6th ANNUAL California Industrial CONVENTION Union Council MUNICIPAL AUDITORIUM * LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA NOVEMBER 3- 4-5-6 1955 . D? 6th ANNUAL California Industrial CONVENTION Union Council MUNICIPAL AUDITORIUM * LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA NOVEMBER 3 -4-5- 6-1955 TABLE OF CONTENTS I. Executive Board Members ................................ ii II. Foreword . ........................................ iii III. Convention Proceedings .................................. 1-44 IV. List of Convention Committees and Members .............. 4-9 V. Convention Addresses: A. T. Lunceford ........................................ 1 Manuel Dias ........................................ 2 John A. Despol ........................................ 10 Neil Haggerty ....................................... 17-21 Richard McGee ...................................... 21-23 George Darling, M .................................. 23-25 Loren Miller ........................................ 33-35 Senator Richard Richards ............. ................ 37-39 VI. List of Resolutions .................................... 45-46 VII. Texts of Resolutions . ................................. 47-98 VIII. List of Delegates .................................... 99-103 IX. Financial Statement ................................. 104-118 President-Manuel Dias, UAWt Secretary-Treasurer-John A. Despol, USAtt ACWA ......... Jerome Posner* ALA ......... Theodore Brandt ANG......... Sam Eubanks* ARA ......... Philip O'Rourke CWA......... E. A. King' and Gordon Laughland GCEOC......... Cornelius Pierre INSURANCE ......... Frank Stack IUE......... Leroy Oleson IUMSWA ......... William Hooe IWA......... John Laird LIU ......... Geraldine Leshin NABET......... Anthony Severdia NMU......... Shannon Wall OCAW ......... Jack Bruhl* and Emmett O'Malley TRANSPORT ......... Louis Carty TWUA ......... Neil Griffin UAW......... Clarence Stinson and DeWitt Stone' .........UFW Anthony Scardaci UPW......... Steve Ray UPWA ......... John Janosco URW......... Herbert Wilson and Sam Pratt URWDSE ......... Al Bregnard USA......... Robert Clark* and Joe Angelo UTSEA......... Irene Feight Evans UWUA ......... Edward Shedlock* t7208 E. 14th St. tt117 West 9th Street Oakland 21, Calif. Los Angeles 15, Calif. LOckhaven 2-4825 TUcker 3187 'Vice Presidents elected by Executive Board ii -Excerpts from the Official Call to the Sixth Annual Convention The 1950 founding convention of the ClO-California Industrial Union Council was held in Long Beach, California. It is symbolic that the 1955 Convention-our last convention to be held prior to the CIO-AFL merger -is also to be held in this city. Since 1950 the California CIO Council, supported in its educational, legislative and political endeavors by its affiliates, has gone a long way in the California community. Its programs, aimed at social and economic advance and its participation in charitable and civic affairs, have made a positive and lasting impression, resulting in California CIO being recog- nized as one of the leading voices of liberalism and progress in the state ... While adopting resolutions in a democratic assembly can well offer inspiration and example to the oppressed peoples of the world and will lend encouragement to like-minded groups on the homefront, our respon- sibility does not end. The real measure of the seriousness and sincerity of our responsibility really begins. Decisions to do good-to channel efforts into wise and worthy undertakings-are, in the final analysis, meaningless unless an action program to implement them is conscientiously undertaken and the objectives reach fruition. In a sense this responsibility assumes greater implications on the eve of the historic merger of the two great American labor organizations, for we in CIO in California must join with our A. F. of L. brothers to continue, from a greater position of strength, the humanitarian and liberal phil- osophy which guides the program and projects of CIO and organized labor in general. It therefore follows that California CIO must make concrete contributions when organized labor officially joins hands in this state. In specific terms this means that the 1955 CIO State Convention must continue to formulate and reaffirm its programs and policies. As in past years, the means for so doing is through a democratic and broadly representative assemblage of CIO men and women, meeting in a spirit of camaraderie and purpose. iii November 3, 1955 The Sixth Annual Constitutional Convention of the CIO-California Industrial Union Council convened in the Municipal Auditorium, Long Beach, California, at 10:00 a.m., November 3, 1955, Mr. A. T. Lunceford, Secretary-Treasurer of the Greater Los Angeles CIO Council, presiding as chairman. Invocation