Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1941-06-11
What Comes Next?

From present indications, the out
law strike at the IngleW0od (CalltJ
plant of the North American Aviation
Company has been broken. Late
yesterday, after the great majority
of the employees had returned to
work under Army protection, the
minority group still on Strike-Said
to be Communist dominated - de-
cided to apply for reinstatement in
their jobs, subject to certain condi-
tons. Some of the holdoutS began
returning Internationally.
For the most part these conditions
seem to be face-saving in character.
Certainly there should be no dis
elimination against the strikers be-
cause of their union membership,
nor should there be any effort to
compel them to forfeit their union
cards. In view of the circumstances
surrounding this strike, however, it
is equally obvious that the radical
leaders of the walkout should be
barred from Unemployment in the
plant and from representing the en-
ployes in negotiations for wage in
creases and a union shop.
In their conduct of the strike these
men have defied their national lead
ers and the President. Not until the
Army took over did they deSiSt from
melting their followers to violence,
and there can be no reasonable doubt
that some if not all of them have
pledged their first allegiance to the
Communist party. To re-employ
these men would serve no other pur-
pose than to improve their chances
of making more trouble in the future.
For these same reasons, they have
disqualified themselves as bargaining
representatives of all the employees,
but that question, happily, seems to
have been settled by the Presidents
announcement that future negotia-
tons will be conducted with national
representatives of the C. I. O., who
have disavowed the strike from the
beginning.
Satisfactory settlement of these
questions, however, will not provide
any effective answer to the defense
strike problem. Even as this strike
was being settled, half a dozen more
had broken out-all without giving
the Mediation Board opportunity to
seek an adjustment. There still re-
mains a powerful left wing faction in
the C. I. O., which seems to be pri-
marily intent upon Gripping the de-
tense program, and the A. F. of L.
also has its units which give every
indication of being totally Indifferent
to the national welfare. What is to
be done in the future about these
subversive and irresponsible groups?
The War Department is urging the
Senate to approve legislation to give
the Government authority to take
over any plant where existing or
threatened failure of production
would interfere with the defense
program This might work in some
cases, as at the North American
plant, but it is hardly an answer to a
concerted and willful effort to dis
rupt the national defense. On the
contrary, it seems to be an attempt
to evade that fundamental issue by
substituting Government ownership
for private ownership in the hope
that radical leaders will not dare to
defy the traditional ban on strikes
against the Government. In the
House, two provisions have been
adopted which would forbid payment
of Federal funds to any person who
participates in defense strikes in de-
fiance of the Mediation Board. These
provisions, while more direct than
that pending in the Senate, still fail
to get to the heart of the problem
and might prove extremely difficult
of administration.
AS one remedy after another is
pAOPOoCd, ~ DCSOIllCo It'll CcolIlSly
clear that the real solution lies along
two lines. The first is energetic &C
ton on the part of responsible union
leaders-which has already begun
to drive subversive elements out of
the labor movement And the second
must be something in the nature of
the suggestion advanced by Senator
Tydings-creation of an impartial
board to pass on defense labor dis
putes and make decisions binding on
both employers and employees, with
severe penalties for failure to accept
its rulings.
The Nation should face the fact
that strikes will continue to cripple
our defense effort as long as reckless
or subversive individuals are per-
mitted to operate with impunity
behind false front of unionism or
In an employing capacity. Nor is
there any easy way to deal with per-
sons in this category. Whatever
their professed purposes, their con-
duct, in its practical effect, is little
short of reasonable to the extent
that 1t gives aid and comfort to the
enemies Of the United States, and it