Evening star., 1933-07-31
new FIELDS HELD
I INVADED BY LABOR
Recovery Act Seen as Put
ting Approval Stamp on
Collective Bargaining.

BY the Associated Press.
With courage in their stride and
copies of the national industrial recov-
cry act in their hands, labor organic
ers are invading new fields. Never
in history, they say, has Federal law
put such definite stamp of approval
on labor's right to collective bargaining
Employees shall have the right" the
act provides, to Organize and bargain
collectively through representatives OF
their own choosing, and shall be free
from the interference, restraint, or CO.
ercion of employers of labor or their
agents in the designation Of such rep
resentatives or in self organization or IN
other concerted activities for the pur-
pose OF collective bargaining or other
mutual aid or protection"
Fertile Territory Found.
As a result, unionization has found
unexpected fertile territory in the mass
production industries. The American
Federation Of Labor is setting up ofnces
In Detroit and Akron to organize auto
mobile and rubber workers. And stimuli
taneously, it Is making use Of a form
Of organization almost unknown to the
general public-the Federal Labor
Union"
Most unions are craft unions. That
Is, they embrace workers in many plants,
but their members are all engaged IN
the same craft or trade. A federal
union, on the other hand, is union
which takes in all workers within a
single plant, no matter what their craft,
and does not go beyond the bounds OF
the particular factory in seeking mem
bers
Federal unions are ORGANIZED when
the individual crafts in a given area
haven't enough members to form strong
craft unions. They are chartered as
members of the A. F. of L. directly,
whereas ordinary craft unions affiliate
only through their State, national, or
international combinations. Authority
for such procedure is given to A. F. OF
L. officials by article 2, section l OF the
federation constitution, which says that
one object of the federation shall be the
organization of local unions when
necessary.
Up to now, Federal unions have been
few. Only 40 local groups were listed
in the 1881 hand book Of the A. F. Of L.
as Federal labor unions"
The reason for the present turning
to this form of union is the desire to
organize workers as quickly and effec-
lively as possible so as to take advant-
age OF the recovery act. William Green,
president of the A. F. Of L., says this
policy is the only one by which these
workers can become organized and en-
Joy the benefit of collective bargaining
as provided for in section z Of the in
dustrial recovery act"
Intensive Activity Seen.
Craft unions are by no means being
neglected by the organizers. Mining, as
a matter of fact, has seen especially
intensive activity. The Federal labor
unions are limited to few mass pro-
duction industries, and possibly may
not be permanent.
It's always possible for members Of
Federal unions to affiliate with regular
craft unions This Is not done through
the union however. When the member
of the Federal union changes his afi1lia-
ton, he does so as an individual. But
inevitably, the Federal union disappears
after its members thus have been alb
sorbed by the more common craft
unions.
Meanwhile, federation officials are
busily explaining that Federal unions"
do not represent any change IN the
policy of the A. F. Of L. It has been
organizing them for nearly half
century.