Evening star., 1938-01-24
BACK WAGE BILL,
LABOR|SEXHORTED
Representative HeaIy Talks
to By-Products Unit of
Mine Workers Here,

A call to labor to get behind a
wage-hour bill at the present ses-
sion OF Congress was sounded TODAY
by Representative Healey, Democrat,
OF Massachusetts, in an address be-
lore the first convention OF the Gas
By-product Coke e. Chemical Work.
ers, unit of the United Mine Workers
Of America.
Emphasizing that it was to the bene-
mt OF labor generally to wipe out low
wage areas" by such legislation, Mr..
Healey urged his hearers to get be-
hind their respective members of Con-
gress in behalf of the bill
Representative Healey, who is CO.
author OF the Walsh-Healey labor
standards law governing Federal con-
tracts, went into detail on the fight
that was waged unsuccessfully for
wage-hour legislation at the special
session of Congress. and warned that
"we still have to overcome the same
obstacles"
Labor Board Member Speaks.
Another speaker at the opening
session was Edwin S. Smith. member
OF the National Labor Relations Board
who defended the board against
charges by the American Federation
OF Labor and the public that it is par
tial to the c. l. o.
THE National Labor Relations
Board" he said, has no other con-
Germ than that of discharging its du-
ties under the act" He pointed out
that between November, 1896, and
September, 1887, the board had settled
1922 cases in which the A. F. of L.
was the complainant and 670 in which
the c. l. o. was the complainant, and
said that from statistical standpoint
the charges of partisanship simply
wash OUT
Mr.. Smith described as "the chief
grudge, so to speak, of the American
Federation Of Labor" has rested in
the fact that the board has refused to
recognize closed-shop contracts nego-
tiated by the A. F. of l.. in some in
dustries where the c. I. o. also was
seeking to organize.
Reason for Action.
"1he board has felt that we could
not in justice do other than hold these
contracts void because they were not
based on the free choice of. the en-
ployes," he said
John R. Steelman, director of con-
eiliation for the Department of Labor,
was another speaker. He viewed
critically the complaint of some en-
ployers that labor is irresponsible
He said this was the same class that
was opposed to labor.
The meeting today was pre-
liminary to the biennial convention of
the United Mine Workers of America.
starting tomorrow. John L. Lewis, the
Mine Workers head, is addressing the
meeting this afternoon.
James Nelson, president of the
United Mine Workers by-product di-
vision, told the convention that Will
mington, Del. was las much the
creature of the Du Pont dynasty" as
any West Virginia coal company town.
Urges Member Campaign.
Urging chemical industry delegates
to build up their organization, Mr..
Nelson said.
Our surveys of the chemical in
dustry show that chaos reigns in
the realm of wage rates and working
conditions.
The large chemical plants pay fair
wages and conditions approach the
paternalism of the pre-depression gas
utility industry. In the smaller
processing plants, conditions are un-
believable and wages are on a sweat
shop level.
Towns. are owned by. the chem
ical industry, which would make Har-
Ian County. KY, look like a garden
city in a model. community of civil
Righteousness.
Il do not mean that in these in
dustrial communities, which are owned
body and soul by the chemical in
dustry, that the same frontier and !
crudely primitive situations exist as
have prevailed in such places as Har-
Ian.
The chemical industry has stream
lined the company town. 1t puts on q
silk hat in the industrial centers
which it controls, 40