Evening star., 1941-12-05

the coal strike and interruption to
production if labor unions wish to
ignore the pleas of the President.
The new bill does require certain
publicity about union affairs but the
United Mine Workers Union could
easily comply with it. AS for the
provision that a strike vote must be
taken before strike can be called,
this is the easiest kind of hurdle
for a national union to overcome.
The railroad brotherhoods have
shown how to do it. Several months
in advance of an important negotia-
ton, the members take strike
vote and authorize their Executive
Committee TO negotiate, call strike
or end it as their judgment may best
indicate.
AS for the provisions against mass
picketing, this is really in the COM
mon law and the State and city
police power if the local authorities
care to enforce the law They have
ignored this before and there is no
reason to believe politically ap-
pointed officials will be any less
prejudiced in the future than in the
past toward the labor groups.
Already Legal Principle.
The one thing that makes piece
af labor legislation drastic is whether
it abolishes the right to strike. This
the Smith bill does not do. The
National Railway Mediation Act
postpones but does not eliminate the
right to strike and provides a COM
pulsory period Of cooling off. If this
is "totalitarianism," as William
Green Of the A. F. L. calls the
Smith bill, then America has had
it and the railroad brotherhoods
have operated under it for many
years.
The labor lobbies are busy. The
administration already is playing
politics and the Senate in due time
will be under pressure to emasculate
the Smith bill and strip it of such
provisions as require a Government
Of law and order instead Of super
government Of mass picketing by
unioneers.
The element OF compulsion is lack
ing in the Smith bill so far as COM
pelling arbitration. The employer
may still be dragooned into accept
ing compulsory union shops. But
the unions can still do as they please
about interrupting defense produc-
ton provided they merely co-ordi-
nate their demands and arrange to
file them at specified times.
Natural Reaction.
It is natural for the A. F. OF L. and
c. I. o. to cry out that the Smith
bill abolishes the right to strike or
takes away labor's rights. This Ls
the very kind Of Misrepresentation
which has killed off every piece OF
constructive labor legislation in the
last three years. 1t is the kind OF
uncompromising tactics which the
Anti-Saloon League used In fighting
of any compromises on the prohlbl-
tion issue, and in the end the VOL
stead Act and eighteenth amend
ment were repealed altogether.
The c. I. o. and A. F. of L. are
using the kind of strategy which Will
eventually start national drive TO
repeal the Wagner Act, which has
become not merely the instrument
of collective bargaining, but OF COL
lective bludgeoning.
The vote in the House was not un-
expected. The South is up in arms
about the way defense is being in
terrupted by strikes, and so are
other sections of the country where
the war situation is taken seriously.
The labor lobbyists skillfully are
irving to beat the Smith bill by
arranging voluntarily to shut OH all
strikes for the time being. These
eress was lulled into inaction. Soon
the country will be told again that
there are no strikes and that all is
we'll again on the labor front. Then
when Congress has killed of legisla-
ton or adopted wishy-washy bill
the strikes and drives for closed
shops and monopoly shops will start
up again.
Senate Group Determined.
A very determined group of Sen
ators, however. intends this time to
place the full responsibility for
what is happening on the admins
tration and it may be that the
President will lose control Of the
House on appropriation bills and
other defense measures if he back
tracks on the issue of stopping the
frequent interruptions to defense
production. If the administration
doesn't care about the losses occa-
stoned by strikes-the losses in steel
and coal and the losses Of produc-
ton of other needed materials and
weapons-why should the majority
of the House care about it? Why
should priorities be insisted on,
and sacrifices be imposed on the
American people, who are asked TO
give up this or that and to pay
high taxes if the administration
isn't ready to organize America 1or
war? The acid test has come on
whether politics as usual and labor
lobbying as usual or universal sacrl-
fice is to be the rule. And the first
to demand that the right to strike
is above the right of America to an
uninterrupted defense production
are the labor leaders who now bring
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