St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1946-11-29

ueslklhteu ny tHe NatlOual AduOi
Relations Board as the employees
bargaining representative.
This is one Of the provisions of
the law which has worked to the
disadvantage Of colored workers
and permitted lily-white unions to
drive cOlored workers out of GER
tain industries where they were
not wanted.
II may be said in defense Of the
act that it has freed workers from
fear Of losing their jobs because Of
union activity.
Just what changes the Re-
publicans intend to make In the
Wagner act are not yet clear.
but the Case bill which passed
beth houses and was vetoed by
president Truman, will probably
be reintrOduced with some mOdi-
feations.
The Case bill would create a
federal mediation board, forbid
strikes and lockouts for go days,
provide for civil suits against EN-
ployers and employees who break
contracts, deprive those who en-
gage In violence Of bargaining
rights, and establish fact-finding
committees to ascertain the facts
in major labor disputes involving
public utilities.
Because Senator Robert +. Wag-
ner, Democrat, of New York, was
the principal author Of the Ma
tional Labor Relations Act, Walter
White, executive secretary Of the
National Association for the Ad.
vancement Of Colored People, has
been opposed to any changes what.
soever in the law. He argued that
once the Wagner act was opened
for amendment, all kinds Of anti,
labor amendments would be writ.
ten into the act. He was probably
right in the light of the temper
Of the Seventy-ninth Congress to
ward labor. But the Republicans
now seem determined to enact 9
constructive but not punitive" Ia
Dor legislation.
There is this fact: The Republi
cans are just as anxious to get thC
labor vote in l948 as they are t
revise existing labor laws, and ma!
compromise upon combination o,
the Case bill with the Ball Hatcl
bill. The latter bill calls for com
pulsory arbitration Of all disputes
that may arise out of differing in
terpretatiOns Of collective bargain
ing agreements.
1t seems pertinent that coloret
organizations would be thinking il
terms Of what changes are desir
able in the Wagner act from tn,
standpoint of colored people gen
orally.
One proposal which merits con
sideration would make it an unfai
labor practice to discharge or re
fuse to hire any person solely o.
account Of his race or color.
Another would exclude from
the definition Of n labor union
any organization which by ritual
istie practice, constitutional or
bylaw prescription, by tacit
agreement among its members,
or otherwise, eustOmarily or usu-
ally denies persons membership
in IL on account Of race, creed, or
color.
Republicans and northern an
western Democrats surely woul
support such amendments whic
would be an approach to fair labo
practices and put an end to som
Of the race discrimination that
practiced in American industry.
might even go further and compC
unions, which now bar colore
workers from membership or n
strict them to auxiliary organiES
tons, to drop their color bars.
Advocacy Of such an amendmer
cannot in any sense be interprete
as an affront to Senator Wayne
and inasmuch as it appears thi
the law which bears his name wi
be amended by the Eightieth Cor
gress, whether he wills it or no
it may be that he himself woul
support the changes designed
eliminate such discrimination.
Notes: Fleetwood Mccoy, a r,
serve officer. is slated to sueeet
) Major Danny Day in the War D,
t partment Public Relations divisio
He's the choice Of Marcus Ra
civilian aide to the Secretary I
!, War, a fellow Chicagoan. Day
! on his way to Japan. Pa,
Robson, the actor and singer, wi
e be the principal speaker at Il
e Alpha Phi Alpha convention in Il
Angeles next month.