Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-08-01

labor legislation in general.
a committee was appointed to
consider the legislative proposals.
which had been discussed at the
conference and to recommend a
program which might be acceptable
to all of the groups interested. Sup
port OF the women workers in their
EFFORTS to obtain protection through
organization was also asked.
Labor leaders as a rule advise
the women to form or join unions as
the most effective means OF making
sure that their economic rights will
not be invaded. They argue that If
all women workers stand together
they can be certain of making fair
wage agreements with employers be-
cause they will have the strike as q
weapon with which to force their
employers to terms, and some of
them go so far as to insist that the
real hope of the woman lies in
unionization rather than in mini
mum wage laws.
Not Good Union Material
However, experience has indicated
that. except in a few trades, women
are not yet what would be called
good union material. Most of them
go into industry as an ~expedient,
rather than as an occupation, and
II they can not get the wage they
need or want are disposed to take
what they a get. Most of them
are unskilled, or semi-skilled, and
that class of workers is always hard
to organize and hold to a common
determined purpose. Those who are
compelled to work, also. are almost
invariably timid-fearful of losing
the job upon which they are depend
ent-and hence unwilling to take
the chance of a test of economic
strength with their employers,
Without disparaging the loyalty
OF women to one another it may also
be pointed out that when a group
of women workers go on strike there
are invariably more strike breakers,
proportionately, than when a similar
group OF men go to the mat with
their employers. Hence strikes of
women workers are rarely effective.
Leaders of the organizations that
are Interested in the minimum wage
law idea are quite we'll aware of
this and they are urging that the
only hope of protecting women in
industry lies in legislation. If such
legislation is unconstitutional as the
fundamental law of the land is
now construed, then they say that
the Constitution must be changed.
Two proposals in this direction
are under consideration. First of
these is a constitutional amendment
which would require a z to 2 vote
of the Supreme Court, instead of a
bare majority vote, to hold any act
of Congress unconstitutional. 1t is
also suggested to supplement this
with a provision that would make
lit possible for Congress to override
1 a decision of the Supreme Court
by a three-fourths or two-thirds
vote.
The second proposal is for an
amendment to the Constitution which
would not change the power Of the
Supreme Court, but which would so
alter the Constitution that a mini
mum wage law would have to be up
held by the Court. There is some ad-
~vocacy of an amendment that would
not be broad enough to permit the
enactment of all welfare or social
legislation, which would include
such things as a child labor law, as
well as a minimum wage law.
(Which type of change would be
more desirable is a question which
might keep political philosophers in
terested for some time" say the
Women's Bureau, yet the serious
consideration Of the possibilities in.
volved in each line of attack is o.
practical importance to those whit
would advance the position of under
paid wage The really in
teresting and hopeful side of thu
whole situation is the very consider
able interest which has been mani
tested itself In the whole matter, al
interest shared by labor organic
ations, welfare and religious bodies
those connected with the Govern
ment, and, most important Of all
the women themselves through thei
organizations"