Evening star., 1941-02-27

days are sup David Lawrence.
posed to count in the race against
time IN which to get the mechanical
weapons of war ready.
Americas owners of business and
executives are being taxed almost to
the point of confiScation.
In the face of these disparitieS,
news comes of the intention OF G.
I. O. union leaders to throw $4,000
men out of work at the Ford plants.
The citizen will wonder how it is
possible for Government to allow
these incidents to occur without try
ing to establish between all economic
groups some sense of balance and
fair play.
The truth, of course, is that the
Wagner Labor Relations Act was
supposed to settle for all time the
question of collective bargaining and
in that device was supposed to rest
most of the grievances of labor.
The Wagner Act calls for elections
whereby workers can express their
desires. There is supposed to be
a method whereby the workers can
say what they truly want. But it
isn't used.
Consent Election Required.
The fact is the real collective bar
gaining machinery was discarded
early in the history of the National
Labor Relations Board when the
board decided it would keep its
hands off any situation requiring
an election unless the employers
and employees agreed in advance to
what is known as a consent election.
In the present instance, the c. I.
o. claims majority OF workers IN
the big Ford plants and so does the
American Federation of Labor. The
Ford Motor Co. has no evidence
that a majority has selected either
the c. l. o. or the A. F. L. as bar
gaining agent and hence stands
aloof from both. Now the G. l. Q.
has decided to order a strike IN
ORDER to count noses and ind out
how many are on its side and how
many are opposed. This is an eX-
pensive way to carry on collective
bargaining, but the method is fully
countenanced by our Government
and by the officials connected with
the defense program.
Actually the Wagner law vests
power in the labor board to conduct
an election. 1t is not a mandatory
but permissive provision. The board
can use its own discretion. But it
doesn't. And the result is that war
must break out in the big industrial
plants and the public interest be
injured when as a matter OF fact
The sponsors of the Wagner law
have peen boasting that the law has
been a means of preventing strikes.
The question might be asked why
It is that the employer doesn't
agree to a consent election. The
answer is that usually he must make
the consent agreement with some
union and thus imply recognition
or else he must agree to some form
of ballot which prejudiceS the out
come of the election. Also the labor
board refrains from taking any steps
to safeguard the freedom OF choice
of the worker. Intimidation goes on
before and during elections and the
technique of calling a strike permits
strong-arm methods to be used, so
that workers are told that unless
they go out on strike or vote for
the union which has called a strike
they will be injured. Threats OF
bodily harm are common and most
elections in large plants are won by
coercive tactics in greater or lesser
degree. The parallel with a pollt-
ical election simply does not exist.
Railroad Procedure Cited.
In contrast to this sort of labor
strife is the manner Of conducting
employer -employe relations on the
railroads. The National Mediation
Act requires certain processes to be
exhausted before a strike can &C
tuaIly be consummated. The cooling
off period is not the principal fea-
ture, but there is ample machinery
for making settlements. In Mlchl-
gan there is provision of law for
a cooling off period, but there is no
means of settling the big issue
Who really represents the workers
and what is the real desire of the
workers? The Wagner law was de-
signed to answer that very query
and to provide mechanism where
by it could be peacefully answered
in every plant where a dispute
arises.
Some day the Wagner Act may
be amended to make elections COM
pulsory the moment question
arises as to whether the workers do
or do not want to bargain collec-
lively. The board should safeguard
the conduct of elections. And once
the issue is resolved it ought not be
brought up every few weeks. Elec-
tions could be held on fixed dates
either once or twice a year.
The delays being suffered by the
defense program seem to have failed
to arouse off1cialdom here The boys
who have been drafted have been
put under plenty of discipline, and
so have the employers. Factories
can be confiscated If employers do
not agree to Government terms.
They must accept in defense con-
tracts stipulations requiring them
to obey labor laws. Yet there Is
absolutely no restraint of law on the
small cliques of leaders, some of
them members of the Communist
group, who have much more interest
in carrying on labor warfare than
in protecting the American defense
program from delay or sabotage.
Reproduction Right Reserved.)