Toledo union journal. [volume] (Toledo, Ohio) 1942-current, 1946-02-22
Political
Action
by
Clayton
Rusch
Chairman
Of the


money putting full page ads
in all the papers. These adds
ask the people TO write to
their Congressman in support
of the Legislative program of
the Natl. Assn. of Manufac-
turers and the program is rep
resented as means to bring
about prosperity and plenty.
Their program is very SIM
pie. 1t consists of three points.
These are y legislation to
prohibit strikes. y abolition
of government spending 81
abolition of price control.
They even ask the readers
to send for little booklet
which they contend explains
how price control causes in
fiation. This latter point Is
indeed interesting. To parallel
it, someone would have to
write a book on how excessive
rainfall causes draught. Or
how a prolonged draught h t
causes a flood.
Let us discuss point one, the
prohibition of strikes. To be-
gin with the labor movement
is and always has been desir-
Gus Of preventing strikes. The
way TO prevent them however,
is TO remove the causes. The
causes are low wages, long
hours, bad working condi-
tions, and a stubborn attitude
on the part of management.
GUIDING RULES
The labor movement has
four guiding rules to evaluate
all strikes. These are y The
conditions must be intolerable
y other means of settling the
dispute must be exhausted b
The harm which can come to
the people affected must be
less than the good brought
about by the success of the
strike a. The strike must have
some chance of success
CIO Unions have constitu-
tonal procedures which as
sure that these points are met
before a strike is authorized.
The strikes which recently
took place and those now go
ing on in CIO Unions repre-
sent issues on which no other
solution was possible. The
strike weapon Is only used as
a last resort.
Legislation to pro h i b 1t
strikes would injure the wei
are OF the majority of the
people or the vast majority of
the people have to work in
order to live. Let us prevent
strikes by re NOV ing the
causes. To attempt to prevent
them any other way Is like
prohibiting people from vot-
ing in order to avoid disagree
ments.
MISLEADING
The second point, abolition
of government spending is
very misleading. The kind of
government spending the Ma
tional Association OF Man
ufacturers refer to is pub
lie housing, rural electrified
ton, flood control, soil con-
servation and construction OF
public highways, parks and
buildings. This type of gov
ernment spending creates en-
ployment and increases pur-
chasing power. They are NOT
referring to- the law which
guarantees steady income to
the manufacturers so that they
can afford to go on strike
against the people without
loss of profits, This Is the in
famous carry forward carry
back law.
The last point is so absurd
that IL does not require much
discussion. If prices are to
run wild then all wage in
creases will be nullified. A
dollar is only worth the
amount of goods it will buy
and without price control it
won't buy very much. Wage
increases must come out of
the profits of the big corpora
tions. The corporations can
we'll afford higher wages
without price increases. This
has often been pointed out by
LAW Vice-President Walter
Reuther and Regional Direc-
tor Richard Gosser. II is SIM
pie arithmetic and irrefutable
logic.
SO much for the program of
the Natl. Assn. of Manufactur-
ers. 1t is the program of the
CIO-PAC which can bring
about social conditions which
are in the best interests OF the
whole people.
Stated in its simplest terms
the program of the CIO-PAC
is simply this-ShOrt enough
hours so that everyone can
have a job and high enough
wages that everyone can live
decently.
Membership in the CIO-
PAC is only one dollar per
year. If you are not a mem
ber see the pAC reDreSenta-