to write let days.
and consequently would be ters to ACCION on any All chapters will conagainst the interests of that subject of current interest. duct their elections durcountry.
The editorial staff will se ing this month and sublect what it considers mit the names of officers (Continued on page the one or two best writ and delegates to the conten letters and publish vention to the Recording them.
and Corresponding Secre on any resolutions to the Address all letters to tary as soon as possible.
convention and proposed ACCION, Drawer BalThe Chapters are urged amendments to the consboa, Canal Zone.
to take action this month titution.
La Boca Overcome by Acrid Fumes Several times in the past year La Boca residents have complained of the Labor Day, September 5, market another important victory fumes and smoke resultfor Local 713 when it successfully staged parades on both sides ing from the burning of of the Isthmus in an impressive show of strength.
waste material by emTo the martial strains of the Community and Centro Isthployees of the Panama mian Bands, the Pacific side parade wended its out of the DeRailroad in an area close Lesseps Park at A. and proceeded along Central Avenue to the Mechanical Divithrough Street and over into the Canal Zone, along Ancon sion.
and Balboa, and ended at the La Boca Ball Park. snappy The fumes are of a very Labor Day program was held. Spirited addresss and musical offensive character, caus items were rendered by Union members.
ing eyes to smart and burn, resulting in coughAddresses were deli by proximately 3000 members ing and generally causing President Pascual Ampudia, and their familes participated acute discomfort. The Financial Secretary Treasurer in the Pacific side demonstrawind usually blows the Cecil Hall, Parade Chairman tion despite a 100 degrees heat fumes directly into La Lester Pringle, recently de that seemed to be responsible Воса.
parted for the United States; for keeping away hundreds On several occasions, Edith Harper, Jose Tuñon of other members.
the smoldering continued and Francisco Arauz, first Pre Colorful posters, banners throughout the night and sident of Local 713.
and slogans carried by the (Continued on page BARADES COLORFUL: Ap(Continued on page 3)
In a piece of unrivalled hypocrisy, th: of talks out of one side of its mouth of saving the United States government several million dollars, and from the other side it presses for the passage of the McGarran Amendment which would cost the government over 36, 000, 000 per year.
The demand that 15, 900 non citizen employees be evicted from their quarters and thrown into Panama is so depraved that it is difficult, if not impossible, to deal rationally with it.
The housing shortage in Panama is so acute that whole families of six eight, and ten people are crowded into single rooms. The veitims of the Rio Abajo disaster are still holed up with families and relatives unable to find apartments or rooms for themselves.
The advocacy of the wholesale expulsion of thousands of employees and their families into such conditions can only cause feelings of loathing, disgust, and revulsion.
Not only is the of demand an example of unregenerate avarice but it is almost incredible in its blind stupidity. If the proposal were carried out, the gold employees would be the serious losers.
How many gold employees would lose their jobs if the silver clubhouses and commissaries were shut down? How many plumbers, electricians, foremen, supervisors, etc. would be thrown out of work if there were no longer any servicing or repairs to be done on silver housing. How many gold teachers, supervisors, principals, clerks, etc. would be sent back to the States if the schools were shut down?
This is but another dramatic example of a selfish group bent upon injuring others which would end up in inflicting grievous harm upon itself.
The demand of Jones should not be read as merely another wild mouthing from a reckless spokesman. This proposal represents the official thinking of both the Metal Trades Council Thousands Join Spirited Labor Day Demonstrations (Continued on page BIBLIOTECA NACIONAL ERNESTO CASTILLERO