The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1933-08-12
Is NRA Anti.LabOr?
N. Y. W0rld-T Telegram
NRA is under attack.

The NRA is under attack.
Miss Mary Van Kleeck, of the Rus
sell Sage Foundation, has resigned a.
a member of the Advisory council o.
the U. S. Employment Service in pro-
test against the administrations al
legged anti-labor policies. When such
an expert makes serious charges the!
merit consideration.
In our judgment, she has touched
certain dangerous possibilities rather
than actual anti-labor acts Of thu
administration.
Specifically, Miss Van Kleeck say
that the collective bargaining rights
of labor, recognized by the Recover!
law, cannot be protected If labor /!
denied the right to strike under thu
new truce agreement. That is true
It Is also true, as she says, that tn
MIRA evaded the company union issue
in the steel code hearings. Moreover
1t is true, as she says, that company
union employees have more than fail
share of representation in the MR.
organization.
This set-up does hold dangers.
But, despite these unfavorable con
ditions, labor has Jared better thar
employers at the hands Of the NRA tt
date.
Take the case of the textile code, thu
first and largest in operation. Thu
NRA gave labor far better deal II
that code than the union officia
himself had demanded in the Origina
negotiations.
The most remarkable feature Of tn
steel hearings was the failure OF labo
to achieve even minimum of or
ganization in that industry under tn
invitation Of the Recovery law, ant
the failure of labor to present +.
strong case at the hearings. Their
was only one powerful and ADEQUATE
voice raised in behalf of labor's right
and that was the voice of Secretar.
of Labor Perkins, in other words tn
Roosevelt administration.
Finally, take the case of the Media
ton Board. Only two of the seye,
members are direct labor representa-
tives. But Miss Van Kleeck has over
looked the much more important fac
that Senator Wagner, the chairman
and DIR. Leo Wolman, the economist
hold the balance Of power on tn
board and that both of them ar
proved friends OF legitimate labor in
tereSts.
AS for the right to strike, which sh
thinks has been sacrificed by the true
agreement, that is an inalienable RICH
which cannot be destroyed. But 1t
a right that can be withheld for fai
arbitration. II certain employers d.
not live up to the code standards, a
Miss Van Kleeck properly fears, tn
administration in the dispute will b
on the side OF labor and not on tn
side Of the law-breaking employers
Far from sacrificing q right in tn
process, labor, In fact, wins powerful
Tally in the government.
The real trouble with Miss Va
Kleeck is that she hates to face tn
disagreeable fact that labor in Am
erica Is weak and poorly led, and tina
1t has failed during the last few week
to take advantage Of its unique op
portunities under the Recovery la,
to organize unions. AS q friend q
labor she Is inclined to blame capita
or the government for the sins 6
organized labor itself. II Presiden
Roosevelt had been half as slow an
Indifferent to the needs Of labor, q
many of the union leaders themselve
have been, the country today woul
have no Recovery law with its charte
of labor rights.