The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1945-08-31
LABOR FACES
TOUGH FIGHT I'm
REc0NVERSION
BY MIRIAM KOLKIN
Federated Press

wv NNNN ~cS
Celebrating their first Labor Day at
peace in more than three years, Amer
lean workers looked back at war job
done superbly well and saw their vic
flags waving proudly over Berlin and
Toyko. the fallen capitals of world
fascism.
Final victory over the Axis powers
came after year in which organized
labor, operating at its peak strength
of more than IA million, continued
to throw all its resources into the
fight against domestic and foreign re-
action. Political action, new weap-
on developed by labor when war needs
barred strikes and other direct eco
nomic action, paid of November in
the reelection of President Roosevelt
and the defeat of score of congress
sional tories. Five months later
workers everywhere joined in mourn
ing the death of their beloved Presi-
dent and pledging support to Presi-
dent Truman, who promised to carry
on faithfully the policies of the archi-
tect of the New Deal
Labor's no-strike pledge remained
inviolate to the end although the last
II months of war placed increasingly
sharp strains on the homefront. A
few major strikes in the coal fields
and at Montgomery Ward & Co,
where venomous old S. l.. Avery con-
tinued his war against labor and the
government, dotted the national scene
in the early part of the year More
broke out in basic war industries in
the summer months as employers used
the approaching end of the war to
launch new union-busting drive.
Paralyzing effects of the Little Steel
formula spread into the homes of
more workers faced with cuts in take
home pay and eventual unemploy-
ment. Public members of the War
Labor Board continued to play cat
game with labor's demands
that the formula be revised, delaying
any changes until after VI Day. Heed |
ing labor's cry for security, President |
Roosevelt ordered study of the guar
anteed annual wage.
While the new and promising 10Th |
congress revealed disturbing resem-
blances to its predecessor, blithely |
ignoring reconversion problems, labor
shaped an ambitious program for the
postwar economy, summed up in its
slogan of so million jobs. The AFL
and CLIO, sharing the perspective of
full production and full employment, |
Joined with the u S. Chamber of |
Commerce in signing national labor
charter pledging con-
tinued industrial peace after the war |
A sour note crept into the harmony
when the National Association of
refused to sign the |
preferring to pursue big bust
ness traditional iron heel policy of
dealing with unions which it reaffirm- |
ed at its widminter convention. Prac-
held up when the ALL executive !
council prohibited joint meetings of |
AFL representatives with the CLIO on
he national and proposed regional
.ripartite committees to carry the
charter into effect
Industry's real vision of its postwar
'elations with labor was revealed in a
legislative block buster promptly
dubbed by workers the Hatch-B Burton
Ball and chain bill Introduced in the /
senate late in June, the bill would
revise the Wagner act and
wipe out most of the benefits won by /
abor under the New Deal Both the
AFL and CLIO were mobilizing for a
against the bill on
he eve of congress- return to Wash
ngton.
While the U. S. in the last u
months assumed the role of a leading
member of the United Nations and
its international ties in
series of conferences and agree
nents, labor, too ventured into new
,aths. Delegates from 40 national
lnion organizations in more than 80 1
countries met in London in February
It the World Trade Union Conference
md committed themselves to the for
nation of new world labor organi-
alton to replace the smaller, less in 4
.lusive International Federation of 4
Trade Unions. Constitution of the
World Federation of Trade Unions
vas worked out at a later meeting in
Calf, with the first full j
Iress meeting of the new organization
cheduled to take place in Paris
september rs.
Absent from the new organization
CONTINUED on Page Four)