The Wilmington morning star. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1909-1990, 1945-09-23
Words Of Caution

With tens Of thousands Of workers idle In
of caution against strikes come from an un-
expected source.
1T is legal to strike again. It is also legal
tc 90 barefooted. But in either case you may
stump your toe" This was not said by West
brook Pegler. No. It comes from Thomas F.
Flynn associate editor of The international
Teamster, the official magazine of the Team
sters' International Union of the American
Federation of Labor. It appeared in the Sep
TENDER ISSUE
He continues:
1--WE are entering the period Of recover
sion with our national economy in a very
delicate condition To Withstand the shock Of
rapid change from the totalitarian economy
of war to the indivioualistic economy Of peace,
we must use our he"ds.
IAN orgy of strikes will prevent an orderly
change. It will cause one OF two things either
one Of them destructive to oragnized labor.
They are:
81. It will throw the country into tail
spin and create a depression Of unprecedent-
ed proportions.
20. It will force Congress to enact drastic
laws with drastic penalties for strikes.
In either case we will 60 back into the
period of rigid government control from which
we are just emerging. We will be reglmented
in the event Of serious depression. The gov
eminent will be forced to take over industry.
"And certainly we will be regimented It
Congress enacts code of labor laws which
outlaws strikes and repeats the favorable
legislation enected during the administration
of President Roosevelt.
II do not mean % say that we should out
law the strike. But l most emphatically re-
peat what told the Southern Conference Of
Teamsters almost two years ago-that no fu-
ture strike can succeed which does not have
public sympathy.
1--WE will not have public sympathy if we
walk around with chip on our sholders tying
Up industry every time some business agent
has bellyache.'
With reference to the returning service men.
Mr. Flynn notes that they will want to work
at good wages to make up for the time they
lost in the armed services. I'VE have pre-
served their wages for them," he said
"Most of them will be grateful to us for
that But we will lose this gratitude if we
don't let them work. And how they work
if industry is paralyzed by strikes?
That will arouse their hostility and we
will have created the condition for which
many heartless employers have hoped-the
conflict between labor and veterans.
THE function of union is to provide men
with work at good wages. 1t is not the function
of a union to keep its members in hunger
and idleness.
Unions which do that will cease to exist
Either they will be legislated out Of exist
ence or their members will quit in disgust
and Join ether unions which will provide them
with jobs
Without the venom of Pegler, Mr.. Flynn
offers a bit Of advice that no union worker
or boss can well afford to ignore:
"A union which leads its members out on
strike for a trivial question Is false to its
trust. It is false to the entire labor move.
ment and is inviting trouble for the rest Of
labor.
THE period OF reconversion calls for clear
heads and strong characters in labor lead.
crisis of peace, just as we help it through
the crisis of war;
Obviously, in his opinion, this is no time
to clear through Sidney" or William Green,
or John L. Lewis, or any union leader, but
through the conscience