Evening star., 1945-07-18

face the facts. Last year was a
record not only for the number of
strikes, but for general labor dis
turbance throughout the country.
And while this weeks reports show
few strikes in progress, 1t is prob
able that before the end of this year
the strikes, both in numbers and in
intensity, will be far In excess of
last year and the turmoil more pro-
nounced.
The basic reason for this state of
affairs appears to be the determine
ton Of union leaders to get all in
the way Of pay increases and con-
cessions possible before the Japanese
war ends and the inevitable re-
action sets in. To this end Govern
ment agencies, such as the War
Labor Board, are openly defied and
the "no-strike" pledge so loudly pro-
claimed is no longer even nominally
observed.
Cloak for Demands.
The cold truth is that, but for the
gravity Of the situation. the no.
strike pledge would be a national
joke. Certainly, it takes a lot of
effrontery to keep on insisting that
1t is, or ever has been, effective.
Actually, it has been the cloak
under which the unions have pushed
their demands, wasting many mil
lions of man-hours in war industries
by slowdowns, walkouts and open
strikes. These have sometimes been
deplored by the professionals, but
never stopped.
Every Army and Navy officer with
anything to do with the business of
war production knows these facts.
It has not been deemed expedient
for them to talk about them. Under
heavy political pressure, some of
them wrote Labor Day letters of
congratulation, of which they were
heartily ashamed, to labor bosses,
lauding labor's magnificent effort"
at the very moment vitality needed
war materials were being held back
by strikes of one kind or another.
Privately, these officials did not
hesitate to voice their resentment.
But that was all they could do. They
we're even unable to advocate COR
rective legislation and Mr.. Roose-
welt, then President and Command
er in Chief, personally used his
influence to block the efforts of Con-
gress in that direction-and so sue
cessfully that the utterly Intellectual
Smith Connally antistrike bill had
to be passed over his veto.
That measure failed to improve
things in the least. The strikes
grew and grew. AS stated, last year
they reached an an-time peak; this
year they will go stin higher.
Unions Have Millions.
Today the unions are bigger
stronger and richer than ever before.
They have millions with which to
finance strikes and promote their
Federal and State lobbying and po-
1itical activities. Total union men,
bership is between 100000 and
100000. A great deal of prounion
legislation has been enacted in the
past decade and the union publicity
and propaganda departments have
been enormously expanded.
All of which puts them in fine
position to demand various things
besides high wages in the coming
months-things which are certain to
be resisted by industry and are
equally certain to increase the diff
culties and cost of living to the pub
lie as a whole. Government officials
recognize the signs and know trou-
BILE is coming. Some of them are
trying to figure ways of handling 1t,
but political considerations, the
lack Of authority and the lack of
law combine to make this anything
but easy.
Altogether, 1t is not happy
prospect-not even for the unions.
The more astute among their lead
ers are uneasy and apprehensive
They feel that in the next six
months labor is in position to make
large gains but at the cost of much
good will-particularly among the
returning servicemen who are none
too well disposed toward unions
now. And the gains may turn out
to be very temporary indeed.
AS a result of the strikes now In
progress and those pending. the
chances are that some kind of firm.
restrictive legislation along the lines
of the Ball Burton Hatch bill, which
both CIO and AFL already have
denounced, is pretty sure to pass
Congress next year, Notwithstanding
1t will be election year.
BY that time, perhaps, members
OF Congress up for election will dis