Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-09-28
WAGE RESTORATION
FIGHT NOW LOOMS
Union Labor Convention Ex.
pected to Plan Against
Further Reductions.
BY CHESTER M. WRIGHT.

Wage reductions in the steel industry
give the American Federation of Labor
Convention. about to open in VAN
couver, q new issue.
The situation as Il was less than
week ago indicated a convention IN
which the twin keynotes would have
been unemployment and a fight against
wage reductions. Obviously the action
OF the steel industry changes the sita.
tIon, ana instead OF protest the issue
To-Day becomes largely one Of wage resto-
ration.
President Green, with all other ON
Gals and most of the delegates. are
now en- route to Vancouver, where the
annual convention opens on October S.
Resentment Expressed.
Statements already made hv pres;.
dent Green, Vice President Matthew
Vol and other labor leaders indicate
resentment OF exceeding depth and of
some bitterness against the sweeping
wage reductions ordered during the past
week. The outlook, on the basis of these
and on the basis Of known sentiment
that has been accommodating for at least
year, Is for a convention in which
there will be a vigor of speech and ac-
ton unknown for years. Certainly the
action OF the steel industry will serve
to put fresh edge on debate from
start to finish.
The action OF steel does not affect
trade union agreements, but among the
thousands of workers whose wages have
been ordered cut there are considerable
numbers OF union men working without
agreements other than the agreement
between worker and employer. How
ever, that Is not the principal point at
issue. The principal point Is the OBJ
V1ous rear that the action of steel will
serve 70 give fresh impetus to the whole
wage-reduction movement.
For year organized labor has CEN
tered enormous energies in the fight
10 maintain wages. It has repeatedly
announced its faith in the power Of
nlgn wages and properly readjusted
work hours per day and week to restore
and maintain an economic balance
Labor had come to feel that a great
body OF public sentiment had been
built up in support of that contention.
AS matter of fact, it had support from
James A. FarreK himself In his Iron and
Steel Institute address, where he at
tackled the wage-cut advocates in the
steel industry.
It will undoubtedly be generally felt
In the convention that not only have
masses OF workers been forced to lower
levels OF living, but that the growing
pubic agreement upon q high-wage
policy has been slowed up and in effect
| rebuked by some of the biggest wage
paying institutions in the Nation. I'm.
doubtedly the feeling will be that the
whole effort to create more harmonious
employer -employe relations has been
set back and new note of strife in
1ected in its place.
Labor Has Taken Stand.
1t is an open secret that organized
labor has not wanted strikes and in
some cases has gone to great lengths
to prevent them, but it need surprise
no one II this attitude is materially
modified. If not reversed in the coming
convention. Labor has taken its stand
on the famous White House Confer
ence agreement against wage reduce
ton and against strikes. 1t feels, as its
leaders have repeatedly said. that the
unions have kept their bargain They
are likely to feel that in a material
way the bargain has been nullified.
OF course, there Is bright spot It
Is in the fact that, by and large, union
agreements have been honored and that
as they have expired they have been re-
newed, in most cases without wage reduc-
tons. The bright spot extends further,
under the influence of the prevailing
wage law enacted by the last Congress.
In so far as information is available, it
Is apparent that the bulk of Govern
ment construction work is being done
at prevailing union rates. which means
that, while in unorganized industries
wages have been pounded somewhat,
they remain about as they were in the
building trades.
But these bright spots will not 60
far to tone down the bitterness that
now seems certain to break forth In the
coming Vancouver convention. Clearly
enough fight" is in the air, as it has
not been at any time since the stock
market took its famous nose dive two
years ago.
(Copyright, 1917