Evening star., 1940-11-12

say that a GER
tain New Deal David Lawrence.
law actually prevented a group OF
citizens from speaking in the last
campaign, you would be ind!g-
nantly challenged, But there is
such a statute and such a group
which was not only silenced dur
ing the last campaign, but for
hidden by law, as interpreted by the
New Deal, to utter single word in
defense of its position.
The correspondent presents let
ter today, the text Of which should
give pause to every American who
says he favors civil liberty. On
reading it. some citizens will say
there ought to be a law forbidding
the dissemination of such a letter.
This is the wrong approach. The
authors of that letter had a con-
stitutional right to write it and dis
tribute it. and the remedy does not
lie in further restriction, but in re-
moving restrictions placed upon the
other persons whose position is mis-
represented in the letter.
Let every one who reads the docu-
ment try to figure out how an en-
ployer could possibly answer the
misrepresentation therein without
violating the Wagner labor relations
law as at present interpreted by the
National Labor Relations Board.
Here's the Letter.
The letter, dated October 80 1910.
reads as follows:
International Union United Auto
mobile Workers of America Affl-
lated with c. I. o. Local No. 400.
Address: 1882 Oakland avenue,
Detroit, Mich. William jenkins,
president.
Dear Member:
"As you know, on November IS
our representatives are going to sit
around the conference table with
the representatives of the Chrysler
Corp to discuss some very necessary
amendments and changes to our
present contract.
1--WE are all vitallv interested in
the outcome of these discussions,
wondering if we will get the i'm
provements we have been hoping for
so long. We have been talking
vacations with pay and other
changes that would look mighty
nice in the contract under which we
must work for the next year
1--WE are sending in our negotia-
tors to do all in their power to get
these things for us and the extent
of their success will depend on the
kind of support they will get from
us.
Sees Stiffened Resistance.
"On November S We will be cast
ing our ballots for the election of
President of our country for the
next four years. This election Is of
great importance to our negotiators,
as they know the outcome of the
election will have a tremendous
bearing on the attitude of the cor
poration towards the union. They
know If Mr.. Willkie. the hand
picked candidate of the Chamber
Of Commerce and utilities trusts. is
elected, the union has lost a great
friend and the Chrysler Corp. will
stiffen its resistance toward any
further advances of the union.
"On the other hand. if President
Roosevelt Is reelected, it will en-
courage our negotiators and weaken
the resistance of the corpora
ton. The greater our victories at
the polls, the greater will be our
chances of getting better contract.
A Democratic victory will pep up
our negotiators to greater efforts,
for they will know that half the
battle is already won.
"The Fords, Girdlers, Remington
Rands and all those who are op-
posed to organized labor are spend
Ing millions of dollars to have the
utilities candidate elected. If he
Is elected. these hackers will be
compensated at the expense of labor.
Problem of Preservation.
what is the answer to all this?
And what of our contract? If we
turn this country over to the dicta-
torship of Wall Street, the Manu-
facturers' Association, and the pub
lie utilities. ours will not be a prob
lem of making further gains. Our
problem will be one of preservation
a fight to keep the very rights we
now possess. The Mohawk Valley
formula, the company union, un-
lawful picketing, labor spies, armed
service men, and perhaps the
smashing of organized labor Car
we take a chance of this happening?
We would be very foolish to do So
what is the solution? Remem-
Der what Roosevelt and the New
Deal has done for labor in the past
seven years; remember the Wagner
Act, the Social Security Act, the
wage and hour law, and the out
Jawing of child labor. If we keep
these things In mind when we cast
our votes on November S, we will
vote for Roosevelt and the Demo-
cratic party. We will vote straight
Democratic.
"Fraternally yours,
EXECUTIVE BOARD,
Local 400.
PldnC COHlI1llLGee,
Political Action Committee"
Now it so happens that the
Chrysler Corp. is not permitted to
answer the above criticism. 1t can
not talk directly to its own employees
to whom this letter was sent. For
under the rulings of the National
Labor Relations Board, the Chrys-
Ter Corp can communicate only
with the union officials because to
communicate through any other
channel has been held to be vlo-
latlon of collective bargaining ano
an interference with the rights OF
self-organization under the Wagner
law.
Employer Is Restrained.
So We have a statute that pre-.
vents an employer from meeting
the Misrepresentation being usec
against him in specific contract
negotiation either during or after
political campaigns. The CORPORA
L. Ill I