Evening star., 1941-11-15

tNNANN AOL NllNlIl
selves whether David Lawrence
or not they want to belong to labor
unions. The truth is they have been
Coerced by physical force and by
intimidation of their families but
state and city governments which
should exercise police power have
been faithless to the fundamental
principles of law and order.
The blow at the closed shop would
never have been so dramatically
registered by President Roosevelt,
the known friend and champion of
labor, if labor leaders had not over
stepped the bounds and ventured to
challenge the majesty and power of
the Government itself by interrupt
ing the national defense program at
8 critical time in the Nations
history.
Not a single aspect of wages or
hours was involved but simply the
demand for a monopoly. which is
what the closed shop grants.
A Monopoly Shop
For several weeks the press has
been calling the monopoly shop a
union shop This is misleading,
although it is the term the unions
wish to have used.
proSiipY1t in, h
formal statement to the manage
ment of the steel companies and the
coal mine leaders called it by its
historic name. He spoke of it as
1.-The so-called closed shop" and
never once called it a union shop"
which ought to establish the term
inology plainly.
The unions use the term union
shop because they say they do not
bar any worker from employment
and that the phrase CLOSED shop is
misleading. Actually in many a
closed-shop arrangement, the en-
ployer does the hiring and the union
keeps clear Of any selecting of en-
ployes, but once worker is hired he
must become member of the union
within a given time, usually 80 days.
So to all intents and purposes the
way is barred to any man who wants
to refrain from joining a union.
The Roosevelt administration has
been prosecuting monopolies and
has even filed criminal indictments
against businessmen for alleged
violation of the anti-monopoly laws.
but the so-called liberals on the
Supreme Court have blocked any
effort to use the Sherman anti
monopoly laws to eliminate union
monopolies. To his credit be 1t salo
that Thurman Arnold, Assistant At
tornev General, has tried to prose-
cute such conspiracies by unions.
Not Legalized by Act.
So far as known, the closed shop
has never been passed upon as legal
by the Supreme Court. In many
States a strike to attain closed
shop is a violation of law. The
Wagner Labor Relations Law did
not, as many people suppose, legal
ize the closed shop, but merely said
that if an employer made a closed
shop contract whereby he refused
to hire anybody but union members
he would no. be guilty of discriml-
nation. No more palpable instance
OF hypocrisy has ever been written
into a Federal statute. Discrlmlna-
ton is discrimination, whether in an
open or closed shop.
Congress, which has supinely lis
tened to camoufage about the labor
situation and has throttled the mi
nority who tried to get legislation
passed to curb abuses of collective
bargaining, is primarily responsible
for the mess that has been created.
Mr.. Roosevelt has failed to recon-
mend amendments to remove abuses
but Congress has been more to
blame. The legislative lobbies con-
Quoted by the C. l. o. and the A. F.
of L have been powerful enough to
scare members against passing Ia
Dor legislation which would hold
the scales even as between union
and non-union workers. The Wag-
ner Act itself put the Government
into the business of supervising en-
ployment relations and now the
climax has come because collective
bargaining powers have been
abused.
Compromise Likely.
The usual cry is that unions have
not grown up and need experienced
leaders. But John L. Lewis has
been a labor leader for more than
80 years. and the United Mine
Workers is one of the veteran unions
OF America.
The President says he is not
threatening the miners union, but
ne will insist on keeping the mines
open. This means that unless Mr..
Lewis makes a deal with the steel
executives who run the captive coal
mines, the labor movement in
America will get drubbing because
restrictive legislation will be IN
evitable. The chances are that a
compromise will be worked out
whereby a closed shop may be
granted in the coal mines if a truce
can be developed on the basis that
no more closed shops will be award
ed anywhere else during the emer-
gency. The President made it clear
that employers and unions could
agree as between themselves volun-
tarily to make a closed shop con-
tract in the captive mines, but the
Government wouldn't compel such
an agreement. 1t is unfortunate
Al L.