The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-05-07
Employers Meet to
Strengthen Drive OF
NRA Against Unions
Chamber of Commerce; Amends Wagner Bill,
Brings Forward Company Unions
By CARL REEVE

NEW YORK.-The United States
Chamber Of Commerce. which in
itiated the National Industrial Re-
covery Act, has Just ended its ses-
sions with the passage of a series
of resolutions which give the Roose-
welt government its instructions as
to how the N. R. A. shall carry on
in the immediate future. These
instructions, already embodied in
the modified Wagner disputes bill,
and the conferences Of the Auto
Labor Board on the general Fisher
Body strike, include: Cd the foster
ing and the development Of COM
pany unions; ~ no more wage in
creases or shortening Of hours; 80
no Unemployment insurance; a. ac-
celeration Of the n R. AS union
smashing. campaign, and the out
lawing Of strikes; 90 incrcas ed
monopolization and fascist tend3n-
cies.
The resolution passed BIZ taa
United States Chamber Of Com
merce on employment relations"
states: The rights Of employers
and the rights Of employees to par
ticipate in determination of methods
for discussion and negotiation of
employment relations should not be
abridged. In the exercise of the
right to organize and to bargain
collectively through representatives
of Jheir own choosing, employees
should be free from coercion or
restraint from any source. There
should be no attempt in any degree,
to lessen, through legislative re-
strictiOns upon particular kinds of
organization company unions - C.
r. the freedom OF employees in
determining the form of any organ
ization created voluntarily. for the
purpose Of collective bargaining"
This instruction to the govern
ment for more open strike-breaking
measures, for the Grass support Of
the company union without dems-
gogic trimmings, has been obeyed
by President Roosevelt. At the very
moment that the speeches of the
country's leading employers in the
Chamber Of Commerce meeting
were demanding more vigorous union
smashing, and bringing forward
more speedily Of the company
unions, President Roosevelt was con-
fering with Wagner, Perkins, and
others and modifying the Wagner
disputes" bill to suit these de-
mandS.
The Modified Wagner Bill
The revised bill as it now stands
enla-ges the powers of the National
Labor Board to settle labor dis
/ putes and virtually makes strikes
illegal. It also provides that COM
pany unions are recognized by the
National Labor Board In its re-
vised form revised by the president
+ &C. r. the bill is understood to
permit company unions, provided
there is no evidence of employer
domination Most of the amend
ments agreed to at today's confer
ence we're designed to make it pos
sible for the effective company
unions to continue" This is the
report of the modification by Roose-
welt of the Wagner Bill, in the N. Y.
Post of May 4.
Thus President Roosevelt has re-
moved from the Wagner disputes"
bill some Of the demagogy which
served to cloak its original purpose,
now strengthened, to outlaw strikes.
to hamstring the trade unions, and
i to enslave the workers to company
unions where the employers will be
able to smother struggles Of the
workers for higher wages and better
conditions. The employers feel that
i the removal Of this demagogy will
speed up the strike breaking drive
against the workers.
That the Roosevelt government
intends through the N r A, to
keep down the wage levels, while
the cost of living is still further
boosted is clear from the delibera-
lions of the U. S. Chamber of Com
merce. In his keynote speech to
this convention, President Henry I
Hartman said: There is feeling
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