Evening star., 1937-04-09
MIR. Ford and the Unions.

When Henry Ford makes the fat
declaration that well never recognize
the United Automobile Workers Union
or any other unions he is not defying
merely John L. Lewis and the C. l. O.,
but all organized labor as well, and, in
a sense, the laws of his country. Sit
downs aside, the right of workers to or
ganize and to gain recognition for pur-
poses of collective bargaining is plainly
established and generally supported not
only by the statutes and the courts, but
by public opinion.
Mr.. Ford may rely for the present. on
belief that his own workers would
prefer to remain free of union affiliations
and that even under the Wagner act the
union cannot command in his plants
that majority which the law recognizes
as the agency for collective bargaining.
But it is inconceivable that the tide of
unionization now sweeping the country,
but by the force of Government policies
in Washington, will leave Mr.. Ford's
plants high and dry, like islands in
flood. 1t may take a year, or two years
or ten years before the unions can claim
the strength of majority in the Ford
plants. But ten years is not long time
in the life of what the present labor
movement portends. AS categorical
refusal to recognize any union, Mr.
Ford's statement is injudicious, as time
will doubtless show.
There are at least two considerations,
however, which enter into study of Mr..
Ford's policy. He is, first, in much
stronger position than his competitors
in the automobile business to withstand
the siege OF q sit-down, if he has to
contend with that illegal seizure of his
property. There is story that has been
going the rounds recently of mythical
notice from Mr.. Ford to his employees:
II can sit down for two years; how long
can you sit down." There may be sub
stance to the thought if not to the story.
Mr.. Ford is not responsible to thousands
of stockholders. His empire is scattered
over the world. He is not tied up with
his old friends, "the bankers" He can
probably sit down himself about as long
as any industrialist in the world can sit
down. The union organizers know this
and no move for a sit-down in the Ford
plants will be undertaken without some
assurance of success. The sporadic
strikes which temporarily closed down
some OF his plants were doubtless due to
impetuous action by subordinates, and
were not in accordance with union
strategy.
The other consideration is that public
sentiment, despite the Senates straddle
on the issue, is plainly set against the
sit-down strike and the longer one con-
tinues, the more untenable becomes the
position OF those who condone it, wheth-
er it be the union chieftains or the ad-
ministration guardians at Washington.
That has been indicated in the case Of
the General Motors and the Chrysler
strikes. The sit-downs came to an end
in time to prevent the showdown that
the union heads, as well as the watch
full politicians in Washington, were
anxious to avoid.
The time may come when Mr.. Ford
will be challenging not only the poten-
tial sit-downers in his plants, however,
but the Government at Washington. And
the ability of the Government to move
specifically against him would depend,
in turn, upon the forthcoming court
decision in the Wagner cases. If they
are upheld, Mr.. Ford spoke too soon.
If invalid, he will, for the time being,
retain the upper hand.
There is the possibility, of course, that
Mr.. Ford and his company might choose,
II faced with that alternative against
the surrender Of his principles, to shut
up shop permanently and to go out of
business. That possibility is fantastic,
indeed. Mr.. Ford is man of strong
convictions. But If it ever came to that.
he would doubtless live in history as
King Pyrrhus II.