The daily worker. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1924-1958, 1934-02-16
Labor Board
Again Rebufs
WeirtOn Men
ROOsevelt's PrOmis c 5
Turn Out to Be
Sheer Fakei.y
BY MARGUERITE YOUNG
Daily Worker Washington Bureau)

tDdHy NOGhcT Washing buu RNA Sst1l
WASHINGTON, Feb. 15.-The Ma
tional Labor Board considered the
Weirton case at length yesterday and
then announced, We've nothing to
say about Weirton." And thus an
other strike-stalling maneuver, appa-
rently a recently established policy Of
the Board, stood revealed.
1t is q significant coincidence that,
just as the original strike breaking
policy Of promising an election while
driving strikers back to work was in
augurated at Weirton, the new device
Of promising a poll to determine
whether an election is wanted by en-
ployes also was first employed in the
notorious Weirton steel plants.
Since President Roosevelt sent
Weirton worker representatives home
with the promise Of a poll, the Ma
tional Labor Board has rendered
several formal decisions in other
cases, promising tricked and incensed
workers exactly the same thing.
These have but to look over the Weir
ton case to understand what this
means.
The National Steel Conpany's work
ers struck last summer, and were
herded back to work by National
Labor Board decision promising an
election later on. The Daily Worker
exposed this as a deliberate strike
breaking nnaneuver. E. T. Weir, pres
ident of the Weirton Steel Co., pro
> ceeded to form a company union anc
to hold company union election OF
! the exact date which the Labo
Board had set for g supervised" cleo
ton to provide a free choice for thu
workers Of the union and the collec
tive bargaining representatives the,
: wanted. The Labor Board tried t
{ cover up by talking big, threatenin
to get an injunction to compel
"real election" etc.
S Worker indignation increased
S President Roosevelt held secret con
o ferences with Weir, and A. F. Of ]
It union leaders came to Washingto
t, and swashbuckled demands for &C
n ton. They brought petitions to sho'
d that the overwhelming majority
S Weirton workers we're against til
re company union election. Whereupo
Roosevelt conferred with them an
# announced that an honest pol
\ would be taken among Weirto
X workers, and, that if they expresst
desire for new election, tht
It should have It.
IS News correspondents at that tin
ic asked the A. F. Of l.. leaders he
Is they could believe in such a promi
nj when Weir had declared he wou
ne never give up his payrolls for cor
parison with the workers petite
es signers. The A. F. Of L. leaders sa
A, the poll would be taken in hous
al toulouse canvas.
But, instead Of that, the Lab
Mt Board sent representatives. who so'
nd returned from the plants courlai
nf ing that they couldn't get the pa
z rolls. Then the Board held the 10
Il. session to determine what it VOL
,Is do. And the answer-nothii
ev We've nothing to say about We
ton" The Board did nothing VIII
it said everything; 1t is obvious tt
if it now declines even to talk. 1t h
no intention Of even pretending
-. act. Very likely the story will be
same in other cases in which
Board recently has induced work
es- not to strike by promising a poll
yro determine whether to hold an ell
ra- tion-something which the Da
ass Worker weeks ago characterized a.
AIS double dose of the same eclectic
medicine.
be- Once more the absolute rule
act United States Steel under Roo
ers velt's New Deal" stands reveal
ent The Weirton Steel Corporation
part of the united-front of steel mi
re- ufacturerS, led by U. S. Steel, k
to stone Of American capitalism. agai
unionization and for company unic