The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1941-07-03
PEOPLE WILL NOT
TOLERATE SEVERE
ANTL-STRIKE LAW
A. F. of L.. Official Warns Congress
Against Compulsory Legislation.

Washington, d. C. (ILNS). = The
American people will not tolerate
anti-strike, compulsory servitude leg
islation, George Meany, secretary
treasurer of the American Federation
of Labor, warned Congress in Wig
orously worded nation wide CHS
broadcast from Washington.
Charging that some members Of
Congress are displaying an almost
hysterical determination to place re-
pressive anti-labor legislation on the
statute books" Meany declared:
"Voluntary avoidance of work stop
pages is one thing and, in view of the
national crisis, acceptable to the over
whelming majority of American work
ers. Compulsory servitude, in flag
rant disregard Of the Thirteenth
Amendment to our Constitution out
lawing slavery for all time, is quite
another thing and-to be quite blunt
about it-would not be tolerated by
the American people,"
Peril to Unity Seen
The hard-hitting federation official
emphasized that the position of the
A. F. of L, "in this hour of crisis is
that even wholly legitimate strikes
must be avoided if it is humanity pos
sible to do so," but that legislation
designed to punish the workers OF
America because of the sins of few
obstructionists" would rip our national
unity to shreds.
Were such legislation ever to go on
the statute books of this country,
Meany declared, it would mean that
adolf Hitler, without having fired a
shot," had won his greatest victory"
'Not in any narrow spirit but with
the welfare of our country at heart,
the American Federation of Labor
urges with all emphasis that COM
pulsory- -servitude Legislation ought not
to be and must not be enacted"
Secretary Meany strongly empha-
sized the American Federation OF La
boris support of the national defense
program.
A. F. of l.. Record Praised
"Organized labor, as represented by
the American Federation of Labor,
he said, Stands four-square behind
the President of the United States.
Organized labor knows better per-
haps than any other group OF citizens
what happens to the liberties which
we cherish when democracy goes under
and totalitarianism comes into power.
"The need of the hour" he con-
tinued, "is for national unity. Sound
management, constructive liberal gov
ernment and free, loyal labor = all
must unite in this effort. We must
work and, what is more important, we
must work together"
The A. F. of L. secretary treasurer
who is also a member of the National
Defense Mediation Board, said that
"as an actual fact" despite wide.
spread attacks upon labor for alleg-
edly retarding the defense program
millions of organized American work
ers, members of thousands of trade
unions, are plugging away, day ir
and day out, giving their very best
to the defense effort"
The record of the American Fed
GRAFTON of Labor in avoiding work
stoppages in defense has been "almosi
100 per cent" Meany pointed out.
Taking all defense work from the
start Of the program through the enc
of last month";" he said, "only one
man-day of work has been lost by ar
American Federation Of Labor strike
for every 2,40O man-days of work
performed"