Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1940-12-05
Defense Plant Strikes

Defense Plant Strikes
The decision of the House Judi
ciary Committee to study the ques-
ton of possible legislation to pre-
vent further defense delays due to
strikes is a logical outgrowth of the
widespread public anxiety over such
serious walkouts as that which oc-
Cured recently at the Vultee air
craft factory in California. In dis
cussing the problem, a member Of
the committee referred to the forth
right action of President Wilson in
1918 in quickly bringing to an end a
strike by machinists at the Bridge
port, Connecticut, plant of the Rem
ington Arms Company. He did it
by writing bluntly phrased letter
warning the strikers that unless they
Immediately returned to work in &C
cordance with an order by the Ma
tional War Labor Board they would
be blacklisted by the Government for
all defense work and would forfeit all
claim to exemption from the draft on
the ground of employment in war
production.
The committee will find the history
of this boards activities in the first
World War of considerable interest.
Established by executive order rather
than by legislative enactment, the
board was instrumental in adjusting
labor differences involving more than
thousand plants and nearly three
quarters OF a million workers. 1t
was composed of representatives Of
employers, labor and the general
public. Its findings were resisted in
three major labor disputes-by the
Smith and WeSson Arms Company,
by the Western Union Telegraph
Company and by the Remington
strikers. The Government solved the
two former controversies by taking
over the companies. In the Reming-
ton strike, the board was requested
jointly by the strikers and the COM
pany to intervene in an effort to
effect settlement of the conflict, but
the workers refused to accept the
boards award when it was handed
down. 1t was at this point that
President Wilson informed the men
that "to strike against the award is
disloyalty and dishonor" and threat
ened them with blacklisting and with
draft liability. They went back to
work.
1t is worthy of note that Americas
control of the strike situation during
the World War period was achieved
without resort to specific strike legis-
lation of the type being advocated in
some quarters as a result of recent
strikes by defense workers. A COM
promise plan, now being discussed,
would embody provisions similar to
those of the Railroad Labor Media
ton Act, under which strikes within
sixty days of the beginning of
mediation are held to be illegal. An
other proposal is that the Selective
Service Act be amended to nullify
exemptions in the case of potential
draftees who 60 on strike at defense
factories. 1t has been suggested that
the administration would oppose any
legislation designed to restrict the
rights of labor and will support, in
stead, the present mediation methods
of the Department of Labor and the
National Defense Commission. Labor
itself holds the answer to the whole
question Of what Is to be done about
strike interference with the defense
program. The wave of indignation
over the Vultee strike showed clearly
where public opinion stands in this
matter. The simple fact is that
strikes affecting defense production
will not be tolerated by the Ameri-
can people-and if drastic laws to
prevent walkouts are enacted it will
be because labor has failed to COM
prehend the heavy responsibility
which rests upon it in this national
emergency.