Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1943-10-01
FAIR
ENOUGH
BY Westbrook
PegIer

DEAR ADM. EMORY s.
IL LAND. chairman of the
u. S Maritime Commission. re-
marked amid cheers, to the
recent convention of the Indus
trial Union of Marine and Ship
building Workers of the Go
that he was now persuaded that
union leaders were smarter
men than the representatives
of industrial management, haV-
ing greater patience and en-
durance in lpnG-drawn-out ne
gotiations.
This is either. a silly or
pernicious statement from a
man in Lands position because
il was uttered for purposes OF
ingratiation and. / have no
doubt. TO atone for Lands
earlier crack that union organ
iZerS interfering with war pro-
duction ought TO be shot at
sunrise and because. as Land
very well knows. II not only
omitS but tends to bccloud the
existence of the other side Of
the story%
TiE important phase that
Il Land didn't discuss is well
known 10 all industrial eXecu-
tives and all union bosses, and
is the result OF a studied politl-
cal policy OF the New Deal gov
eminent.
The truth is that union bosses
have nothing else 10 do but pro-
mote their own personal inter-
cStS and their unions interest
and have no responsibility under
law.
The industrial executive, on
the other hand. has business
problems. prioritieS, contracts,
taxes, renegotlatlon, production
and many laws and regulations
10 occupy his time and con-
sumo his energies
The new school Of unioncer,
developed and encouraged by
the New Deal, Is an expert
SINISTER. Schooled IN repertoire
OF time-wasting and IN some
cases. the company which Is be-
ing haraSSed and viciimlZed IN
these negotiations. is compelled
10 pay the wages of men who
do no productive work wfdt-
ever in the shops but occupy
themselves solely with the pro-
motion Of grievances calling for
negotiations. and sometimes
leading to deliberate shoF-
downs.
MOREOVER, r X q union
w policy nowadays 10 require
mutual agreement between the
company and the union IN The
preparation of lists OF men Tor
whom deferment- Is 10 be asked
and this means that the smart
union official j. given the right
10 write his own determcnt
merely by refusing 10 okay the
list, unless his one name and
the names of his friends are
on A.
have no knowledge Of any
actual case Of the selling ~
dcfe~ment by this means. but
knowing the character of many
unionecrS ! would not put 70
past them 20 shake down an
eligible Stacker for a hundred
or a thousand dollars. very
obvious business opportunity
Joe Curran'S Communist
front maritime union regularly
holds is own court-martial
and condemns sailors for anti
union" activity which includes
antI-CommuniSt activity and
leSe majesty 10 Curran. dis
missing them from union mem
bership which means that they
are then reported 10 their draft
boards AZ no longer eligible for
defCrment as merchant Scamcn.
Tlit. temptation 10 a corrupt
unlonecT to'thrcaten a rank
and-fle sailor with charges call
ing for a union trial and prob
able dismissal and certihcation
10 his nome board as an eligible
draftee need not be dwelt upon.
The unioneer II. Of course.
smart" as Admiral Land says
but. unlike the management
man. he may be a criminal with
a record or living under a false
name as many OF them do. and
yet the law is all on his side
and stacked against the COM
panv and the fighting men who
need the factory production,
and against the people OF the
United States who today are
l,,ys,rv NM fn,. gtugh