Montana labor news., 1933-06-08
ROOSEVELT BACKS LABOR CHARTER

President Roosevelt gave assurance to a labor dele
cation, headed by President Green of the American Fed
Grafton of Labor, June 2, that the Administration stood
back Of the principle involved in Section Z OF the So
called National Industrial Recovery bil-the charter of
labor freedom.
At a press conference later in the day the President
was asked how the ulimatum delivered June l to the
Senate Finance Committee by Robert P. Lamont for the
Iron and Steel Institute, that the steel industry must be
permitted to retain its present anti-unlon labor arrange
ments, fitted in with the practical operation of the bill
He replied that that could be answered best by the Ian
.guage OF Section {, paragraph (a) subdivision (D.
The language cited by Roosevelt is: Every code of
fair competition, agreement, and license approved, pre-
.Scribed, or issued under this title shall contain the fol-
lowing conditions % That employees shall have the
right to organize and bargain collectively through rep
resentatives of their own choosing, and shall be free from
interference, restraint, or coercion of employers of la
Dor, or their agents, in the designation of such repre-
s~entatves or in self-organizations or in other concerted
activities for the, purpose of collective bargaining or
other mutual aid or protection"
When asked whether the Administration stands back
of Section Z, the President replied that there might be
some change in its language, but the Administration
was back of the principle involved. He added that the
substance of this language is already to be found in fed
eral law.
The visit of Green and other A. F. of [. chiefs to the
White House to discuss the crisis caused by Lamonts
warning that the steel industry would stand "irrevocably
for the open shop" marked a new phase in the battle
for the industrial control legislation. Organized labor
recognizes that employers no longer dictate the terms
of employment, but get their orders from Morgan & Co.
through whatever banks the employers deal with. La
Dor agrees with Roosevelt that this Wall Street dicta-
torship is bad for the workers, and that federal govern
ment control Of industrial relations would be likely to
improve buying-poWer because it would reduce working
hours and would raise wages. Labor and Roosevelt
are getting together on this issue. In order to have an
immediate discussion, Green did not wait for the as
sembling of the executives of the national and inter-
national unions whom he called to Washington for June
6. He will lay before that gathering the results of his
conference with Roosevelt.
Whether the President will ask Senate Democrats to
insist upon all of the text of the labor section of the bill
as it passed the House, is not yet clear. The u. S..
Chamber of Commerce has demanded that the direct
banning of the company union by name be stricken
out. Such an amendment would leave the bill in a form
which would forbid employers to compel employees to
cludes company union, and would presumably be so con-
strued in enforcement Of the law, but Green induced the
House committee to write company union in place of
organization" so that no %loophole would remain.