Evening star., 1943-04-29
CAPT. Rickenbacker
Praised and Raped
In Senate Speeches
Need Attacks Air Ace
As Chovez Coils Flyer
"A Friend of Labor
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
Capt. Eddie Rickenbacker was
described to the Senate today as
both friend and foe of labor.
During discussion of absentee
ism. Senator Mead, Democrat, of
New York said he viewed with keen
regret what he termed the noted
flyers championship of the old
deal in labor relations
Senator Chavez, Democrat. of New
Mexico. however, defended Capt
Rickenbacker as mot a labor batter
but friend of labor"
Labor, Senator Chavez added
Cannot justify before any American
In the armed forces or in patriotic
efforts at home the insistence that
membership in some particular group
is necessary before an American can
work in war plant"
"a man trying to construct an
air base for which all patriotic
Americans pay taxes cannot hire the
son or brother Of man in the
nllj lOlSCS ulIlCSS kfoup dp-
proves" Senator Chavez said.
Mead Criticizes Speeches.
Senator Mead told the Senate he
did not know where that tragic
incident occurred" but said he re-
called that labor was indicted for
an unfounded report workers had
refused TO unload ships in the South
Pacific"
Sens tor Mead asserted that Capt
Rickenbacker, who was in a raft
with a man carrying a union card.
could have done better if he had
worked with rather than criticized
labor" and added:
The very nature of his speeches
makes it appear that he went out
Of his way to criticize labor
Praising Senator Chavez's record
in behalf OF labor legislation, Sen
ator Mead declared the two simply
disagree on approach, and that
he personally favorS 'eXhorting
labor to greater effort
Earlier the New Yorker had said:
TT would seem that this great ace
of the air has. unwittingly perhaps.
become an ace up the sleeve of
labor baiters whose object is to slip
the knave card to organized labor
as responsible for absenteeism,
slow-d down and wage profiteering in
war production"
Discourages Workers.
Senator Mead said it was his con-
viction that the continued. per-
sistent efforts to discredit labor and
everything that is done in its be-
half could only lead to discourage
ment, discomfort and dismay among
the millions Of men and women on
our industrial home front"
Assessing reports from employers
on absenteeism. Senator Mead said
1t was not true that there was wide
spread "loaf1ng tagging and liquor
ing among workers.
The Senator said the greatest
cause of absences of workers was
sickness, that accidental and occu-
patlonal disabilities constituted a
major cause of absenteeism and that
transportation difficulties contrib
uted in large share. He added:
1t appears without question that
the absentee rate among women en-
ployes generally is higher than that
of men and this is rather logically
attributed to the fact that women,
and particularly married women,
have greater home responsibilities
and obligations requiring more fire.
quent absences from work
Without quoting the source. Sem
ator Mead said that numerous rec
ords he had seen disclosed no en-
ployer reporting higher than per
cent absenteeism. The overall aver
age, he said, did not exceed Az per
cent.
From this direct evidence" he
declared. Il am wholly convinced
that if any plant today suffer a 10
per cent absenteeism rate. it is due
largely to management failure"