Imperial Valley press., 1941-03-31

duct in its current total defense
effort.
The report covered the strikes
conducted by the CIO in the plants
of Republic Steel Corp. Bethlehem
SteC Corp. youngstown Sheet and
Tube Co, and Inland Steel Co.,
which involved l55,00o men.
In issuing their report. Chairman
Robert NJ LaFollette, Prog, Wis,
and Sen. Ebert D. Thomas. D.
Utah. promised to submit recon-
mendations later for legislation for
settlement of disputes caused By
the refusal of companies to sign
labor agreements Or bargain col
lectively.
New strikes in the Little Steel
group, all of whom have important
defense orders, threaten now.
The bloodshed, bitterness, and
economic disorganization of COM
munities resulting from the Little
Steel strike might easily have been
avoided had the companies con-
formed to the laws of the United
States, instead of ranging their
combined economic strength and
the prestige and influence of their
employer associations in opposition
to collective bargaining" the re-
port said Their determination to
1lout the law, and their efforts,
through a careful campaign Of prop
aganda. to enlist local communities
10 assist them, must be condemned
as dangerous to lawful government.
Violence during the strike, which
caused nearly a score of deaths,
cannot be attributed to ANY con-
certed campaign of violence on the
part of the union" the committee
said.
"Of the serious riots occurring
during the course of the strike, the
committee took exhaustive evidence
with regard to the four which were
most important" the report added.
THE origin of these riots can be
traced to the biased or intemperate
conduct of local law-enforcement
authorities, acting frequently under
the pressure and clamor directed
against the strike by company Of
ficials and citizens committees. IN
Massillon, O.. the outburst was pro-
voked and carried to its bloody
conclusion by special deputies, some
of whom were paid directly by the
the Republic Steel corporation.
TT is noteworthy that all fatal
tiles in these riots were on the
side of the strikers
Reverting to its discussion OF
Little Steel" employers, the COM
mittee said:
"A rejection of the process OF
collective bargaining, implemented
as it invariably is by employer in
reference with organization Of
workingmen is an affront TO the
democratic concept that mans
rights are not to be measured by his
economic status.
And it goes without saying that
a nation cannot arm itself in the
name of democracy and make the
united effort required for total de-
fense if it permits this democratic |
ideal to be defaced by the refusal |
of certain employers TO accord their
workmen the dignity and equality |
of treatment which they give to
their colleagues and competitors -.
Certain it is that the nation
cannot permit these companies to-
day to take the same attitude that
they took in 1897 with the same
inevitable consequences of inter-
rupted production. Any company
which today stands up and fatty
refuses to enter into signed bar
gaining contract under all circum-
stances, and any employer associa-
ton which supports and assists it
in such a position, are endangering
the national security. Such con-
duct not only threatens the vital
continuity of production but it chal-
lenges the nations domestic author
ity, weakens respect of labor for
the national aims. and destroys the
sense of unity and common effort