Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-08-19
Strikes Sold
Under Alias
During War
Government in Cahoots
With Labor Unions
BY wESTBROOK PEGLER

NAdAisAiNo put ohA ~ w ASH
ington, whether by the govern
ment agency or by pmon Off
Gals. insisting that the man
hours lost by strikes since Pearl
Harbor have been only .003 OF
the total Of hours worked. or
less than one-tenth OF the hours
lost by malnutrition or hang
over or plant accidents.
1 don't know what this lost
hourage, due 10 strikes. amounts
to and I doubt that any of us
ever will know because our ma
tional government is in political
cahoots with the unions and
their protector and may be re-
lied on never 10 tell the truth.
The reasons are obvious why
the government won't let the
truth be known through any
public agency and may be OK
pccted To confuse and deceive
private inquiries.
For one reason, the figures
would make the government
itself look bad in the eyes OF The
whole people, only very small
and not entirely willing minority
OF whom are union members.
THERE should be no strikes
Il whatever in any war indus
try nowadays ar since December
Z, and these mutinies. as you
might call them, against the ma
ton in time of war are dis
credit to the administration.
Then, too. the figures would
make the unions look bad and
the administration has identified
itself as a union government.
WELL, these unions, under the
w protection of the admins
tration have a taxing power
which gives them one thousand
million dollars a year and the
administration can tap this any
time 10 almost any extent 10
bdy elections and you cant
expect the administration 10
tell the public any very unplcaS-
ant truths on such a rich pal as
that
A QUICK strike which is over
"A in a day but costs a DAYS
production and may cost moro
is not regarded as strike for
scoring purposes. II is just a
practice swing. as you might
say.
a conference is another trick
which is not scored as a strike
because the union doesn't actu-
ally declare a strike but calls
all members into conference for
days and days during which
they cripple the plant and make
IL impossible for others 20 work.
In Carlsbad. ~. NJ, a town
which lost 100 boys on Bataar.
one OF those conferences ran
around the clock for 10 day.
and shut off that much produc-
ton of potash, but it wasn't a
strike.
A ND, Of course, that wasn't
"A strike up in Buffalo recently
when a group of construction
workers known as the Operat-
ing Engineers Union, all got sick
in an epidemic Of something
that their business agent said
could be cured by raise OF l3
cents an hour.
That was loss Of work due 10
the dreadful wear and tear OF
their war effort. or maybe NAL
nutrition.
And, finally, II a real strike
Is called and il is so harmful
and outrageous that there is no
Disgusting il, then the master
union, either the Go or the
AFT., will say the strike IS q
deplorable violation of "labor's'
solemn and sacred pledge and is
rcpudiatcd.
THERE is no punishment. no
Il sort Of penalty that may be
imposed on any union for any
thing il docs or suffers 10 be-
done TO the detriment OF war
production.
get a laugh out Of letter
from a man named Wendell
Lund. director OF the labor pro-
duction division of the War Pro-
duction Board. in which he says
il has been the practice Of the
board TO take up with union
officials complaints by individual
workers who have had 10 pay
excessive fees and dues 10 re
quest correction. y
He says the union officials
have taken action in such In
stances and adds that the board
will he glad 10 take up any such
complaints that have como
TO me.
Can you imagine that? They
request correction and the Of
ficials have taken action"
Why. these eXtortioners have
been robbing hundreds Of thou
sands of workers all up and
down the land for years and
now he wants specific informa-
ton on each individual case so
that he may request correc-