The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1942-09-10

Labor Day Radio Address by l.
Nj. Ornburn, Secretary Treasurer,
Union Label Trades Department
American Federation of Labor.
America is engaged in the most gi-
gantic struggle in the history of man
kind.
In this extensive glObal conflict the
officials and members of the American
Federation of Labor have pledged their
unqualified support and are doing
everything humanity possible to win an
early victory. On the other hand, the
enemies of organized labor are using
every conceivable means to discredit
the all-out effort by union workers to
crush the Axis powers.
Organized labor has relinquished its
legal right to strike during this emer-
gency but insists upon its rights to
organize and bargain collectively.
While 80 per cent of all American EN-
DlOyerS are fair to unions, 10 per cent
of them are using patriotism as ii
camoufiage to chisel on workers rights
and to destroy labor unions. They are
taking advantage Of the patriotic fer
vor of the American people in these
critical times to do the job they have
been trying for years to do; namely,
to destroy labor unions.
The main objective of these few un-
fair bosses is to tear down the Ameri-
can standards of free labor which have
been established during the past GO
years.
American workers have many times
exceeded the most optimistic advance
estimates of war equipment for this
year. The subsidized press has poisoned
the public's mind and tried to place the
blame for all delays i'm our war effort
on the skilled men who are doing the
actual work, while full blame should
be placed on the doorsteps Of certain
monopolies of raw materials that have
detied government priorities and are
universally boOtlegging essential raw
material in a black market to Il favor
ed few industries in order to protect
them from competition in the post
war period.
The American Federation of Labor
has joined with no foreign organiZa-
tions except those of our allies, the
labor unions in Great Britain and
Canada, while certain large corpora
tiOnS of this country have formed sub
versive patent agreements with NaZl
Germany, thereby sabotaging our war
effort by preventing our government
from using American and other inven-
tions to win the war.
American labor has made great
sacrifices in life and limb. During
1910 over $4,000 were killed - four
times the number that were killed in
our armed forces since Pearl Harbor
and 100000 were injured Many of
the accidents were preventable. Who
ever heard of a boss in any industry
receiving any physical injury. Ameri-
can workers will make the sacrifices
our republic. the only form of govern
ment under which they know labor
unions can permanently exist. The CON
trolled newspapers are using Fascist
technique in an effort to tear down
American labor unions and to diScredit
our representative form of government
by ridicuing our legislative bodies
such as the vicious attack on Congress
at the present time.
The high labor standards established
by the American Federation of Labor
over the past sixty years have made
America what it is today. Had it not.
been for the protection members have
obtained through labor unions, Amer
ica would not now have enough skilled
and experienced workers to do the 81
gantic war job of supplying all of the
United Nations. 1t is because OF the
high labor standards and economic
security enjoyed by organized workers