Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-07-15
Teams+ers
Now Siding
With Pegler
Picket Line Often Racket
to Enrich Grafters
BY wESTBROoK PEGLER

A > "A regular reader OF inc
"A international Teamster. the
monthly magazine of the ALL,
l am pleased to observe that the
higher leaders of the unions. one
of the largest in the country, are
adopting openly nowadays many
of the views which. when ex-
pressed in these dispatches,
have been denounced by profess
sional unioneers as anti-labor
copy.
The president OF The union and
editor Of the magazine is Daniel
J.'Tobin, who is also a member
of the executive council OF the
AFL.
The assistant editor. a pro-
feSsional journalist, is Lester M.
Hunt.
Last month Mr.. Tobin ran an
editorial under the startling
head, Go Through Those
Picket Lines" which finally ac-
knowledged that the picket line
often is a racket used TO enrich
common grafters.
EOR illustration he cited
i case where his men were
asked to respect a picket line.
thus violating four contracts OF
their own making, and victim
izing themselves by loss OF
wages. at premises in which only
four of the 25 persons employed
were union members and those
four union men for less than one
month.
Mr.. Tobin thus confirmed a
contention which, offered dog
gedly in these dispatches for
years, as matter OF principle.
has been misrepresented as anti
labor propaganda.
This month Mr.. Tobin's lead
ing editorial is entitled En-
force it Fairly or Repeal the
Wagner Act.
Developing this startling de-
mand from the president of one
of the strongest unions in the
nation. he reports that the gov
erning body Of the teamsterS
recently decided that the Ma
-tional Labor Relations Board
was polluted with prejudice
against craft unioniSSn" and
would present a demand for its
repeal at the next ALL con-
vention unless its methods arc
Immediately changed.
TIE gist OF the complaint is
l. that the act, as admins
tered, compels workers to join
unions not Of their own choice
That criticism OF the act and
its administration and OF union
activity has been expressed IN
these pieces more than once in
the last five years and invari-
ably has been branded as anti
laborism, even by officials OF the
AFL.
Indeed. for that matter, many
of Mr.. Tobin's own local and
regional unions have been
fagrantly guilty of the same
thing, forcing thousands OF
workers 10 join the teamsters
against their will
DUT, ii will be noted, Mr..
~ Tobin does not mention the
shakedown rackets of some
building trades which compel
free Americans 10 accept unions
not of their own choice on war
construction and produc ton
jobs.
However. he does recognize
the principle. and that is some
thing.
He demands that workers
whose occupation puts them
within the craft jurisdiction of
the teamsters should not be
forced 10 join Go unions by
decree of the labor board.
II they prefer not to belong
to any union, however, they may
cite him as being in favor OF
free choice and against all
coercion.
Another article in the July
issue offers more agreement.
This one denounces some of
Mr.. Tobin's own men for walk
ing out on the A. a. p. Bakery
in Pittsburgh and picketing the
plant in violation of their own
agreement in sympathy with
some bakers who had declared
IAN illegal strike" in violation
of their agreement.
DESCRIBING the transporta-
~ ton of food as defense
WORK. the article says tho
transfers union has turned
over the facts 10 certain law
enforcement agencies in Wash
ington" and adds that men who
refused 10 work when ordered
should be suspended or ex-
PEELED.
AS 10 the local officers, II
says charges may be brought
against them and that "once
they are out they will never be
permitted to return"
Mr.. Hunt has an article en-
titled Raise immigration Bar
riers-Keep Foreign Labor Out"
which says, in short, that our
Uraaf Nrohlor, after tLo $40,