The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1941-03-20


Ida Lupino and Edward G. Robinson
opens Sunday at the Ceramic.
Potters international Union, to it's
constructive leadership, to it's remark
able service, to the welfare and sta
bility Of the industry and to it's in
valuable contribution to the general
community and community life Of
which it's members are part. Then,
too, the leaders of the industry are
to be commended highly for their
prudency and foresight-their fairness
and understanding of modern require
ments.
The results that have come from
this constructive activity, continuity
of service, technical skill and long
experience are not only remarkable
but are indicative of the pattern
which we should attempt to follow if
we hope to avoid the pitfalls of other
lands. This is no new thing in Amer
ican history. The only new thing is
the recognition by industry Of the
sanity and reasonableness of collective
bargaining and by and for labor and
of joint action between organized en-
ployers and workers.
From the beginning, organized Ia
Dor has wanted to substitute the coun-
Gil table for the strike, the boycott,
the picket line, the wage cut, the
lockout, the yellow dog contract, the
injunction, etc. Continuity of en-
ployment is condition of continuity
Of income. From the beginning, la
Dor has been anxious to meet man
agement-the other party to the trans
action-on a reasonable and business
like basis. There should be no oc-
casion for any other method of deal
ing. That this has not been done is
not something which can be laid
primarily at the door Of organized la
Dor. It's responsibility has been the
lesser one.
That it became necessary to enact
into a law what should have been
accepted as an operatinf principle was
inevitable in the presence of the
great disorder and social breakdown
lloliJ WHICH, we nave liOb tJ ItloNt %
ed May | state definitely and un-
equivocally the Wagner Labor Re-
lations Act would have been wholly
unnecessary if employers in the past
had given a full measure of recogni-
ton to labor as a co-partner in indus
try.
Insofar as the Fair Labor Standards
Act is concerned labor is not free
from fear regarding undue encroach-
ment by government into the realms of
determining wages and hours. 1t is
| admitted that an economic situation
manitarian necessity for the State
and federal governments to fix a
floor under which wages may not go
and a ceiling beyond which working
hours may not reach. Labor would
much rather change the economic
and long work hour evils than &C
cept the thesis that government reg
| ulation Of wages and hours must in
crease because unemployment cannot
be cured.
We recognize fully that there is
ever present the danger of the use
Of governmental powers to fix definite
ly the given sum Of wages or the
particular length of the work week
for all industry and to determine not
alone our industrial and abor re-
latiOns but to prescribe the form and
character of our trade and labor or
ganizations. This would lean strong
ly toward such adjustment of our
governmental relations to the daily
life Of all our people as to constitute
an encroachment upon those areas Of
life and action which we ought to
preserve in the field Of free and Volun-
tary action Of the people themselves.
Ultimately it rests with industry
as well as labor what path we shall
folloW-Voluntary collective bargain
ing or a means Of industrial fa8Cisnl.
1t is evident on every hand that we
have entered a new era a new day
requiring new approach as well as
an enlarged sense Of public duty and
| responsibility. If business objects to
recent governmental cnactmcnts and
which will undoubtedly be supplement-
ed with time and experience, it can
best meet these threatened changes
by self-regulation supplemented by
the cooperative support of labor
We need now to proceed more than
ever to more clear and accurate
definition and recognition Of the
place and the rightful claims, both of