The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1943-07-15

that he would press it as part {
He stated:
II expect to continue to urge this
legislation until it is placed upon the
statute books. l expect to seek to
amend any legislation that comes on
the floor of this body dealing with our
permanent national labor policy to in
cude this measure"
The measure referred to is designed
to provide criminal penalties for EN-
ployers and their agents found guilty
of many types of activities uncovered
in the extensive investigation con-
Quoted by the committee from 1896 to
1910.
Members To See
| also ask that a brief collection of
excerpts from PARTY, constituting the
introduction to and conclusion of this
volume, be printed in the Record, said
Senator LaFollette, so that the mem-
bers of the Senate may have readily
available outline of the subject matter
treated The volume submitted today
report based upon this committees
final field investigation into undue in
references with the right of labor to
organize and bargain collectively. The
volume discusses the major develop
ments in labor relations and the EN-
ployers' association movement in Cali
fOrnia, following the enactment of the
10, N,t
concern organized employer interfer-
ence with the rights of labor.
Law Has Teeth
The members of the Senate who
were here during the last term of
Congress will recall that the senior
Senator from Utah and l introduced
bill called the Oppressive Labor
Practices Act. This act would have
prescribed as criminal offenSeS labor
espionage, professional StrikebrealiinS,
the use of industrial munitions, GER
cain abuses of private police systems,
antiunion vigilantism, blacklisting, em-
ployer agreements to frefrain from
collective bargaining, so-called yellow
dog practices, organized employer
coercion of employees to prevent them
from practicing collective action by
employers and employers associations
to carry on these practices.
No member of Congress would have
to go beyond the pages of the report
submitted today to find complete and
adequate reasons for the adoption of
the legislative recommendation which
this committee has urged. The ma
tional policy for collective bargaining
will never be secured in California OF
elsewhere so long as the 'belliSerent
employers associations of the sort re-
vealed in this report, can carry on the
practices outlined in the Oppressive
Labor Practices Act without fear OF
severe sanctions. This report makes il
clear for all who would read that this
is not Il theory but a fact.
Invasion OF Civil Rights
These oppressive labor practices
constitute invasions of civil rights by
predatory interests that cannot be con
dOned even by the boldeSt spokesman
for brutality and industrial autocracy
They have been uniformly condemned
as pernicious activities by all who pre-
sumo any knowledge of industrial re
latonS and public morals. The Senate
itself concurred in this opinion wheI
!, it passed the forerunner of the bill
recommended here in 1910.
For decade after decade similar pro
posals to outlaw these practices have
been presented to the Congress. The!
have failed of passage not because
of any criticism of their merits bu
because the legislature was too easil,
diverted as the more spectacular reve
lations of these SOrid activities grew
cold in the public mind. Now that w
are for the time being in an era o
comparative industrial peace due t.
the single-minded devotion of the vas
ma jority of employers and employee
to the job of winning the war, w
should not forget these manifestation
of evil that will surely poison tn
stream of industrial labor when we re
\ turn to normal peace-time relation
ships. We should seize the first OppOI
tunity to strike down these oppressiv
labor practices and write finis to
long and bitter chapter of America!
history.
Labor Not FavOrite
Certain groups in Congress seem t
be in a mood to legislate concerning
labor. 1t is important that Congress
move to reassure the men and womel
who labor that their organizations an
their efforts to exercise their right
and better their economic position vii
be preserved from private attack an
aggression from this day forward
Now, as last year, ! believe that labo
should be assured that the Nation i
not going to yield to those forces il
Congress and out who have been seek