Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1940-11-23

eyebrows here.
For it is realized David Lawrence.
that sooner or later this sort OF
development must be faced firmly.
The management of the Vultee
plant has asked for a no-strike
clause in its contract, but this in
itself is not sufficient because one
or the other of the disputants can
nullify it if action is taken on some
other clause that produces dis
pute
What is needed is some kind of
assurance through the War Depart
ment which will bring both parties
into conference under Government
auspices the moment any issue
arises which could possibly threaten
a strike. The same conditions that
are now imposed by the National
Mediation Act for the railroads
could as well be applied to defense
contractors. This provides that
there must be cooling of period
within which definite and specific
steps are taken to bring about an
agreement. The compulsory wait
ing does not prevent a strike, but
merely allows for certain stated
opportunities to arise whereby set
Elements can be effected locally or
referred to the national headquar-
tiers of the unions.
Sabotage Through Strike.
When labor group can order a
strike at any minute without regard
to the public interest, especially
during work on a vital contract in
the defense program, the Govern
ment finds itself at the mercy OF
local union leaders, some of whom
do not ever refer the question of a
strike to their national leadership.
During the last war special labor
board was organized and there were
many informal understandings be-
tween labor union executives and
the board which prevented strikes
from coming to a head. 1t is. there
fore, not a provision to bar all
strikes which is needed-for this
would not be obtainable anyhow
but some procedure which would
tend to postpone or even eliminate
the need for the strike call itself.
The public may not realize the
extent to which sabotage is possible
through use of the strike weapon.
Left-Wing influences are well known
TO exist in Americas labor unions
and it is a simple matter for pres
sure to be exerted among employees
engaged in the fabrication OF some
important part or the supplying OF
raw material so that production as
a whole is seriously interrupted.
The Congress bestirred itself a few
months ago about the Russell-Over-
ton amendment. Cries were raised
that the Government must have the
power to take over any plant in
which the owner refused to come
to an agreement on prices with the
War or Navy Departments. Con-
siderable hallabaloo was raised
about drafting men and drafting
industry. But nobody in politics
ventured to ask for a no-strike
clause.
Local Unions Give Trouble.
Yet today if strikes multiply
there will be a demand by public
opinion for the assertion of govern
mental power to compel those who
call strikes to answer to some higher
authority. 1t is not possible, OF
course, to force any man to work
against his own will but the right of
any individual to foment strike on
a defense project might well be
covered by the war powers or the
powers inherent in the national de-
tense laws themselves.
At first blush it would seem as if
the top leaders of the c. I. o. and
the A. F. L. would be able to prevent
sporadic strikes from arising and
that word to them would be ample.
The truth is the national leadership
of both major labor organizations
is patriotic and cooperative. The
trouble is with the autonomous local
unions which are law unto them
selves. It is this lack of discipline
within labor organizations that &C
counts for most of the disputes that
arise.
The powerful white light of pub
licity would do more than any other
influence to correct this situation if
the evidence of left-wing sabotage
were always available. But those to
whose interest it is to provoke the
calling of strikes operate indirectly
through invisible channels and
there aren't enough Government de-
tectives or agents to keep up with
the Vaccinations of the subverslve
elements which form contacts with
American labor groups, sometimes
undermining innocent officers and
sometimes working directly with
them by playing on their ambitions
or by insidiously weaving trouble
into their own organization politics.
OF one thing the public can be
aSSured-the national leaders OF Ia
Dor unions want to avoid strikes and
interruptions of production and will
60 a long way to accomplish that
objective, but the difficulties are
local and they are unquestionably
tied into the efforts of agents OF
foreign governments whose activities
in blowing up plants are naturally
matched by their efforts to cause
delays in production especially in
bottleneck industries where there
are shortages.
Decentralization Right Rsservadl