The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1938-10-13
A.F.L. Executives
Condemn Labor
Relations Bourd

Houston, Texas.-Emphatic con-
demnation of the National Labor Re-
lations Board for it's bias against the
American Federation of Labor and it's
favoritism toward the Committee for
Industrial Organization, featured the
report of the Executive Council of the
American Federation Of Labor to the
annual convention of the Federation
here.
The Council specifically opposed
Donald Wakefield Smith as member
of the Board and urged certain amend
ments to the Labor Relations Act de-
sired to restrict the Boards power to
invalidate union agreements and it's
power to designate the unit for col
Ilective bargaining.
In it's indictment of the Labor Board
for maladministration of the Labor
Act the Executive Council said:
Alliance With the c. |. o.
"On May Is, 1885, Senator Robert
f. Wagner arose in the Senate and
said of the National Labor Relations
Act:
"Anyone familiar with these laws
will recognize at once that there is
nothing in the pending bill which
places the stamp of governmental ia
vor upon any particular type of
union.'
"Had the National Labor Relations
Board construed and administered the
Act in the spirit and on the basis of
the foregoing declaration, we would
not now have occasion to submit the
following report. Instead of report
of justified criticism we would be SUBJ
mitting a report Of unqualified ap-
proval of the Board and it's admin
istration.
at is with deep regret that frank
ness impels us to report to you that
the National Labor Relations Board
has administered the Act contrary to
it's letter, spirit and intent, with mani
fest bias and prejudice against the
American Federation of Labor and in
favor of dual and rival organizations.
Our resentment has been aroused and
your officers have publicly and official
ly in most vigorous terms condemned
this unholly alliance between a gov
ernment agency exercising quasi
judicial jurisdiction and the c. l. o.
Increasing Importance which at
taches to the action of the National
Labor Relations Board is evidenced by
the fact that in the three years of
it's existence the Board has handled
16,5O0 cases involving almost 4,OOO,-
coo workers. AS the work of the
Board grew so did it's tendency to go
beyond the direct Congressional man.
date and gradually to apply it's de-
cisions not to the questions Of La
bors basic rights which the Wagner
Act had been designed to protect, but
to the problems of form and structure
of the labor movement itself.
Board Undermined Self government by
Labor
"That a three-man board, composed
of men with no direct labor experience
should undertake to shape the form
and structure of our labor movement
through decisions clothed with judicial
| dlouoCu slHloIS ouI
a growing feeling of apprehension anC
indignation.
"Aware of it's solemn responsibility
to preserve and perpetuate the basic
democratic principle of Labor's self
determination and self government, the
entire membership of the American
y Federation of Labor has united in its
protest against this unwelcome inter
vention in Labor's internal problems
by Government bureau. The Amer
lean Federation Of Labor is aware thai
problems which have emerged and de-
veloped over period Of fifty or sixty
years-problems with which Labor, ha:
struggled for several generations
cannot and should not be settled by
snap judgments of outsiders no mat
ter how we'll -ntentioned or Learned
they may be.
at is with this invasion of Labor
democracy sovereignty that we hav'
found fault and not with the princi
), pies and purposes which the Act EN-
bodies and which will always have ou
unyielding support.
MaladministratiOn of Labor Act
"The Board has exceeded it's publ
l purpose and has vitiated the procedur
delineated in the Act in three respects
First, in a large number of in
: stances its agents have shown gros
favoritism and bias in the handling o
: cases, furthering the objectives of on
union against another and favorin,
one form of labor organization.
II "Second, by administrative flat tn
: Board has set aside legally valid an
: binding contracts entered into in goo
faith by bona fide unions and employ
I ers.
"Third, through the arbitrary deter
5 mnation of appropriate units i
II cases dealing with the question con
0 cerning representation, the Board ha
lsought to impose upon workers regard
II less of their wishes the type of organ
5 ization it favored"
i After citing a number of cases i
n which the Labor Board has violate
) the underlying principles of the Labo
+ Act and manifested it's Partially fo
the Committee for Industrial Organ
~ !