Evening star., 1945-11-22
Trumun Seen Losing
Prestige Over Strikes


Prestige Over Strikes
Public Not Being Represented in
Labor Crisis, Says Writer
By David Laurence
The Truman administration Is rapidly
losing the prestige it once had. It is
losing ground because 1t is not repre-
senting the public interest at critical
time in the industrial history Of the
Nation.
Having liquidated the War Labor
Board precipitately after vi day, the
administration has left the country to
suffer from the bitter fighting Of two
economic groups - management and
workers.
The big auto strike has been threat
ening for some time. Everybody has
ministration has not used its influence
to prevent the strike and to assure the
Nation Of flow Of motor vehicles.
Relying wholly on the Labor Manage
ment Conference to work out plan,
the administration has no interim pro-
gram for the emergency. This means
that the public which looks to the Gov
ernment for leadership finds no leader
ship there.
Congress, on the other hand, which
has been waiting for President Trumans
recommendation will not be immune
from public criticism. When the Execu-
tive does not lead, the people expect
their elected representatives In the
National Legislature to protect them.
Irreparable Loss Seen.
The auto strike Is a conspicuous ex.
ample of the failure of collective bar
gaining to bring labor peace. The Wag-
ner Act was passed by Congress in 1885
on the assumption that collective bar
gaining would remove the causes Of
strikes. But strikes have continued and
the prospect is that as the Army and
Navy are demobilized the jobs the
veterans have been expecting to get will
not be available and the economic loss
to the country of the work stoppages
will be irreparable.
Congress wrote into the Wagner Act
that collective bargaining is compulsory
where there is a bona fide majority for
labor organization. Congress has tho
right to legislate on compulsory medi-
alton and to prohibit strikes while medi-
alton processes are going on.
There can be no collective bargaining
where there is greed and selhshness on
either or both sides. To charge that
one side refuses to bargain because it
declines to accept demand Is to dis
tort the meaning of collective bargain-
ing. In many instances even after the
negotiations have been carried on In
good faith there comes point where
one side or the other refuses to yield.
When such a stage is reached the public
interest has to be considered.
AS long as large corporations are per-
| mitted to exist IN democracy they
must be amenable to public regulation,
and now that large unions have devel-
oped, similar power of regulation has
! to be utilized by Government to protect
| the public interest there, too. Neither
| big business nor big unionism can be
| allowed to injure the economic system
by prolonged work stoppages.
So If the public interest is paramount,
1t becomes the duty of the Government,
through fact-dnding agencies, to In
quire into the merits Of q dispute where
collective bargaining has failed to pro-
..duce q settlement and mediation has
been tried. The judgment of a Gov
ernment conciliator or mediator on the
facts when given to the public would
enlighten the people as to whether one
side or the other Is in the wrong and
| what steps If any should be taken by
Government to bring about final set
| tlement.
Larger Economic Units.
| The problem of labor relations is not
different from what 1t was in prewar
days, but today the economic units are
larger and more powerful. The corpo-
rations are bigger and control wage
rates of more workers than ever before.
Likewise the unions control more mem
bers Both economic units have become
SO strong that the public interest can
readily be damaged. Whenever such
critical stage is reached in American
life, history records that the Congress
steps In and enacts corrective legisla-
| ton.
| 1t would have been better If the
Iabor-Management Conference could
have recommended such legislation, but
the emerQence of a strike crisis ,,ou ,,,,ts
the problem on the doorstep of Con-
gress at once. The veterans who fail
| to get jobs may not be inclined to blame
| either workers or management because
| 1t will be too confusing a subject to
understand, but they will readily blame
the Congress-which has access to all
the facts and issues-if it evades and
avoids action and allows an intolerable
situation to prevail
The 1916 congressional elections are
less than year of and if 1916 Is to be
year OF economic war it Is inevitable
that the people will express themselves
on 1t at the polls, and retire from ofice
those Senators and Representatives who
have sat by while reconversion has been
retarded by economic strife on the part
| OF q minority of the citizens Of the
country.
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Colorful
From the Montreal Star.
And behold 1t came to pass that a
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