The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1944-02-17
WE MUST HAVE NO STRIKES IN 1914

WILLIAM GREEN, President of the American
V Federation of Labor reports that the AL
Executive Council at it's mid-winter session at
Manu. had directed that the AF'L officers OF all
Local Unions call upon the 6,5O0,O0O members OF
the Federation to adhere strictly to the NO-Strlke
pledge for the Duration made by the AFL affiliates
at the outbreak of the war. Green declared that
we have arrived at period in the war where the
need and demand for uninterrupted operations
have reached their highest point and local stop
page may imperil the lives of those participating
in this overshadowing military movement
and he further emphasized ''the Executive Coun-
Gil has directed that AFL Officers emphasize to
all members the necessity of maintaining the No
Strike pledge made to the President because we
are the eve of tremendous developments
millions Of American soldiers will meet the stua-
ton in courageous American Way our
soldiers OF production must meet the situation IN
the same courageous way our soldiers must
fight; our workers must work"
We heartily concur in that pronouncement In
time of war there is no such thing as Just strike
or reasonable one. Any strike which stops war
production is strike against our own fellow cltl-
zenS, against relatives who are fighting
for the preservation of those very freedoms which
make it possible for free labor to strike in normal
times of peace.
Our local labor unions moreover must recog-
nze that the general welfare Of the organized
labor movement as a whole takes precedent before
their own limited interests We need only re-
cuence Of the coal strike last year to bring about
a Universal Service Law. Prior to that defy of
the Government by John l.. Lewis, it was gener
ally admitted that Congress was opposed to a re-
straining law similar to the Smith COnnally Act.
But the revulson which followed that strike
caused many members of Congress, normally
friendly to labor, to vote for the Bill. They and
many others, will also vote for Universal Serv-
ice Law which, will literally freeze and nullify the
independence of organized labor for the Duration
if some similar act of arrogant stupidity goads
them into it or offers an excuse for it,
However, IN fairness it must be pointed out
that the moral responsibility to prevent strikes
rests with equal weight upon the employer and
the federal bureaus as well. Too many employers
have taken undue advantage of this no-strlke
pledge to deliberately arouse the antagonism and
resentment Of their employees by their chisellng,
by their violations of the union agreement and the
spirit of the labor laws of country. They, too,
must also put the common interest Of our country
above their private interests.
Long delays, half baked decisions and mazes of
red tape by the War Labor Board and related
federal bureaus also tend to fan into flame that
resentment and urge by the workers for summary
action upon which strikes are nuItured.
We are definitely certain that there will not be
single strike in any war plant ii the management
as we'll as the WLB devote the same single
mindednesS of purpose to win the war that organ
iZed labor is doing Labor will more than meet
them halfway on any reasonable proposal to iron
out difficulties which inevitably arise from time to
time The machinery is there.
Let the employer and the government bureaus
use it as sincerely and willingly as Labor does to
settle all disputes without Work-stoppages.
Labor indeed is working as hard as our soldiers
fight. Such teamwork is indispensable and in
separabe if we want to end this bloody strife in
Europe in 1914 or 1915.