Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-10-22
Union Chiefs
Not Leaders
Of Labor
They're Politicians and
Bosses. Peeler Says '
By wEsTBROOK PEGLER

BY wESTBROOK PEGLER
LIVERY now and again / have
II occasion to admonish my
revered bosses. the newspaper
editors who generally take this
impudence very Kindly and thus
encourage me TO further brat
tishness of which the following
display is typical. If not worse.
Today / should like to point
out to them and to variety OF
other persons dealing in public
expression, such as radio speak,
ers, magazine editorialists and
occupants of or candidates for
public office, that the term Ia
Dor leader" is inaccurate and
misleading when applied to most
of the professional unioneers OF
both big camps and that the
term labor" is equally decep-
tive as applied to the unions.
In both cases, the word Ia
Dor" confers on these power
politicians an advantage which
they do not deserve because Ia
Dor" means 10 all of us the rank
and file worker with whom
they have no relation other than
that of boss and subject or VIC
tim.
Labor" also includes millions
OF American workers who are
not members of any union and
millions who are members OF
unions only because they were
anschlussed into the two rival
empires by threats and pressure.
WHEN you speak or write OF
w such a man as John Lewis,
for example. as a labor leader
you are suggesting that he Is q
popular leader of voluntary fol-
lowers which certainly is an ink
correct picture of John and or
that does injustice to the MINI
workers.
Lewis is not their leader. He
may have been a popular leader
once but he is now their boss
and a rough and ruthless boss
at that, who doesn't consult their
wishes but sends them orders.
William Green is even remoter
from the toilers and Is in no
sense of the word q leader OF
labor" but the executive head
of a powerful band OF profess
sional union bosses.
The ordinary carpenter or
waitress, for example, has no
more voice in the proceedings OF
the American Federation OF
Labor than the holder OF single
share Of stock has in the affairs
of Republic Steel, and Tom
Girdler lis no more aloof 10 the
single-share investor than Green
to the individual worker.
In fact the single-share in
weston is better of because he
can sell his share and get out
| IL he doesn't like the way things
are running, whereas the union
worker can't quit his union with
out losing his livelihood and he
may be tossed out, anyway, for
lese majestic in appealing TO the
august president of the national
body for redress of some wrong,
however outrageous, wi tn out
first exhausting all the appeals
which are supposed TO be pro-
vided but actually do not exist
within his local union.
THE local union bosses may
i exhaust him with a chair leg
before he gets a chance to ex-
haust his illusory remedies, but
that is something that he is for
hidden TO mention to Mr.. Green.
When John wants 10 dip inta
the treasury of the miners fort
political candidate OF for the
promotion OF unionism in some
other field of work. and he has
been known 10 take some ire
mendous dips, he doesn't consult
the miners at all.
He just takes the dip and tells
them about IL. afterward.
Now. of course, John will say
that the miners, through him,
are trying to raise the living
standards OF labor" in the VAL
leys of American society by
electing a certain man 10 the
presidency OF the republic, or
that through him. the miners
desire 10 assist their unseen
brethren in the automobile
plants.
But IL Is noticeable that he
doesn't risk a negative answer
by consulting them.
And IL must be kept in mind
that a union boss who elects a
president expects TO become the
Presidents boss in certain i'm
portant matters.
Lewis plainly revealed this
when he yelled that President
Roosevelt hadn't delivered TO
him that which Lewis thought
he had paid for by his campaign
contribution from the miners
hamper.
A ND, observe, too, that when
"A such man by such use OF
the funds of one union, succeeds
In building up another union, the
result is an increase in the
power of the boss, himself. at
the expense of the members.
Although the workers arc ia
Dor, the unioneers are not labor
II