The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1940-02-15
COMMENT ON WORLD
EVENTS
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Whatever is to be said of limitations
imposed otherwise, it appears that in
the democratic countries involved in
war the labor front remains demo-
cratic. This is notably so in France,
where it is not hard now to believe
that the Omitted Front" in labor poll
tics was a longtime Communistic
plan. The firm hand taken by the
government has not hurtfully affected
the economic operations on the indus
trial side.
French employers face the national
problem in all it's phases, and one of
their most vital decisions was that
with reference to labor policy. That
the labor unions also recognized the
inner meaning of the course of events
was manifested in their attitude.
Longer hours were cheerfully accepted
by them, as necessary to the pro-
duction of military necessities.
Meanwhile, the cooperative agree
ment on labor measures is shown in
the following summary of the main
lines of labor policy for the duration
of the war:
G Collective agreements remain
the keystone of industrial relations;
(2) Normal and decent application
of the shop steward system;
(3) Punishment of recalcitrant en-
ployers.
X X X
In Great Britain also, there was a
meeting of the national Joint Advis-
ory Council of the labor unions, which
was addressed by the Chancellor of
the Exchequer 1t was noted that
the Chancellor did not ask the coun-
Gil to agree that there should be no
war advances in wages. Rather was
his emphasis upon a request that there
should not be repetition of the
''vicious spiral' of the last war period,
when wages fought to keep up with
the rising level of prices. Labor men
pointed out that labor was not re-
sponsible for the spiral"
"Voluntary Savings" was also con-
sidered, which is proposed to take
the form Of war savings certificates,
war bonds, and the like. The labor
representatives asked of the employ
ers that if labor makes a drive for
voluntary savings the possession of
such savings should not be used
against them in future negotiations
wages; and of the Govern
ment they asked, that any such say
ings under $500 should not be used
by the Government to penalize work
ers in the application of any ''means
test" during possible long spell of
following the war;
The fact that these matters are be-
ing thus openly thrashed out in ses-
sions of labor representatives is in
strong contrast to the Savings"
plans previously announced for the
German workers, whose Savings" are
compulsorily taken from their wages,
and turned over to the administration
of the Nazis.
Frederick Stampfer, eXied German
labor leader, told the A. F. of L. Ex-
ecutive Council at Miami that the free
German labor movement is still alive,
despite the best efforts of the Nazis to
kill it.
81 can state positively that the Ger
man labor movement is not dead"
Stampfer said "On the day that Hit
ler's rule is shattered the labor move
ment will be there and within a short
time after it will be more powerful
than ever before
"There is a determined, deadly
hatred for Hitler in the hearts of mil
lions OF German working men,"
American labor will rejoice if the
prophecy comes true and free labor
arises to take its proper
place in a Germany cleansed of Nazi-
ism.