Evening star., 1943-06-28


last IS years ~
when labor dis David Lawrence.
putes became acute-it has provided
cooling off" machinery and yet has
not abolished the right to strike or
quit work. Congress in the new law
has not imposed compulsory arbi-
tration or placed on either labor or
employers any legal obligation to
accept the War Labor Boards set
tlement OF labor controversies.
Stated in logical sequence and in
the order in which the disputes may
develop and come within govern
mental machinery for mediation, the
operations Of the new law would be
substantially as follows:
/. A dispute arises between en-
ployes and management in a war
production plant. 1t grows serious.
A strike is talked of and is actually
planned. The Representative of the
employees" must give the Govern
ment 80 days notice of an intended
work stoppage. A secret ballot is
taken under the auspices Of the Ma
tional Labor Relations Board so the
workers may express themselves
freely.
Remote Penalty.
The employer and employees must
continue to work under the existing
conditions until vote is taken.
There are, however. no penalties for
ignoring or violating this provision
except the vague language that dam
age suits can be filed by injured
parties, including the Government.
This is at best remote deterrent.
2. While the strike vote machinery
Is under way, the "no-strike pledge"
influence Of the labor leaders can
come into play and if the situation
appears to be developing toward a
real work stoppage, the War Labor
Board can enter into the controversy
of its own initiative and prescribe
the conditions Of the contract or
settlement. But again there is no
penalty provided for failure to obey
such an order from the War Labor
Board. There is no power of CO.
ercion whatsoever behind this ex-
cept the influence of public opinion.
3. If the influence of public opin-
ION and the pleas of national labor
leaders fail, then the Government
may seize the plant in question and
operate it until productive effici-
ency" has been restored and then
the properties must go back to their
owners. Just what is productive
efficiency" will be decided in each
case on the facts but since produc-
tive efficiency does not usually come
while there are unsettled labor oues-
tions, it is doubtful whether a plant
would be returned until a complete
settlement Is reached.
Strikes Then Barred.
4. While the property is in Gov
ernment hands, it now is unlawful
for anybody to encourage, instigate,
finance or conspire to bring about a
strike or work stoppage. The pen
atty for this is fine and imprison-
ment for a year or both. But all
that Is said here is that nobody can
encourage or bring about a strike
among Government workers against
the Government itself-a principle
long established and publicly accept
ed by President Roosevelt and
former Presidents because it is q
necessary counterpart of the right
of the State to protect its own prop
erty and work projects.
To say that workers in war plants
will wish to strike because there is
available now a machinery that re-
quires them to give notice is to say
that labor leaders do not mean what
they have been publicly proclaiming
about the effectiveness of their mo
strike" pledge.
II some labor union officers mis-
Judge a situation and fail to give
notice of work stoppage, nothing
serious can befall them. The same
provision of law could be used by
patriotic labor leaders to squelch the
unauthorized" or wildcat" strikes
which national unions have some
times claimed to be powerless to
prevent.
The ban on labor union contri-
buttons to political campaigns is,
of course, really serious for the
unions and also for President Roose-
velt who, understandably perhaps
in view of certain coming events in
1914, cited the clause as one of two
principal objections to the bill last
week. He said the proposed re-
strlction wasn't relevant in wartime
and yet there will be big election
in wartime in 1914 and the corpora
tions, banks and other individuals
who are forbidden to contribute to
political campaigns will be under
restraint of existing law, whereas if
the President had had his way the
labor unions would have remained
free to confiscate union dues out of
their huge treasures to support can
didates whom their rank and file
might not wish to support.
Workers can still contribute as
individuals but under the law of last
week they cannot be solicited by
union officers nor can assessments
be imposed for political purposes.
The net effect may possibly be to
reduce some of the coercive tactics
of the labor lobbyists who have
threatened members of Congress
with defeat by means of these same
union labor funds.
Also, the New Deals financial al
hance with the billions of dollars in
the union dues chests has been dealt