by Father William Barry, Director of the Catholic Welfare Bureau. In the absence of Mayor George M. Vermillion, Vice Mayor Gerald Desmond extended the welcome of the City of Long Beach to the Convention delegates and presented the key to the City to President Manuel Dias. Bringing greetings from the national CIO officers, temporary chairman A. T. Lunceford, Secretary-Treasurer of the Greater Los Angeles CIO Council, reviewed the accomplishments and growth of California CIO and then pointed out that CIO in California and the nation is nearing "what CIO President Walter P. Reuther has called 'The New Beginning'." He went on to say that "We will face the chal- lenges of the future with new strength, new unity, renewed determination, and re-awakened inspira- tion. We have much work to do. We will do it united under one banner." Lunceford included in those challenges of the future a renewed attack against the "vicious Taft- Hartley Act, which still hangs its dead weight of vindictive, anti-union re- strictions around our or- ganizations"; a strength- ening of "our fight for better housing, decent housing within the reach A. T. Lunceford speaks of 'The New Beginning' of middle and lower in- come groups"; working for a "more equitable distribution of taxes"; broad- ening of the "minimum wage law to protect more workers"; liberalizing 1 "unemployment and workmen's compensation laws and enactment of FEPC laws. "We will, in other words, strengthen through unity our entire fight for liberal programs that improve the general welfare-the welfare of all the people. "This we must do, for let's make no mistake about this: those who would limit or destroy our liberties; those who would place the trade union movement in shackles: those who would put profit above the welfare of the people, and property above humanity-those who form the forces of reaction in our country are already strongly organized and richly endowed. They hold positions of dominance and strong influence in both the political and economic structures of our society." The temporary chairman concluded thus: "This is just a glimpse of the problems that lie before us. We are equal to the challenge. In the words of the preamble to the proposed constitution for the new, merged labor organization: "'We shall combat resolutely the forces which seek to undermine the democratic institutions of our nation and to enslave the human soul. We shall strive always to win full respect for the dignity of the human indi- vidual whom our unions serve'." Secretary-Treasurer John Despol read the CALL to the Convention. "It is symbolic that we meet here in Long Beach, California, which represents our last convention prior to the merger of national AFL and CIO. The past five years have shown consistent growth and success. At the founding Convention, held here in Long Beach, I was honored by being the first president of your newly organized Council. I accepted that responsibility with a sense of humility and at all times have tried to carry out my responsibilities. Whether or not I have achieved that is for others to decide, not for me to tell you. In the short five years we have been in existence it has been shown that we have been successful, for at. that founding convention, held here in this hall, we started out with little better than 8000 members affiliated to the new Council. In the short term of five years we have practically doubled our affiliation, for today, at this Sixth Annual Convention, the delegates here are representing better than 160,000 members. Of all the State Industrial Union Councils throughout the nation, our California State Council has the highest percentage of affiliation of CIO members compared to other State Councils. Neither I nor Brother Despol can claim any credit for our affiliations. It has been the result of the combined efforts of the officers of the Council, Directors, officers of local unions and the rank and file members. Since our last convention, held in Oakland, we have increased, in one year alone, better than 19,000. "Up until 1951 we had provided finances for administrative purposes. However, there were no finances to carry on legislative activities. At the 1951 convention you did provide the tools with which we could work 2 by establishing the two cent legislative fund. As time went on we found that that was not sufficient. Some two years ago we explained to the delegates that we still had an important job to do. One of our re- t%". ,,. ," t _ sponsibilities is inter- Vr viewing and endors- ing candidates. If we endorse a candidate President Manuel Dias we have to help that "It is symbolic that we meet here in Long Beach ... which repre- candidate financially. sents our last convention prior to the (national) merger..." Most of the candi- dates do not have sufficient funds