The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1918-08-31
union LABOR IS
LOYAL TO NATION
Keys Up Production, Heads Of
Strikes, Prevents Cessa-
ton Of Work,
CONTINUED From Page ~

their union buttons, and no one has
dared say them nay. They are going
to continue to wear their union but
tons. And since the act of joining the
union Is no longer to be punished or
questioned, President Konencamp OF
the Commercial Telegraphers' union
sees no reason why he should not now
go out and organize the whole force,
just as has been done by the metal
trades and building trades organiza-
tons in war industries. Mr. Burleson
has backed down. His broom didn't
work. Ten per cent advance in wages
made no difference. The right to or
ganize was the issue, and it was set
tied right.
This victory of tie telegraphers has
brought great comfort to the Fedora
ton of Postal Employees, the Letter
Carriers association, and. all the
branches of the mail service. They
see the day coming rapidly nearer
when they, with the telegraphers, will
not merely be tolerated but will be
called in as an organization, to have a
part in establishing 4 region Of that
industrial democracy which Walsh so
clearly points out as the big thing to
be won. =;
Work or Fight Amendment.
AS these lines are written, congress
is fighting over, the scheme put for
ward by Senator Thomas Of Colorado,
and so bitterly denounced by Frank
Morrison, secretary of the A. F. of
L., as an insult to organized labor
the amendment to the man-power bill
which would virtually forbid strikes
Of workers in war industries during
the war.
At the same moment, the $4,000
workers in the war industries at
Bridgeport. Conn.,, are in a turmoil of
protest at the failure Of the employer
members Of the War Labor board to
permit the rendering of decision on
their conditions before the. man
power legislation shall be passed.
Many of the men at Bridgeport fear
that the award is being delayed In
order to force upon them a work-or-
fight law: that will permit no protest
at an award which falls short Of a
living wage and union recognition.
Walsh Keeps Busy.
Frank p. Walsh, accompanied by
John Fitzpatrick, president OF the
Chicago Federation Of Labor, is now
in Bridgeport, meeting the workers
and reasoning with them. Walsh asks
them to be patient, to stay on the job,
and he promises that the War Labor
board can give them nothing short
of a fair award. He does not say
that the millennium is at hand, or that
the award of the six men representing
capital and the six representing labor
will be a 100 per cent labor decision;
but he says that it will go far in adj
vance of what they can get by any
other road. And one thing is as
sured-there will be recognition of
the shop committees of the workers
| in every plant in the town.
Would Not Hunt Movement.
Suppose congress does enact law
which would cancel the exemption of
any worker who went on strike, as
| proposed in the Thomas amendment.
It is scarcely to be supposed that that
law would paralyze the labor move
ment. Workers would continue to
send their demands to the War Labor
board. and to urge prompt action.
They would take more interest in see
ing that their demands were pressed.
They would hold the local plant su-
perintendents more directly account
able for trouble. The force that had
been expended in strikes would simply
be turned into another channel of
protest. Possibly more effective means
Of dealing with anti-democratic bosses
can be found than have ever yet been
developed. The War Labor board, for
instance. has shown that a boss can
be publicly discredited and made ridic-
ulous. and tho workers can be official
~ formed into a sort Of vigilance
society to protect industrial justice in
the plant. And with each step: taken
in educating the bosses the labor
movement discovers more Of it's own