Evening star., 1941-06-15
Labor Millennium
Believed Fading
By ODen L. Scott.

n
Government control over labor unions
is under way. This trend is giving
pause to some labor leaders who only
few days ago were letting their local
unions know that the union policy was
to be one of strikes as usual
1t now is obvious that the crest of
labors power and independence in this
emergency period was reached in the
days Just following President Roosevelt S
warning that strikes In defense indus
tries must stop. Organized labor's answer
was a wave of new strikes that threat
ened the safety of the Nation itself
and made inevitable policy of action
on the part of the President.
The air now should clear quickly. The
reason is that union leaders have tested
Mr.. Roosevelts patience and have dis
covered that it does have limit.
What is to follow is less apparent. In
the country, sentiment is very strong
for some legal curb on labors power.
This sentiment is reflected in Congress,
where the slightest encouragement from
the White House would result in enact
ment of laws to limit the right to strike.
However, the prospect is that Mr.. Roose-
velt will not give this encouragement.
He will prefer to keep in his own hands
the methods and the power that can
be used to deal with labor.
Until the turn came during this week
organized labor had obtained from Gov
eminent one concession after another
during each of the New Deal years.
This Government now guarantees a
minimum wage for workers. 1t provides
basic 4O-hour week, enforceable by
law. 1t provides a system of old-age
pensions and system of unemploy-
ment insurance. Above all, the Govern
ment guarantees to labor the right to
organize into unions and protects that
right with such vigor that workers
actually are encouraged to strike in the
knowledge that win or lose, they will
have their jobs back
So consistent have been the gains
made by labor, with Government en-
couragement and help, that union
leaders made up their minds that they
could 90 no wrong. The White House was
prepared to believe that all labor claims
were just and all employer claims un-
just
When, to top it off, the administration
encouraged unions to ask for and to
obtain higher wages in this defense
period, organized labor thought that
the millennium had come.
Rlt there iS an ep6 m oil oood tbip,e
That end appears TO have come in
the case of some parts of organized
labor when the decision was made to
challenge the power and to endanger
the welfare of this Nation Now it is to
be decided who is bigger and more i'm
portant, an isolated group of labor
leaders out to stir up trouble or the
Government itself
Present powers of the Federal Gov
ernment to deal with the strike situa-
ton are limited in number, but drastic.
First, there is the power to take over
and to operate in the name of the Army
any plant engaged in defense work. This
power first was called into use in the
case OF the North American Aviation Co,
1t presents workers with the question of
going back to work or of striking against
the Government.
Second, there is the power to use
troops to break picket lines and to pro-
vice those who want to work with the
right of working unmolested by pickets
or by individuals who attempt to intini-
date them in their homes.
Ihnd, there IS the right to use the
consumption act to call strikers for
service in the Army. Exercise of this
power by the Government sets in motion
piece of machinery that works in
eXorably and effectively.
Fourth, there is the right to create a
Government blacklist" of men who are
lnslstent upon opposing the national in
terest. These men can be denied emplov-
ment on any job that involves national
defense They can be denied unemploy-
ment insurance and can be denied
w. P. A. work or local relief. Once on
the Government blacklist" their chance
OF obtaining private employment prob
ably would be none too good.
These all are very drastic remedies,
not pleasant to apply
The very fact that some of them are
being applied is an illustration of the
extent to which the labor situation has
been permitted to get out of hand. The
fact that remedies so drastic as this
are applied also is an illustration of the
depth of public opinion on the issue of
union responsibility.
In dealing with the situation he now
faces, President Roosevelt can follow
two courses:
First. he can depend upon existing
laws and upon the drastic remedies they
provide in dealing with strikes that get
out of hand. The hope in this case is
that some examples of the exercise of
these remedies will cause labor leaders
to get religion" and endeavor to CO.
operate.
Or, second, he can obtain from Con-
gress new legislation that will impose
upon all labor unions set of standards
and responsibilities commensurate with
the powers they exercise, due to govern
ment projections. The chances are
that Mr.. Roosevelt will avoid this meth
cd because of the fear that it might open
a fight in Congress that would result
in emasculation of existing labor laws,
This Government today provides every
protection to labor unions. Yet, in re-
turn the Government asks no standard
of performance from the unions 1t helps