The midland journal., 1945-12-14
HeIeased BY western NEWSPAPER Uni
STRIKES RESULT FROM
NEW NATIONAL TACTICS
By PAUL f1ALLON :.


The first point glaringly evil
dent behind the situation is that
labor is completely controlled
entity, a centrally managed,
thoroughly disciplined, wholly
directed group in national life.
1t is set up like an army with
general headquarters, boards
Of strategy, publicity depart
ments, field officers, organizers
like recruiting officers, and the
union man himself is like a pri-
vate I'm the ranks. He has mo
more rights than an army pri-
vate.
In view Of this condition, 1t is nee
essary to look beyond the claims
made for individual strikes in any
search for an answer as to why they
occur. The Washington bus and rail-
way strike, for instance, which final
ly, and because of recurrence, caus-
ed the government to seize the lines,
involved an old case, unsettled for
many months.
There would seem to be no reason
why the strike was called first the
day the National Labor management
conference assembled here to dis
cuss and arrange conclusive peace
pact.
MANY STRIKES
What / specifically mean Is no
necessity arose at that particular
time involving any of the factors of
the case to warrant a walk-out. No
government agency had denied any
thing just the day before, or any,
thing like that.
The case of the CLIO auto
workers involved their many
months old demand for a 30 per
cent wage increase. Long range,
indirect negotiations had
strained and brok en- many
times, but singularly enough,
this strike call developed also
the day the Labor-Management
conference reached its deadlock.
The orders were issued with
in few hours after the dead
lock became apparent within the
conference and before any an
nOuncement was permitted to
leak to the public press. ut was
published two days later.)
These facts, think, are further
evidence Of what / have suggested
before, namely, that labor has devel-
oped new tactics. Up to this post
war series of strikes, labor manage
ment was largely an uncentralized
operation. It functioned in DEM
ocratic way In what might be called
democratic process.
On the one hand was the AFL and
on the other the CIO, and in their
functions they could be hkened to
the Democratic and Republican par
ties In the management Of the
nation, one majority, the other q
minority.
Following the analogy through
completely, the other independ.
ent unions could be likened to
the minority parties which have
only few scattered votes. In
theory one acted as a bulwark
against the other, a restraint to
keep it on the right path. IL
never functi0ned i'm q totalitari-
an way or under centralized CON-
troll.
This time the old conservative
AFL streetcar workers acted stimuli
taneously with the great CIO body
of auto workers. do not charge
collusion.
To try to dig inside that situa-
ton to find the proof would be as
tedious as pursuing an electrically
magnetized needle through all the
nations haystacks. But the results
came out that way as everyone can
see.
must therefore conclude that the
strikes were called against the con-
ference, therefore against Mr.. Tru-
man and against the government.
They were simply manifestations Of
organized labor pressure. This ID
my answer.
No other conclusion seems possi-
BILE from logical analysis, particu-.
larly since they were called imme-
diately after management came for
ward with program to make labor
responsible for its actions.
The program took up many sug-
gestions you have seen published in
this column, including proposals for
legislation establishing the principle
of union responsibility, including
abandonment of its immunity under
the antitrust laws, the right to sue
and be sued, and equal responsible
ity under the National Labor Rela-
tions act.
The proposals did not involve any
settlement of the wage controversy
or other elements involved in par
ticular strike discussion, but mere
ly laid down the program of union
responsibility.