Evening star., 1933-10-02
Labor's Opportunity.

The American Federation Of abor
opens its annual convention in WASH
ington today, determined to advance
the cause of organized labor in this
country President William Green, on
the eve of the gathering, announced
that the total membership Of the A.
F. of L. was about 100000; that the
membership had increased by 100000,
and that it is now within $4,000 of its
high-water mark during the World War.
The goal Mr.. Green now sets IS 10000
900 members, and that is to be followed
by 25,OO0.O0O.
The American Federation Of Labor
has been a helpful influence for the
worker in the past. 1t has been a
stabilizer In times Of stress. The cause
Of labor has advanced under its leader
ship. It's conservatism has been de-
nounced by radicals who have wished
to overthrow the principles Of Ameri-
can Government and society. Today
the federation has an opportunity to
S1lOW lISSll dSdAl q WloS oAiN SoPo1AN
leader in the field of labor. The ma
tional recovery act has been hailed as
a magma charta Of organized labor, a
pledge of the right Of labor to deal
collectively with employer. Undoubt-
edly this act Of Congress has proved
stimulus to the organizers OF the Amer
ican Federation Of Iabor and under
this stimulus the extraordinary growth
in membership during recent months
has come about.
The cause of organized labor cannot
be permanently advanced by excesses.
The right of labor to organize for its
protection and to deal collectively with
the employers of labor has been upheld
many times in this country. 1t has
been written into the laws OF the land.
1t has become an accepted principle
that few Americans seriously deny.
But the American people will resent
efforts to dominate them, whether they
come from employer or from labor
union. This is fact which the
leaders of organized labor will do well
to remember.
The country today is torn with labor
strikes, at time when every sane
effort is toward recovery. Here Is
problem to which the heads of the A.
F. of L. may turn their attention and
their efforts with benefit not only to
organized labor but to the whole coun-
try. 1t is entirely human that organ
lied labor, under the impetus OF the
N. R. A. should undertake to grasp
all it can. The very opportunity afford
ed for further advance, however, must
be dealt with soundly in the interests
of the workers themselves. Some OF
the leaders today are declaiming against
the codes adopted, holding that the
hours of labor are still too long and
that minimum wages are too low.
They should realize that the steps al
ready taken in the direction of short
ening hours of labor, of minimum
wages and Of collective bargaining have
Oe6n EXTRAORDINARILY great. IL biIio
occasion is now used to force the coun-
try into a long series OF dlsruptive,
costly strikes. with the suffering en-
tailed upon the workers and their fam
lilies and the stoppage OF industrial
recovery, the leadership Of labor will
be seriously at fault. There will be
q re11Ilsion of feeling throughOllt the
land.
The country is seeking to stage
come back to prosperity and employ
ment through a remarkable program.
so wide in scope and SO farreaching as
to be almost staggering. 1t is the part
Of labor to cooperate in this program
If it is to have a chance of success.
To attempt to use this program for its
own interests only would be in the end
a blow to labor and to the entire Nation.