Evening star., 1946-11-29
Cool Strike Cost Die
For New Labor Lows.
Congress Sure to Enact Measures
To Curb Union Monopolies


Congress Sure to Enact Measures
To Curb Union Monopolies
By David Laurence
Regardless OF the outcome of the
legal moves which surround the contro-
yersy Of John L. Lewis and the Federal
Government, the die has been cast for
new labor legislation. Organized labor
has reached the peak of its power and
every change now will be toward the
restriction of its'monopoly.
Monopoly never can be popular in
America. whether it is practiced by
corporations, labor unions or any other
organization. For IA years union labor
has abused the powers and special
privileges given to 1t by politically
corrupt administration in Washington.
which traded votes for special privileges
in the most scandalous misuse Of public
power since the S0s-when corporations
bought their way into Government by
analogous methods.
have come into jeopardy. Inherent
rights such as the right to work or to
quit work never will be disturbed, be-
cause these are protected by the Con-
stitution. But the so-called right OF
two or more individuals to conspire and
persuade others to commit acts OF eco
nomic violence and the privilege of such
a group to Eonopolize the job-giying
power by means of the CLOSED shop"
will presently be taken away.
Road Opened to Reforms.
The reforms may not come immedi-
ately, in the next Congress; but the
road has been opened The monopolies
inherent In labor unions are doomed.
The American people have been
aroused as never before. They are
beginning to see Nationwide unions as
q form of tyranny and desp0tism and,
in the case of the coal controversy, they
have seen actual insurrection-defance
of the courts and Of the Government
itself.
If organized labor had set out to COM
NIT political suicide, it could not have
chosen more effective strategy than 1t
has used in the last fortnight The AFL
and the CIO top executives have been
misled and badly advised by counsel
who are living in the past. They have
blundered repeatedly. They have mis-
taken the good nature of the American
people for continued tolerance OF union
labor's usurpation of power.
Several labor unions enjoying Nation
wide power have developed an arrogant
leadership not unlike that which char
acterized executives Of big corporations
4 few decades ago. The leadership OF
the national unions has actually gone
to the point of carrying on class-warfars
propaganda not unlike that Of the rev.
olutionaries in other countries. Commu-
nists moreover have infiltrated into some
of the best unions and have forced the
leaders to goA to extremes. Now the
American people are beginning to url-
derstand it all as method Of setting up
q supergovernment which. by means OF
political -action committees and other
/ devices, has been used in an attempt
| to run the Government itself.
Days Of Appeasing Over.
The days Of appeasing such destruc-
tive movement are over. An economic
recession faces America because 16,000.-
900 workers have been exploited by o
few men In wage drives that have cut
the purchasing power Of the dollar for
the other 100000 workers not in labor
unions.
Such /, distortion has dropped the
stock market to point below the lowest
levels Of the past 16 years and has ir-
troduced fear and uncertainty into busi-
ness generally. The labor unions could
not have developed more effective
strategy for committing economic sui
eide and weakening postwar America
than they have applied to block the
reconversion efforts of industry since
vi day.
A deep depression will be ayerted, a
balanced economy win be restored, new
confidence will be created in business.
and the use of new capital to expand
domestic and world markets will be en-
couraged-in fact prosperity is possible
now only If Congress and the President
{ deal resolutely with labor union arro-
gance and its abuse Of power under the
Wagner Act.
No responsible group in Congress
wants to see the Wagner Act repealed
nor collective bargaining eliminated nor
unions destroyed: but there is majority
which favors applying to unions all the
restrictions which apply to corporations
wherever and whenever the public in
terest can be damaged.
The organized power of any group to
control or dominate the economic life
of the country is about to be destroyed
by legislation. The coal strike has been
salutary influence in opening the eyes
of the American people
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