Twin city review. [volume] (Champaign, Ill.) 19??-1929, 1922-05-05
COLLECTIVE
BARGAINING
us JUSTIFIED

t1he lteh1neka y e<fsi1fi0slall 4 {
As an individual the working luAn
Is just as helpless as u sapling In q
tempest. He may say that he intends
to work for whom he pleases and Tor
as many hours as he pleases, but II he
remains unorganized he will learn,
sooner or later, perhaps when 1t is
too late, that he must ask his eni-
ployer for leave to work for what the
employer chooses to pay and as many
hours as the employer desires.
Cardinal O'Connell, Of Boston, in a
pastoral letter issued November IL,
1921, defined the right of working
men and women to organize in the
following words:
''The right of men to organize Is a
natural, inalienable right. Capital
enjoys it, and justly; labor enjoys 1t,
and Justly. Ii is manifestly unjust
for capital to vindicate its own right
to organize and to deny the same
right to workers"
Rev. Thomas M. Conroy, speaking
at banquet in the Chamber of Com
merce at TT. Wayne, Ind, November
3, 1921, in discussing the capital and
labor question, said:
"About the principle OF unionism
in itself is nothing immoral. For men
to band together to place their labor
on the market is as moral as when
men join together to utilize their
capital represented in money or
goods. This attempt of the radicals
to annihilate the union is merely
adding confusion to situation that
is now badly disturbed. Whenever
the labor union ceases to function or
exist we will have labor slavery"
Theodore Roosevelt, while presl-
dent, in discussing collective bargain
ing, said:
"If | were factory employe, a
laborer on the railroads, or wage
Garner of any sort, | would undoubt-
ly join the union of my trade. If |
were opposed to the policy of the un-
ion | would join it If for no other
reason than to help rectify the mis-
take. If l took exception to a dis
honest leader, would join that union
to help remove him. In short, | be-
lieve in the union. and believe that
all men who are benefited by the
union are morally bound to help to
the extent of their power in the COM
mon interest advanced by the union. =
President Harding, in his message
to congress December S, 1921, said
"The right of labor TO organize is
Just as fundamental and necessary as
Is the right of capital to organize.
The right of labor to negotiate, to
deal with and solve its particular
problems, in an organized way
through its chosen agents, is just as
essential as is the right of capital to
organize, to maintain corporations.
The war labor board, in discussing
collective bargaining, said:
"The right of workers to organize
in trade unions and to bargain col
lectively through chosen representa-
tives is recognized and affirmed. This
/ right shall not be denied, abridged
or interfered with by the employers
/ in any manner whatsoever"
Chief Justice William II. Taft, In
the recent decision of the supreme
court in which the right of labor to
peacefully picket was upheld, wrote
/ in the court opinion:
Labor unions were organized out
of the necessities of the situation
A single employe was helpless ir
dealing with an employer. If the en-
ployer refused to pay him the wages
which he thought fair, he neverthe-
/ less was unable to leave the employ
and resist arbitrary and unfair treat
ment.
"Union was essential to give labor.
ers an opportunity TO deal on al
equalipty with their employers. Ts
render this combination effective EN-