Evening star., 1945-06-25

: pected from the
Supreme Court.
The radical ma Frank R.Kent.
jority of that court made this plain
last week when in a 5-to-4 decision
1t said that labor union may not
be sued under the antitrust laws foI
the destruction of an employer
business.
In this case a mans business was
completely ruined by union action
in refusing to permit employees OF
the firm to become members of the
union, or members of the union to
work for the firm. Unable to get
workers, the business died. The
court said the firm had no redress
Equally striking Is the absurd
futility of the Connally- Smith anti
strike" law. Under it the union can
claim thai strike is legal if it is
Unauthorized" and they can also
claim that it is legal if authorized
In brief, the act is joke.
Examples Cited.
. For example, the recent New York
: busline slow down." which caused
vast inconvenience to the public,
was Unauthorized" Therefore, the
act did not apply. At the same time,
in Akron, more serious strike in
2 terfering with war production in the
five plants of the Goodyear Rubber
, Co.. was avowedly an "authorized"
strike. But that was legal because
a favoring poll of workers had been
taken on the question of interrupt
ing war work by strike If their
demands were not granted. Hence,
the authorized" strike became as
legal as the unauthorized" strike.
Consider these things - the Su-
preme Court decision, exempting
unions from the antitrust law; the
Stiffness of the Smith Act
which sanctions both authorized"
and unauthorized" strikes; the
freedom of labor agencies, such as
the PAC, from the accounting to
. which other political agencies are
subjected: the one-sided Wagner
Act which puts the employer at a
hopeless disadvantage - consider
these things and it seems impossible
to contend that justice prevails in
the land or that all Of us are equally
subject to the law.
The remedy, of course, Is in the
hands of Congress. A new Presi-
dent, whose political debt to the
CIO Is not nearly so great as was
Mr.. Roosevelt's, has now taken over
A few days ago three Senators-one
Democrat and two Republicans
sponsored bill which is the first
real attempt in 10 years to correct
the glarng injustices of the Wagner
Act and PUT abor-industrial rela-
tions on a decent plane. The prin-
ciples Of the Wagner Act are pre-
served The right of collective bar
gaining and the right to strike are
retained. But the utter helpless
ness Of the employer is relieved and
the power of the unions to dictate
is decreased.
No fair-minded man can say that
under the proposed bill any of the
rights of labor" are lessened. Yet,
what has happened? Immediately,
the labor spokesmen howl with fury.
The BILL" they say, els a bill to
enslave labor" 1t is a scheme "to
rob the poor and further enrich the
rich" It is tailored straitjacket
for labor" etc. etc.
: These are the stock and exceed
ingly hackneyed phrases regularly
mouthed by the labor press agents.
They mean that all labor factions
will unite against the bill just as
they united against the work or
fight bill and just as they are united
against the national service bill.
Time Ripe for Change.
But this time there is a real pros
,pect they will not prevail. For one
thing, the bill is framed not in the
interest of labor or management but
in the interest of the public For
another, public sentiment, disgusted
by the long period of wartime strikes,
Is ripe for this kind of legislation.
More tnsn 10000 men are idle to-
day because of strikes.
For third, in a short while mil
lions of servicemen will have re-
turned to this country, and there is
no question whatever of their re-
sentiment over the strikes in war
plants while the Army and Navy
were calling for badly needed equip
ment for their fighting men.
Finally, Mr. Truman is in position
to be more independent of the la
Dor bosses than was his predecessor.
To be sure, he is politician who
has his eye on 1948 when he will
be nominated for the presidency.
Also, his nomination for the vice
presidency last year, under the
Roosevelt direction, was cleared
with Sidney"
1t Is true, too. that Mr.. Hillman
already has predicted his election
In 1948. But Mr.. Truman is a shrewd
player Of the political game and
two things may occur to him: %
that more votes could be lost than
gained by subserviency to the CIO
group; (2) that the CIO group will
have fo slln,ort hin, o,,ytory oe