Evening star., 1941-07-03

tltlZen Is COM
PEELED to join David Lawrence.
labor union if he wants job and
to keep on paying his dues to a
union or be dismissed by the en-
ployer for falling to do so.
Unions strive to get closed-shop
contracts for the same reason that
businessmen like to stif1e competi-
ton and obtain a price-fixing mo-
nopoly. But the American people
since 1890, when the Sherman anti
trust law was passed, have ordained
that no group of citizens shall be
permitted to enjoy monopoly over
their fellow citizens. It was sup
posed that this would cover labor
unions, too, but the present Supreme
Court, comprising a majority who
are New Deal appointees, has ruled
that unions may even conduct sit
down strikes and destroy the prop
erty of the employer and remain
Immune from prosecution under the
statutes that forbid conspiracies to
restrain trade.
Milestone Set Up.
The settlement just reached in
the case of the North American
Aviation Co, where there was a
strike that brought the Federal
Governments intervention with
troops, is a milestone in the history
of closed-shop controversies. Up to
now, the Mediation Board has in
sisted that it would not upset exist
ing conditions. In other words, it
realistically ruled that where
closed shop already was in opera
ton it should not be upset and
where there has been no closed shop
none would be sanctioned. This
principle finds favor in Congress.
too, but now the Mediation Board
has deViated from its policy in two
cases. In the West Coast contro-
versy with the Bethlehem Steel Co,
which never gave a closed shop
contract before, it took the position
that because competitors of Bethle-
hem had a closed shop, the situa-
ton should be made uniform in the
industrial region. This is what John
Lewis is striving for in the coal con-
troyersy as between Southern op-
orators and the United Mine Work
ers' Union. If the Mediation Board
had not compelled the Bethlehem
settlement. 1t would not have given
the mine workers encouragement to
threaten another coal strike for
July 7.
But the most significant deviation
Is in the case of the North American
Aviation Co. Here the c. l. o. union
had not even had bargaining rights
heretofore as exclusive representa-
tive of the majority of the workers,
having won the election recently
over the A. F. of L. by close
margin. Then came a strike and
the c. I. o. officers refused to heed
the pleas of the National Defense
Mediation Board that the men re-
sumo work while negotiations would
be continued. Federal troops were
brought into the picture and the
c. I. o. national leaders condemned
and finally suspended the officers
of the local union.
Troops Build Union"
Even though the extension of
protection to those who wanted to
work is a lawful use of public
power, the left-wingers attacked the
administration for using troops ito
break a strike and union" Ap-
parently smarting under this criti-
cism, the Mediation Board has tried
to even things up so it could not
be said that troops were used to
break a union. Indeed, it is now
boasting that this is the first time
troops have been used to build a
union up instead of tearing 1t
down.
The actual terms of the settle
ment are rather ambiguous, but
they provide that where workers
we're members Of the c. I. o. union
prior to the time the troops came
in. they must go back into the
CLIO. union and resume the pay
ment of dues. If subsequently any
men not vet returned to work come
back and happen to have once
been members of the c. l. o. union,
they must rejoin the union. Like
wise all members of the union must
keep on paying dues or be subject to
dismissal by the employer. 1t Is
not stipulated that to get a Jon
in the North American plant man
must ioin a C. I. o. union, but II
he does Join he must keep on pay
ing dues, and he apparently cannot
resign from the union without
losing his Job with the employer.
This is called a sort of modified
closed shop. AS usual, it is camou-
faged in the press dispatches as
"union shop" which leads the pub
lie to believe it is merely the routine
matter of recognizing the union as
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