Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1941-06-13
Condemninq Strikes

Slowly and somewhat painfully,
the Federal Government is marshall
ing its resources against strikes or
lockoutS which impede the national
defense program.
In the Senate two steps have been
taken, neither of which goes to the
heart of the problem. One of them,
an amendment to pending legisla-
ton offered by Senator Connally Of
Texas, grants the President specific
authority to take over defense plants
after mediation has been exhausted
or refused and when there is an
existing or threatened failure of pro-
duction. This, at best, is an oblique
approach to the strike evil because,
while it may be useful weapon in
a few cases, it carefully refrains from
imposing any penalties on the sub
versive and irresponsible labor lead
ers against whom it supposedly Is
| aimed.
The other Senate action was the
adoption of the Byrd amendment to
the same legislation, which declares
the sense of Congress to be that
tie-ups in defense industries "are
retarding and greatly impeding our
efforts to build an adequate Army
and Navy and to render effective aid
to other democracies." The amend
ment further declares any such
strikes or lockouts to be contrary to
sound public policy and specifically
condemns them when either party
refuses to recognize or accept media
ton findings.
Such a declaration by the Senate
undoubtedly has some psychological
value but it is not a specific deter
rent to defense strikes. And it is
evident from the recorded debate
that it was adopted with the greatest
reluctance, and then only because
to have rejected it would have been
tantamount to an Involvement of
defense tie-upS. This Is in marked
and sorry contrast to the attitude
of the same body when it so readily
wrote into the Selective Service Act
last year an amendment authorizing
the seizure of plants when employers
refused to cooperate in the defense
effort. 1t seems abundantly clear
that the Senate is perfectly willing
to vote for drastic penalties on en-
! ployerS, who have not offended, while
it is painfully reluctant even to
cenSure labor, whose OffenSeS have
been numerous and fragrant.
There is not the slightest reason
to suppose that verbal slaps on
labor's wrist, such as that admins
tered by the Senate, will be sufficient
to put an end to strikes in defense
industries, and, fortunately, there
are indications that stronger meth
DDS soon may be put into effect.
One of these is the order to draft
for military service defense workers
who refuse to work. Another is the
threat to blacklist and bar from
future employment agitators who
foment strikes for subversive pur-
poses. Still another is the prospect
that legislation may be offered to
fix penalties for defense workers who
defy recommendation of the Media
ton Board, possibly even going to
the extent of depriving them of all
rights under existing labor statutes.
These, clearly, are drastic remedies.
But it is becoming increasingly clear
that drastic remedies are necessary.
Secretary of the Navy Knox did not
exaggerate when he said that Com
munistic and other subverSive ele-
ments in the labor movements are
enemies of the country" and they
should be dealt with accordingly.