The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1933-10-26
RACKETS AND LABOR

THE NRA gives organized labor the finest
F"break" in labor history. The federal gov
eminent has taken 1t upon itself to deal with
the bundozing and avarlcious pirates among
the employers who refuse to square their
policies with the modern economic perspective
and to concede the right Of collective bargain
ing This would be the best Of all times for
labor to move of its own accord to get rid Of
the racketeers crooks, thugs and gangsters
who have wormed themselves into high posi-
tons in the labor world and have done so
much to weaken and discredit the union
movement.
This important subject is dealt with COM
pletely and graphically by Harold Seidrnan in
the Nation. AS he puts it: "a Tammany
Sachem could not do more thorough job than
the labor bosses who reign supreme by means
of gangsters, graft, machine made constitu-
tons, and judiciously distributed patronage.
Under the leadership Of these INSCRIPTIONS
officials, both local and international, every
known type of racketeering fourishes."
The conduct of these crooks who make
Roadway in labor circles and falsely pose as
labor leaders is almost incredible to those IN
familiar with recent labor history. At time
when there is vast unemployment when wage
cuts have been all but universal and when the
income of labor has been reduced to less than
half of what it was In 1929, these grafters are
able to extort huge salaries The president Of
one local union in New York City received
$21 800 a year. This same man also received
amounted to $1,000 q year on the average.
These racketeering labor bosses often have
irresponsible control over large funds. The
members Of New York local sued it's officials
for the return of no less than $7,500,OO0 In
union funds which the officials were accused
Of having split among themselves. Heavy dues
are assessed against members of the union to
conduct legal battles In behalf Of the rack
eteer bosses and their gangster henchmen.
One local union had to raise in this way some
$4,000 to hire probably the most expensive
criminal lawyer in the United States to defend
its grating and reasonable boss.
Racketeering pure and undef1led often is
resorted to. The members of the union are
compelled to pay large sums for protection"
in the same way that laundrymen, clothes
cleaners and others have paid protection
money to Chicago racketeers. Employers are
held up. They are threatened with strikes If
they do not cough up" and are promised
freedom from labor troubles If they come
through with the payments requested.
But oppressive and huge financial graft
is not the worst aspect Of this labor racket
eering. These fake labor leaders sell out
flagrantly and betray the labor cause at every
turn. While exacting large sums from their
labor following. they enter into agreements
with employers to help the latter resist union
ization. They promise the latter not to make
any further efforts to unionize their own In
duStry.
Not infrequently these crooks themselves
own and operate non-union industries on the
side. In one case a racketeering labor car
who was running an open-shop plant of his
own tried to deliver goods to premises which
were being picketed by members of the union
he was supposed to lead. Reasonable strike
breaking at the behest Of employers is a COM
monplacs activity Of the bogus labor officials.
One would think that such fragrant be-
etrayai OF labor union interests soon would Rad