Evening star., 1941-09-01
n. A. N. President
Says Federal Labor
PohcyIs Chaotic
Acts Such os Shipyord
Seizure Held Destroying
Free Enterprises

BY the Associated Press.
NEW YORK, Sept. 1.-Walter D.
Fuller, president of the National
Association Of Manufacturers, said
yesterday the Government labor
policy was little short of chaotic"
and referred to seizure of the Fed
eral Shipbuilding 81 Dry Dock Co. at
Kearny, N. j., as an example.
A Labor Day letter." addressed
to 5000 members of the association,
said the Kearny incident was of
far-reaching importance "and not
merely to the employees Of the par
ticular company, who as Federal
employees may now exercise privi-
leges only, where once they had
rights"
so long as the Government per-
mits such conditions as led to its
taking over of the Federal Ship
building plant" Mr.. Fuller said, 1T
is encouraging similar conditions
with similar inevitable results
throughout defense industries.
Fears for Free Enterprise.
'If the forces which prefer the
peculiar brand of totalitarianism
which is based on Government own
ership and operation Of all facilities
of production can secure their ends
by making arbitrary and unreason-
able demands upon management,
that can be quite as effective in
destroying our system of free enter
prise and representative government
as could any other means.
IF Government agency, the Ma
tional Defense Mediation Board,
which exists by executive order only
and which was designed to have no
function or powers save those of
mediation and conciliation. is thus
to be placed in position to secure
such drastic executive enforcement
Of its mere recommendations, then
that agency has assumed greater
Importance and secured to itself
greater potential powers Of enforce
ment than any agency of Govern
ment created by act Of Congress
now possesses
ut should be obvious now to the
board that when 1t forces a closed
shop or maintenance of member
ship provision on an employer, that
action Immediately affects the 'mer-
its in cases over the same issues in
plants throughout the country. -
Government seizure and operation
of plants as a result of labor dis
putes is mere expedient and does
not represent permanent or states
manlike solution of problems whose
roots go much deeper. The causes
of such disputes are inadequately
dealt with by existing law"
Mr.. Fuller said all Federal labor
laws operate against the employer,
and that none place any restraints
or obligations on labor organizations.
At the same time, he said, labor or
ganizatioHs may make any kind Of
demands or conditions they see fit.
are not required to bargain in good
faith, and may break of bargaining
negotiations and resort to strikes
or other militant action at any time
they see fit. - The law itself oper-
ates unequally and promotes rather
than discourages resort to arbitrary
action on the part of unions"
Wants Wagner Act Amended.
What has happened at Kearny
may happen in Detroit, In New Or
leans or Los Angeles or elsewhere. !"
Mr.. Fuller said. The situation calls
insistently for fair and equitable
remedy.
Our Federal labor laws. particu-
larly the Wagner Act, should be
amended to impose the same obliga-
tions and requirements upon labor
| organizations as upon employers.
- Organizations which refuse to
use the peaceful processes provided
by law - should not receive the
aid OF Government agencies. -
Men who do not wish to join or to
remain in labor organizations should
be free to follow their own desires
in the matter. The right of
citizens to work has always been at
least as important as the right to
strike. And in period when ma
tional defense production is the
foremost need, the right to work
should be of paramount considera-
ton"