Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-11-13
PeeIer Holds
Unions Are
Not Sacred !,
They Deserve No Medals
for Being Orderly
BY wEsTBROOK PEGLER

ny VESADsOOh 6oA<A"
HERE we are back on Topic A,
- but no subject interests
more people than the union
thing just now and, anyway, l
have been wanting to clarity
and emphasize the fact that
unions aren't sacred, as some of
the professional unioneers would
have US believe.
My revered employer has
often urged me to protest that
l am not anti-union, and last
week I had a talk with a big
unioneer. and one of the better
ones at that. who thought / con-
victed myself of anti-unionism
by neglecting to hang out a sign
in these essays every so often TO
the effect that unions are jake
with me.
l keep telling my revered en-
ployer just what / told the
unioneer. TO wit, that I certainly
am anti-union when a union
places its own interests above
and against those of the whole
community. as in the case of the
mine workers in the captive
mines, or when a union is a
racket or an agency Of the
Kremlin.
You bet your sweet life / am
anti-union then, and you can
tell il 10 the Go or the AFL or
Mrs, Franklin ID. Roosevelt.
A FEW weeks ago Harry Van
IA Arsdale called up. he Of
Local 3 of the ALL electricians,
and said some OF his boys
thought I was anti-union, and
/ said he could tell them they
are dead right in the case Of
Local 3. because this one takes
the position that its own inter-
ests are more important than
the interests of the whole COM
munity of New York and should
be served first and at the ex-
pense Of the common interest.
This Local 3 is a terrible thing.
IL blockades certain building
materials out OF New York, even
though these materials be union
made, and in that respect is
anti-union itself. and IL runs up
prices which have to be paid by
the other people of the city in
the form of higher rents and
retail prices and so forth. 50
that Van Arsdale can hold his
power over his crowd.
ND, BY the way, notwith-
"A standing the adoption OF
another one OF those fake reso-
lutions against racketeering in
the recent convention of the
AFL in Seattle. the electricians
went right down TO ST. Louis
and reelected as one OF their
vice presidents one of the most
notorious in the whole racket.
no less than Umbrella Mike
Boyle OF Chicago, who was de-
nounced years ago by the
United States Circuit Court as a
blackmailer. highwaymsn. a
leech on commerce and a be-
trayer OF labor.
That is how much those reso-
lutions mean.
Van Arsdale won't even say
a word against Mike, although
Mike is his superior officer in
the electricians. And he. as
loyal unioneer. certainly has n
moral obligation to his men,
bcry.
Van Arsdale just looks at the
ceiling. turns up his palms and
says he isn't interfering with
any other local. But he knows
Boyle as well as / do and joins
the other unioneers in beefing
because the records are exposed
to public view.
And my revered employer and
some Of these unioneers also
keep on saying / ought every
now and again 10 point out that
not all unions or unioneers are
crooked. but that some OF them
are very we'll behaved.
TO THAT I just say I'm too
Il busy and remind them that
the cop on the corner doesn't
rush up 10 the square guy with
out provocation, pat him on the
back for not hosting payroll
or shooting the old lady and
congratulate him on his excel
lent citizenship.
The cop takes IL for granted
that you are behaving your
self and you hear from him only
il and when you get out of line
and violate some law.
Then you hear from him
plenty and nobody yaps at the
cop for neglecting TO issue little
mashnotes of praise TO the thou