The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1939-07-20
Why Is a Union Necessary
Among These Workers?

One might also inquire quite prop
erly, / think, why it is necessary to
have union among these workers.
/ fail to see why they should spare
any of the meager funds that the
government gives them for living
purposes to be used by union lead
ers. Those fellows cannot do any,
thing to make congress change its
mind. Oh! They can come to Wash
ington = and they do = and issue
statements and shout threats before
congressional committees and see
their names in the newspapers, and
accomplish nothing. That is, they
get nowhere except that they are
able to show the poor, wretched
souls on relief that their leaders
are great Fighters" in the cause.
While there never was chance
of congress amending the law and
anyone with grain of sense must
recognize it, these self-appointed,
self-annointed saviors of the WPA
workers did succeed in calling
something like 10000 workers off of
their jobs in various parts of the
country. The result was that those
workers lost just that much money.
They also ran afoul of the Harring-
ton determination, which many of
them did not realize was not a Hop
kins or Williams chin. Colonel Har-
rington promptly issued orders that
those who stayed away five days
would be replaced, because there
were thousands willing to work and
had no jobs. Obviously, that brought
a good many back to their jobs.
Some others, however, let their pas
sion and unwise leadership of their
unions put them in position of
cutting off their nose to spite their
face.
1t is to be noted, in passing, that
conditions now are somewhat differ
ent than when the policies of the
professional believers were opera
tive throughout the country. There
were numerous instances, it will be
recalled, when Hopkins and Miss
Perkins, secretary of labor, advised
that sit-down strikers should be fed
off of relief funds. State relief di-
rectors and state charity leaders
seem generally to have taken a diff
ferent view of the current situation.
Seems There Are Some Very
Stupid Local Labor Leaders
The national labor unions, like the
American Federation of Labor and
the Lewis organization, the c. I. O.,
came close to getting involved in
this picture. l do not know whether
the heads of those great unions were
responsible for the general aloof-
ness, but they were quick to explain
that strikes by any of their member
organizations in behalf of the WPA
workers were entirely local." If
this be true, the explanation lies in
the fact that there must be some
very stupid local labor leaders.
Surely, with union labor's prestige
at its lowest ebb in many years, re-
spectacle labor unions could hardly
expect to gain in public esteem by
participating in such ludicrous pro-
ceedings as strike against the gov
eminent of the United States.
Notwithstanding the gloomy
phases, of the story told above, at
tention should be drawn the mean
while to the healthy aspect that can
be found upon examination of the
circumstance. Consider the courage
that congress showed in taking a
position which admits the existence
of certain parasitic elements. That
is to say, congress has taken posi-
tive step toward placing relief on a
basis that will reduce waste, to some
extent. 1t has made some gains in
the direction of sweeping out a small
part-very small, it is true-of the
political influences that hitherto op-
Grated. And, more important than
the rest, the congress over Presi-
dent Roosevelt's opposition, has act
ed to compel greater local response
bility for use of public money.
released by Western Newspaper Union.l