Evening star., 1946-08-07
AFl Position Cited
On Price Propaganda
Biggest Labor Union Seen Telling
Truth About Living Costs
b. David Laurence

-
Truth is powerful weapon against
propaganda and the American people
who have been told that all price rises
must be resisted by the consumer and
that the producers are solely responsible
for such rises will be glad to learn that
at least one of the national labor or
ganizations does not share such a dis
torted view Of the national economy.
The American Federation of Labor, In
its monthly survey just issued, says:
To-day all Americans are being penal
lied because small portion of American
workers used the strike for political
purposes last winter. At that time AFL
unions were negotiating substantial wage
increases without strike and without
breaking price ceilings, winning lasting
gains for workers. But unaffiliated
unions used the strike to force the Coy
ernment-dictated wage-price formula of
February IA which broke price ceilings.
5N Price Rises Granted.
From then to June 30, oPA granted
5O4 ildustry-wide price increases, and
individual increases to some II 500 COM
panies. Wholesale prices rose 4 per cent
from February through June. These
price increases, of course, forced retail
prices upward at a slightly later date,
so that cost of living had already risen
per cent when OPA expired on June
80, and the rise was gaining speed. -.
Practically the entire living cost rise
has occurred since the steel workers
forced the price ceiling break in Feb
ruary and as a direct result of that
break. AS We pointed out then, the
February IA order brought a flood OF
demands for price increases. The result
Ing pressure on Congress has all but
ended effective price control.
THE steel workers were offered a Is
cent wage increase without strike and
without breaking the price ceiling; their
lnsistence on striking and bringing the
Government into collective bargaining
won them only 31s cents more: they
have already lost 6 cents from living
costs rises resulting from their action
and stand to lose great deal more as
prices rise further. Since their Govern
ment formula forced oPA to grant
these rises, OPA cannot stop them. Had
they been willing to stick to genuine
collective bargaining under price CELL
1ngs, they would have had their Is
cents today, and all other Americans
would have been spared immense losses
through the rapid living cost rise. In
telllgent American workers will remem-
Der these facts when Communists try
to mislead them into political strikes"
Red Influence In Labor.
The Russian influence in the Amer
1can labor union movement is no longer
1nconsequential. Persons familiar with
the labor movement know the extent
to which certain CIO unions have been
influenced from within by Communists.
The American Federation of Labor
points to its own record in winning wage
increases without strikes and then says
IN the same monthly survey:
This achievement is important at a
time when Communists have just pub
hshed their new line dictated from
Moscow committing American Com
munist party followers to 'mobilizing
the people for struggle The American
Federation Of Labor has always IN.
sisted on the workers fundamental right
to strike and fought to preserve it, but
we condemn its misuse as political
weapon. The strike is to be used only
as last resort when genuine collective
bargaining breaks down.
Here Is the organ of the largest labor
organization In the United States tell
ing the American people the truth about
the rise in the cost of living and also tell
ing of the Communist attempts to
sabotage the American economic system.
How many loyal Americans are being
duped by the Communists who get into
their unions and present the philosophy
OF breaking down production and gen.
Grating economic chaos?
Certainly the AFL isn't mincing any
words in calling attention to the dangers
which face the rank and file of workers
who accept union solicitation without
finding out whether the union is con-
nected in any way with Communists or
communistic philosophy.
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