The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1942-08-06
Facing The Focfs
With PHILIP PEARL

determined to lick labor first and then,
maybe, Hitler, has started putting on
new pressure. This time it's for a law
how touching is the faith of those
who think all ills can be cured by law!
to freeze wages.
Aagin the hue and cry has been
taken up. Again the daily newspapers
are pontiticating about initiation. Again
the high-pressure radio columnists are
predicting doom.
1t started this time with the Ma
tiOnal War Labor Boards decision in
the Little Steel case The Board grant
ed an increase of A cents a day in
wages as against the unions demand
for a dollar IA day. This decision was
wholly unsatisfactory to labor both
the AFL and the CIO. For the Board
attempted to set up a formula for the
settlement of future wage disputes.
Now this formula is no good as far
as labor is concerned. 1t was agreed
to by the industry and public repre-
sentatives on the Board but the labor
members dissented. Strangely enough,
the publiS press regards the formula
as a victory fof labor and dangerous
one at that.
The newspapers are worried not
about Little Steel but about other en,-
ployers in America, for whom they
serve as public defenders. They fear
that if ali other employers will have to
pay similar increases in wages, profits
will diminish. SO, naturally, they are
screaming about initiation
Labor Offers Remedy
! But the best guarantee against in
hation has now been offered by labor
itself. The program submitted to Con-
gress and to President Roosevelt by
the American Federation of Labor is a
sure cure for initiation if it is faithfully
carried out
For instance, the newspapers and the
employers assert that if more money
is put into the pockets of American
workmen in the form of wage in
creases, this additional buying power
inevitably will result in imitation.
| Now imitation is more dangerous to
| l)OoI NoIhtl IMAM ~ I'LL llolldlIc
AS President Green pointed out, the
millionaire stands to lose only part of
the value of his wealth from inflation
whereas the worker may lose his bread
and butter, his health and even life
itself.
SO to guard against such disastrous
imitation, the AtL program provides
! that in the future wage increases shall
| be paid in whole or in part in the form
of war bondS-a special series of bonds
that could not be converted into cash
until after the war.
This plan demolishes the argument
of the reactiOnaries that wage in
creases result in imitation, because it
will be impossible to spend the money
until after the war, when it will come
in handy as an offset to possible de-
tlatiOn.
But will the newspapers accept and
cheer the AFL plan? Not chance p.
For they are not worried as much
about imitation as about gains for the
workers. They are using the initiation
scare as another excuse to shift the
entire burden Of tn war on the backs
of the workers. And some public Oli-
cialS. including Leon Henderson, are
J trying to cover up their own deticen-
cieS and miSmanagementb by going along
with the reactonarieS in making labor
the scapegoat.
Thumbs Down on Wage Freezing
Why doesn't labor accept the NWLB
formula, some may ask. Because it is
Il tricky form of Wage-freezing. 1t ties
the income of labor to the cost OF
living as of a certain date and freezes
it there. Let us serve notice here and
now that labor will not stand for any
form of wagefreezing by legislation OF
by Government edict. As President
Green says, this is a life and death
matter for the workers themselves and
for the trade unions that represent
them.
Control of wages alOne-whether by
siphoning pay increases into war bonds
or by any other meanS-Will not of it