Evening star., 1938-12-21
mo. 3 of a Series.)
BY BLAIR MOODY.

oy OAAAAS NXoOD1s
The real underlying labor issue,
which promises to precipitate the
bitterest congressional battle of a
generation, can be summed up this
way:
What kind of Magma Charta" will
be best in the long run for labor
and for the country?
Shall the Wagner Act continue as
. one-sided grant of rights" to
unions, frankly designed to promote
the closed shop and Offset the long
held economic overlordship of capital
by the creation Of rival power?
Or shall it be revised to become the
basis Of a moderate, mutually valu-
able system Of collective bargaining
Oike Englands or SwedenS, pro-
tecting the rights of union labor.
non-union labor and capital alike,
and accepted by all because none
would have an excuse to denounce
1t?
Security on Power?
As in the international capitals of
Europe, the question here is: Will it
be collective security" or "a balance
Of power2"
In this high-stake poker game
there will sit the strongest political
minorities of the United States; and
all will be bidding and bluffing to the
limit to win their way with Congress.
On the left will be the march of
labor" boys, many of whom regard
the G. I. O.'s drive to organize the
millions of non-union workers as a
crusade, the one great hope of the
masses of workmen's families to get
their fair share Of the comforts Of
life. They want the Wagner Act left
alone or made more radical"
On the right will be the combined
forces Of orthodox" management
and finance which pulled the real
strings of Government from the time
they took over the Treasury" in the
1880s until they were unhorsed with
the advent Of the New Deal. Speak
ing generally, they would like to see
the Wagner Act repealed or so loaded
with complicating amendments as to
vitiate its effectiveness.
The Middle Road View.
Toward the middle will be the
moderate thinkers on both sides Of
the fence. Middle-road Industrial
lists want the act amended so that
undisciplined, inexperienced or def
nitely subverSive union leadership
cannot run wild. They argue that
they do not object to the purpose of
the act, but that in its present shape.
as a pure-and- simple "labor's law"
1t encourages abuses which irrepar-
ably injure many companies, and
therefore the workers.
Moderate industrial labor leaders
do not want the act amended. They
recognize that 1t has brought about
labor strife, shutdowns, curtailed
production and buying power, and
decreased aggregate wages and
profits during the period of unrest
But, they contend, the correction of
this lies In the hands of the en-
ployers themselves.
when employers accept in good
faith what the Wagner Act stands
for" says Sidney Hillman, president
Of the Amalgamated Clothing Work.
ers, q union which gets along with
its industry, when they realize fully
that the workers of this country
have won by law the right to organ
ize If they choose, then there will
be no more trouble under the Wag-
ner Act"
To some extent this view is shared
by liberal representatives of manage
ment who believe the law should be
strengthened.
Management" says c. S. Ching,
industrial relations director of the
United States Rubber Products Co.,
will get just about the type of
union leadership that it develops by
its own attitude"
Sees Turmoil in Change.
Mr.. Hillman adds: IF the law
were changed it would mean only
another year of turmoil. Instead
Of accepting collective bargaining as
inevitable, as more and more en-
ployers are doing. many would sit
back and say: Lets see whether the
Supreme Court may not kick out this