The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1943-05-06

pose, Was QlISCIoQ W Ilio IIeSlQo
of the federation's officers. Signatories
included John Fitzpatrick, president of
the Chicago Federation of Labor !:
Joseph ID. Keenan,, corresponding Secre-
tary; Harry f. ,O'Reilly, regional di-
rector of organization for the Ameri-
can Federation of Labor, and others.
Federation officers acted under instruc-
tions of regular meeting of the
central body here.
"The so-called certificates of avail
may well be termed temporary grants
of freedom, subject to cancellation or
renewal at the will of the employers"
the federation's officers said. "The al
legged right of appeal from the EN-
ployers' decision to the WNIC is of
no value, except to emphasize the fact
that the employer himself, in his own
interest and for his own profit, is made
the court of original juriSdiction.'
The letter observed that ''the serf,
according to recognized and well es-
tablished definitions, is Il person
subject to the will of the owner "
adding that "the soil of course, was
simply the place of service or employ
ment."
job Freeze Is "SerfdOm"
"SerfdOm in modern America" it
said, was unthinkable until the WNIC
began to enforce its alleged Job sta
bilization plants which were first an
nounced as designed to merely stop
so-called piracy on the peculiar claim
that employers were stealing each
others employees.
'The McNutt program, from its very
beginnings year ago, has carried that
implication of possession or ownership
of the worker by the employer"
Pointing out that the industrial
workers in the Chicago area have
made Il splendid war production rec
ord" the federation's officers told the
President
",The facts in this respect may be
ascertained through Army sources. IT
has been our hope that we would be
given an opportunity to improve that
record. We had proposed Il definite
plan to further stimulate the workers
in this area to give even more eager
service than that which they have al
ready performed The War ManpoweI
Commission, however, has now appar-
emily decided that our cooperation in
that respect is not desired by the Com
mission
1t is obvious" the letter continued
that the willing service of free meI
is far more productive than the forced
labor of persons held in captivity
whether temporary or permanent"
Jnvo!untary Seryiture"
The labor officials set forth that the
thirteenth amendment to the fedora
constitution provides that no invOl
untary Servitude shall exist under the
American flag" stating, in conclusion
I'VE cannot bring ourselves to be
lieve that you, as leader of our great
tive order of April s, that the Wan
Manpower Commission should include
in its edict provision which, in effect
orders an extension of the certificates
of availability practice to cover loya
workers throughout the nation.
''Whatever the fact may be in thai
respect, we now find ourselves in {;
position where we feel it necessary t.
earnestly petition you to take imme
diate action, through your executive
powers, to restore the status of Oul
people as free men and women in the
field of labor in accord with what W.
believe to be the specific requirement:
of the constitution of the Unitet
States"
The federation, Fitzpatrick said, i:
directing its attention to the funda
mental issue of freedom from per
sonal slavery or Serfdom in the tielt
of labor 1t regards ''all other QueS
tiOnS as of secondary importance,