Evening star., 1940-11-17
The Strike Evil

Throughout the United States at
this time thousands of young men
are preparing to enter the armed
services for year of military train
ing under the provisions of the Sc
lective Service Act. For most of them
some Sacrifice-economic or other
wise-is involved, but the great ma
jority are making it willingly in full
realization that the security of the
Nation is at stake.
Some few have declined to make
the contributions required of them.
In New York, for example, eight
divinity students refused to register
as required by law on the plea that
their religious convictions would not
permit them TO take any step-how-
ever Small-toward war. Explana-
tionS that they were required only
to register-that the law specifically
exempted them from actual military
service-failed to sway these con-
scientious objectors, and as result
they were sentenced by Federal
Judge to serve a year and day in
jail. In reluctantly imposing this
penalty, the jurist said that this
is national emergency where the
very life and liberty and defense of
our country are at stake and I have
no alternative but to enforce the law"
A national emergency does, in fact,
exist. and the life and defense of the
country are at stake. 1t is for these
reasons that We are raising larger
Army and those who. refuse to share
in this responsibility, if liable under
the law, must be punished. But our
self obligation does not end there.
In fairness to those who are being
called into service. and in the inter
ests of our national self preservation,
it is essential that this larger Army
be properly supplied. and it is here
that the first signs Of failure are be-
ginning to appear.
Out in California a strike has been
called at the Vultee aircraft plant,
a concern which has been working
tWenty-four hours day TO produce
vitauy important training and COM
bat planes for the United States
Army.
The workers in this plant. or many
Of them, are exempt from military
service on the theory that the pro-
duction Of Army planes is so essen
tial to the national defense that they
should not be taken away from their
JOBS. And yet. while other young men
are going into the Army al real per
sonal sacrifices, the Vultee employees,
as a means of forcing payment Of
higher wages, are refusing to work
at their equally important national
defense jobs. Some Of them are
patroIling the picket lines with signs
reading; They shall not pass"
There is no intent here to appraiSe
the merits Of this wage dispute
That, at best. is q secondary consid-
Grafton. The important fact is that
the national defense is being i'm
peded in some measure by this strike,
and if strike is permissible al the
VuItee plant, there can be no logical
argument against strikes in al other
defense industries.
As matter Of fact, there have been
other strikes affecting national de-
fense Workers at the Crucible Steel
Company. engaged in making arma-
ment plate. have just gone back TO
their Jobs after week-long strike
called over the protests Of the unions
national officers and in violation of
contract. A iurisdictional strike at
Fort Dix. New Jersey. stopped work
on a defense project for four days.
At Camp Peay, Tennessee, another
defense project, 1000 men stopped
work as the result Of a demand for
double pay for overtime. And there
have been others. Fortunately.
strikes have not yet seriously inter-
fered with defense efforts. a fact for
which much credit should be gwen
Sidney Hillman and his associates
on the Defense Commission, but the
trend is not encouraging and this
is the proper time to call halt.
If labor and the employers Of
labor cannot or will not adjust their
own differences in this time Of ma
tional emergency, the Government
will have no alternative but 10 in
sist upon compulsory arbitration Of
disputes. with the findings made
binding upon both employers and
employees. This is a drastic weapon
one 10 be left unused if possible
but public opinion will not long tol-
crate situation in which one man
may be called to military service in
the name Of national defense, while
another is permitted, because Of q
labor dispute, to refuse to manufac-
tura the planes and guns which are
absolutely essential if the man in
uniform is 10 carry on.