The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1935-05-01
Liberal Viewpoint
BY DIR. HARRY ELMER BARNES

TINE right of collective bargaining is re-
L garded by most civilized persons as an in
dispensible element in the present economic and
social order particularly if we wish to give
capitalism even fighting chance to survive.
AS to whether labor prefers to carry on this
collective bargaining through labor organiza-
tions-either trade or industrial in character
or through company unions is matter OF bit
ter controversy. Labor unoniStS ridlcule COM
pany unions as a mere travesty imposed and
dominated by employers. Many employers on
the other hand, contend that if organized labor
allowed the working man to make a free choice
they would in most cases support company
unions in preference to formal labor organi-
cations.
1t is obvious that this issue can be settled
only by recourse to the facts. There must be
a sufficient sampling of labor opinion to give
us some basis for conclusions.
just such a sampling has been provided by
the Twentieth Century Fund, baSing its study
on all labor elections held under the MIRA labor
boards to March IS, 1884 These cover 1873 cleo
lions held in 546 separate plants. More than
100000 employees in Sc states and SO industries
participated.
ONCE the Twentieth Century Fund is sup
~ ported by Edward A. Fiene and numbers
among its trustees men like Newton D. Baker,
it can not be accused of Partially to union Ia
Dor. The director of the study, Alfred l.. Bern
NelIH Is recognized as one Oh Un6 HOSC COHpe-
tent students of labor statistics in the United
States.
The result of this study indicates that Ameri-
can labor is overwhelmingly opposed to COM
pany unions:
| They show that out of 204,582 ballots cast
by workers outside of the automobile industry,
! 1907, or 81 per cent, were for trade unions
614O1, or 80 per cent, voted for some form of
company union, and only 5,164, or per cent,
elected individual representation or some other
form Of bargaining.
"A sharp divergence from this general trend
! in elections was shown in the automobile in
dustry. With 10000 out of $4,000 eligible
workers in the Detroit area voting, only II per
cent elected trade union and II per cent elected
company union representation, while the great
majority II per cent, voted for individuals and
! other organizations"
IT ME reason for the remarkable divergence of
| l. labor opinion in the automobile industry
from labor opinion elsewhere is to be explained
by the fact that in the automobile industry the
elections were held under conditions which
made it very difficult for a worker to indicate
his choice of affliation with definite labor
organization:
In the first place. the other labor board
elections were held only in disputes to which the
union was party and usually at its request
while the Automobile Labor Board conducted
! elections on its own initiative and in the alb
sence OF request from any party to a dispute.
In the second place, other labor board cleo
lions have been usually conducted in such man
ner that the workers could vote directly for or
CARNATIONS, the names of which appeared on
the ballots. In the automobile elections they
voted for individuals whose Affiliations were not
| stated on the ballot"
1t need not be contended that this study
puts an end to all legitimate argument about
the company union issue. But it does show
that labor opinion believes company unions en-
tlrely inadequate to uphold the interests of
labor.