THE UNION WITH A FUTURE

[Music] [Applause] [Music] you have a future with the chemical workers union because the chemical workers are on the go top leaders of our country have recognized this fact here is the message the late President John F Kennedy sent to our 1962 convention Walter L Mitchell chemical workers president reads it I am pleased to extend greetings and best wishes to the officers and members of the International chemical Workers Union on the occasion of your eighteenth convention this organization has throughout its history been one of the strongest supporters of honest and effective trade unionism and has represented the best traditions of the labor movement in America the chemical industry as well as all Americans have benefited from your dedicated and successful efforts to achieve higher wages and better working conditions for the chemical workers but there is much unfinished business at hand I spoke to you at your 1960 convention about the challenge of job security in an age of rapid technological development that challenge is still before us all of us in labor in industry and in government we must join in the urgently important task of solving this persistent and complex problem I'm sure the chemical workers union will continue to do its part as a responsible member of our great and free society with every good wish for a most enjoyable and fruitful convention signed John F Kennedy President of the United States [Applause] yes the chemical workers 100,000 strong United States and Canada know the problems of jobs security in our society we hold bargaining contracts with all the major chemical companies and at plants where automation was a fact long before the word was coined chemical workers headquarters are in Akron Ohio it is from here that field activities are guided reinforced and coordinated the flow of communication with nine regional offices and 400 local unions is unceasing letters are carefully routed copied and given prompt reply the chemical workers know that an informed member is a good number each month every member receives the union's newspaper the International chemical worker with full accounts of the union's activities on all levels highly mechanized office equipment assures efficient handling of local union financial reports at the headquarters building all the legal department the research education Health and Safety Department the public relations department here are the various staffs gather in conferences with the International President and secretary treasurer to discuss problems that have arisen in the field and to find ways of improving service to the membership from these conferences may come Emmanuel assisting local unions in their many functions or a brief helping them defend their rights in a court of law or before an arbitrator the chemical workers know what an important role legal action plays in today's labor relations the research education Health and Safety Department keeps tabs on economic trends in the chemical industry it analyzes the contracts covering the chemical workers 650 bargaining units and supplies local unions with data tailored to their particular situation and needs its staff of professional economists continuously studies the financial reports of companies with which the union bargains it issues regular and special reports regarding vital developments in the jurisdiction [Music] the department also conducts summer schools and weekend training institutes for local union leaders there were 20 of these in 1963 activities in Canada with its 15,000 chemical worker members are coordinated by the Canadian research and education director the chemical workers have the largest membership in Canada of any chemical Union each quarter the International Executive Board meets to review to discuss to plan policy on the basis of reports from staff specialists like the chemical Workers Washington representative the board members are regional directors supervising the service work of the unions more than 60 field representatives they bring to the discussions and intimate knowledge of their areas problems the growth and the strength of the Union in every sector at large plants and small is their paramount concern their efforts have produced a steady upward trend in membership north south east and west the chemical workers program for bargaining strength includes a million dollars strike fund that pays guaranteed benefits to local unions which find it necessary to go on strike [Music] among recent executive board projects is the apprenticeship program whereby in conjunction with the federal government the Union seeks to provide training which will permit chemical workers to upgrade their skills and gain greater job security the chemical workers assisted by the union's medical consultant and outside experts have been in the forefront of campaigns for improved health and safety conditions in our industry here is what one knowledgeable observer says about the job we're doing James Reynolds assistant secretary of labor this decent vigorous fine union for what cooperation has been called for to safeguard the industry which our members are associated with when you've been called upon to advance the standards of your industry and to protect the jobs of workers this union has provided the type of leadership which has been called for you have taken advanced and successful positions to cooperate for the benefit of both industry and working at the White House in Washington DC our union willingly signed its pledge of cooperation with the President's Committee on Equal Employment Opportunity because the chemical workers believe every worker deserves a decent break we were one of the first unions to set up a civil rights committee president Mitchell I congratulate you and the members of the International chemical Workers Union I'm signing this pledge this plan for progress you are reaffirming a practice of long standing of the chemical Workers Union that there can be no such thing as rights just for a few there must be equal rights for all or there is no democracy president Mitchell your signature on this historic document here in the White House is a promise of principle I am confident that your union will continue to march in the path of equal opportunity nothing that has happened to me since I became vice president has given me more hope of the future and more pleasure for the present and the alert statesmanship activity of the Union people of America a progressive outlook a record of progress we've had progress to report to you on this two-year period I think this progress proves to you or should at least let your executive board has worked as a great team but your international staff has worked as a great team in making this possible today they got it on the table I'm sure and some of the pamphlets your Union is worth over 1 million 700 thousand dollars that represents a gain of over a half million dollars since the last convention and more than a million of that is in cash now bunny doesn't make a union its members you make the Union hi we done membership wise Wow Oh CAW was lives in 4500 members last year we gained 2390 net gain as of June 30th the end of our fiscal year but the chemical workers are not standing pat on this record of achievement they remember the words of President Kennedy those who are satisfied with things that they are those who wish to stand still those who look back to the good old days I don't think they should come with us in the 60s those who want to move this country those who think we can do better those who think that there are better days still ahead those who think that it's time that the government and the people devoted themselves to the great unfinished business of our society as Franklin Roosevelt did in his administration and Wilson it is and Harry Truman in his I hope they come with us we owe promised an easy future the chemical workers don't promise an easy future but we promise you a full voice and a full share in a union that has a future an important future so meet your responsibilities support the International chemical Workers Union the union with a future in the industry of the future [Music]