Montana labor news., 1946-01-03
COOLr0FF A%
UNION BUSTln~ W..

sfV "'h'' 'o'h> ~ 49,
future well-bcing that we cannot al
ford now to tolerate the kind oi stupid
ity and bungling that characterized the
rush to enact such bills as the Smith
Connally act OF 1915" Clio Pres. Philip
Murray told Congress this week in cp-
posing the Truman anti-strikc bill CHR
490S).
Appearing at the House labor COM
mittcc hearings on the Truman proposal
TO impose a N-day "cooling-off' period
and "iact-findins' boards on labor.
Murray asked:
Are We in crisis ,o'ay becau,. labor
has failed to 'cool-ofi' Are we in crisis
today because the facts are not known
o. not availahlc:'
There has been no lack OF oenlire. oil
on the part OF labor and certainly the
cuts in takc-homc pay, contrastcd with
enormous increases in profits. are avail
able TO everybody, he said.
Citing two major Go wage cases,
he pointed out that the Stcelvorkcrs
formulated their wage demands. i'll
September and sought immediate ncgo-
,%iations with the steel industry.
1T is 90 days, since that time and
in their action OF this week the Steel
workers have still deferred the final
resort to strikc-an action which the
attitude OF the industry has forced upon
us-for still another so days.
in the automobile industry the work
crs thra>hcd about Tor over 81 days III
futile efforts to induce General Motors
Ia engage III real collective BARGAINING.
NO one can suggest that there Las
been action i'll haste or i'll heat. These
workers have been cooled oil and cooled
of until they have almost been ire2cl
out Of the picture.
against that background, | ass you
gentlemen whether il is not Sheer ION
Sense to propose as a total solution iur
our present ills cooling off periods.
Does labor speak too strongly when 1t
suspects in such proposals an effort
10 cloud some Of the real problems and
70 cvade the responsibility Tor taking
action in directions that will really
Hcot them:
such proposals, in the light OF the
facts clear to everyone. must be born
either oi a complete lack oI under
standing or complete hypocrisy
Under questioning by Acting Commit
tee Chairman R%am>peck tD-l,a). Muir
ray said that the Go is strongly OPP
posed to any legislation looking toward
compulsion OF labor or robhing them OF
their constitutional right TO strike.
The purpose back OF this bill is to
destroy labor he said, and the effect
OF it would be the same. Perhaps the
sponsors OF this measure do not agree
that il has such a purpose, but II is
there
Pressed BY labor-baitina Clare lloii-
man (R-Mich.) Tor some kind OF ac-
ton to allay industrial unrest, Murray
let the committee have his answer:
Repeal this abominablc carry-back and
carry-forward provision OF the tax
laws"
Explaining that carry-back and carry
forward amounts to lockout benefits
for industry since they are guaran-
tced their l93o-W profit level no matter
how little they operate Murray con
finucd.
This carry-back is al a~trocity
against the American public. 1t permits
industry to be as irresponsible as ii
likes with no penalty attached. 1t should
be repealed in the interests Of all the
American people
Asked in shocked tones by Rep. Buck
(R-N.Y.l il he considered L. $. Steel
and General Motors irresponsible Muir
ray answered the Staten Island con
gresham by bluntly saying yes and
adding: Both corporations, by their
refusal to bargain collectively, have
utterly disrcgardcd their public obliga-
tons
Alter reading his prepared testimony,
Murray elaborated on the ialiacic> OF
fact finding as a means OF setting IN
dustrial disputes. The Truman bill
seeks to give the impression that cool
ing-off would only last 50 days, during
the iact-finding process.
But what about an industry refusal
TO hand over all their books, What
about a lengthy litigation in thc courts
to compel an industry to produce every
thing the iact-finding board needed.
at IS impossible for any board to
do a complete job in 20 days. The pro-
posal IS impractical and unwo-kablc,
Yet during all this delay. workers are
recimentcd and compelled not to take
strike action
Murray sharply criticized reports that
the House committee was planning 70
llitl through the report on the I'M
Despite a contradiction iron Rainsptck,
this is what IS taking placc-as the
committee showed when it voted to 80
into executive session Dec. - Tor ap-
parcntly final consideration OF the mes
uic.
turning to the proposed 'aetl'no-
i,.u" boards. sccor main fcatur, OF the
Truman bill, Ma, pointed cut that
TIE facts Of lie OF a prcscnt-day wage
cl ner's income are not a rare ana
l~a;,linc element n the Industrial PIC
ture that mus, be brought out Ey elab-
crate and time-consuming special stud
les.
The Bureau OF Labor Statistics has
lust published a study showing that
workers in 1914 needed a minimum OF
s42 a week take-home for living at