Evening star., 1943-10-28

And, what's y II
more, it has David Lawrence.
gotten results. Compared to the
Governments position last April
coercion has paid the mine work
ers handsome dividends. In the
end, they appear to have bene.
flied. for though they have no
obtained 100 per cent of theil
original demands, the percentage is
likely to be close to rs per cent.
The rest of organized labor looks
on and sees that coercionist tactics
have succeeded. Already the Pres
ident has been told in plain terms
by the CIO and AFL leaders that
he must do something to revise the
Little Steal" formula or there will
be an epidemic of strikes. To what
extent the leaders feel this is in
evitable because the mine workers
have had such success by their
tactics and to what extent the
situation is due to the general
unrest among workers because of
the withholding tax and the high
cost of living and increased ex-
penses growing out of wartime
scarcities is not yet clear.
Appeasement Policy.
The simple fact is that the ad-
ministration's policy Of appeasing
labor union leaders so as to retain
their votes at the polls has not
resulted in any relaxation of the
pressure for more wages and more
benefits. 1t is difficult to see why
the administration need fear any
loss of labor votes, for the Repub-
licans are not likely to promise
more benefits to labor than the
New Deal has already given the
unions.
Nevertheless, in an administra-
ton which has made a partnership
with the labor union politicians, it
Is natural that the tendency to
curb wage demands will evoke
bitter resentment, especially since
the mine workers have demon
strated that by so-called unauthor-
lied strikes and by forcing of
Government seizure and generally
chaotic conditions in the mine in
dustry for employers, the unions
have been able gradually to get
more and more concessions until
now they are in sight of their
original demands.
The fact that in wartime labor
has become almost the principal
thorn in the side of the Admins
tration may develop political roper
cuSSionS in an entirely different di-
direction. The White-collar workers
of America have been held down
by the wage and salary stabilization
rules and they feel that organized
labor also should be kept within
the limits of the September Is, 1912
formula. When the Administration
finds ways of increasing the mine
workers pay, it merely means that
other workers will feel themselves
entitled to the same thing. 1t is
from the unoreaniZed labor vote
that the Administration has most
to fear at the next election.
incidentally, when the war is over,
the labor unions will not find them
selves very popular with the service
men.
Cause of Lowered Morale.
Rear Admiral Murray, in Navy
Day address at Chicago, said within
the last "a hours that the chief
cause of lowered morale in the
United States Navy today is the re-
ports OF strikes back home.
The men," he said. have a def
mite feeling that somewhere, some
how something is wrong when the
word strike appears concerning
any industry vital to the success
ful conduct of the war. Hours and
wages mean little to those who go
down to the sea in ships"
Both Philip Murray of the CIO
and William Green of the AFL have
made dozens of speeches pointing
with pride to the keeping of the
"no-Strike" pledge BY labor. but
somehow or another the newspapers
keep reporting the existence of
strikes and work stoppages as we'll
as constant threats of strikes.
The Administration has held the
line against runaway imitation thus
far, but unless public opinion comes
to the support Of the Government
In vigorous policy against union
pressure, by strikes, against Con-
greSS and the executive branch of
the Government and its agencies,
the labor politicians will follow
the pattern of the miners in trying
to get added wage increases.
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