Toledo union journal. [volume] (Toledo, Ohio) 1942-current, 1946-12-13
Behind the
Scenes In
Politics
BY
Clayton
Rusch
Chairman

OLLLCCIL HCLpOIL SOHILTttGICS
The recent crisis in the
coal industry is of paramount
importance to all of us. Now
that the strike is temporarily
settled" the situation war
rants a careful analysis.
In the first place the coal
industry presents a good ex-
ample of the soundness of the
CIO position on strikes.
Our position on strikes Is
that four essential rules must
be complied with: (1) con-
ditionS must be intolerable,
(2) other means of settling the
dispute must be exhausted,
90 the harm which may ac-
crue to others as a result of
the strike must not be great
enough to offset the benefits
to be gained by the strikers,
a. the strike must have some
chance of success. Regardless
of all the vicious propaganda
to the contrary, the record
will show that organized labor
by the large, has not violated
these principles which govern
strikes.
MAIN POINT
One of the main points
which is overlooked by many
people and deliberately ignor-
ed by spokesmen for industry
is the obvious fact that it
takes two to make a strike.
Punitive measures aimed at
labor do not, and cannot solve
the problem. Proponents of
anti-strike legislation e h er
assume or pretend that strikes
are made by labor alone.
Strange to relate, the In
duStrialists have two contra
dictory positions on this issue.
When labor strikes, the in
dustrialists demand that full
authority of the government
be utilized to force the strik-
ers back to work. When the
industrialists choose to hold
their products off the market,
they stoutly maintain that,
since this is a free country,
the government must keep
hands off, regardless of the
suffering which may be caused
to the public by the employ
ers' strike.
INCONSISTENT
We can expect such incon-
sistency from the industrialists,
but to the extent that a ma
tional administration complies
with such policies we are
compelled to raise a vigorous
protest.
That such policies have been
applied is a matter of record.
w h n the meat industries
struck, they won. When the
coal miners struck, they were
exposed to punitive measures.
One conclusion is inescap-
able. If the industrialiSts can
hold their products off the
market without regard for
the public welfare, it is dis
criminatory to expect organ
lied labor to assume a respon-
sibility that neither the en-
ployerS or the government
accepts, except when labor is
to be the sole recipient of
punitive measures.
One factor which further
complicates the situation is
the governments practice of
taking over struck vital in
dustries and turning the profits
over to management.
SOLUTION
A practical solution would
be effected if a policy were
established that whenever 80
government takes over the
administration OF an ln~,.s.
such as coal or oil, the profits
for the entire period of gov
ernment administration would
go into the United States
Treasury.
Certainly if the contention
that the workers can't strike
against the government is ap-
piled to industries seized by
the government, as it has been
i'm the case of oil, railroad
and coal strikes, it naturally
follows that all an employer
need do, to defeat the objec-
tives of the union which re-
presents his employees, is to
provoke a strike, and then
persuade the government to
seize the industry.
1t is high time that the
people of this nation, recog-
nize and defend the principle,
that the inalienable rights
guaranteed us in the constitu-