Montana labor news., 1946-04-04
ASSOCIATED INDUSTRIES IN TAX JAM
LAB0R'S STRUGGLES, POLI1N%. ''TION
ARE DESCRIBED IN RADIO ADDRESS

now in motion, demanding living wage.
from the great m%onopolists Of tn
United States.
In view Of the TACT that the miner!
and smelternlcn Of the state are abou
to strike against their tight-fisted en-
ploycr, the Anaconda Copper Mining
company, it might be we'll here to dis
cuss the strategy OF some Of these
nonopolists in recent strikes. In al
the recent major strikes-steel, Genera
Motors, clearinghouse workers, cleo
trical workers, etc.-the employer a.
first forced the workers to strike BY
denying any wage increase. Then
while they were holding up settlement
they proceeded to shake down the OF.
flee OF Price Administration for price
increases that would guarantee the
large profits made during wartime
During the process OF this s~hakedowr
they bombarded the public with paid
ads blaming the workers for holding
up production and increasing prices
Then, to add insult to injury, they
started screaming for legislation tc
control labor.
Today, around Butte in particular
there is much confusion where there
should be none about the price ques-
ton.
Labor, throughout the recent strike
struggles, has opposed at all times any
rise in prices. Philip Murray, presi-
dent OF the c. |. O., has time and agar
stated his opposition to removal OF price
controls. Labor's position is that the
way to raise wages is to take the money
from profits, dividends and accumu-
lated corporation reserves. The trusts
have all the money and there is no real
basis for their demands for higher
prices. Their profits are far more
than enough to meet the full de-
mands Of the workers without touching
prices. They are now getting far more
out of labor for the wages they pay
than wei before.
AS far the workers are concerned
~monopoly's success in breaking through
price ceilings would mean cancelling Out
| whatever wage increases may be won
What counts is real wages, not The
| amount that is written on the payslip.
Neither will higher wages stimulate
production, as the %monopolists contend
This is a lie out of whole cloth. Highel
! prices will merely give the trusts Still
higher profits. They will have to pro
| duce very little more than at present
The trusts always tend to hold dowl
and stifle production to keep price.
high.
The price question is an importan
one Just now because an about effor
is being made by Big Business to d.
away with OPA. All labor and thu
people generally should rally to sup
port the continuation OF OPA price con
troll because it is the main line OF de
Tense against initiation.
Another strategy Of the big bosses il
dealing with workers during a strik'
period is to promote and exploit dis
unity in their ranks. 1t is no acciden
that phoney charges against leaders Q
labor organizations always blossom on
when contracts expire and strike dead
lines are set. We have had example
Of this in the Automobile Workers
union, the Maritime union and we hav
an unfortunate example Of it in the In
ternational Union Of Mine, Mill ant
Smclter Workers. During the presen
strikes the big bosses are relying upol
aid from more than just their usua
stoogcs and poison spreaders to weaker
and split labor organizations. The.
trade sharply on anything that will IN
dermine the confidence of the worker
and the public in a union.
Red-baiting is another variation Q
the SANDER strategy that arises ofte
in prcsent-day struggles. Encourage
by the general atmosphere Of red-bait
ing famed by the anti-Soviet war
mangers-Churchill, Vandenberg an
others-the big employers seek to isc
late the most militant and Progressive
trade union leaders.
Another wedge that the employer
use to divide the workers is union cor
sent for a large maintenance and super
visory force to work during a strik
The pretext, OF course, is to ha,
everything in shipshape for resumI
!, ton Of operations after the strike.
by-product Of this practice (and II
companies know it well) is competitic
! among workers for the privilege Of Of
| tanning work passes, and the conseque'
bad morale among the strikers and the
families.
E All these things are stumbling blocl
in the way OF working class unity. TIL
weaken a labor organization and har
t per progress to an early strike victor
: They are part OF the big bosses owe
all strategy to defeat the workers a,
should be dealt with accordingly.
One OF the questions uppermost
: the minds of miners. smeltermen a,
their friends tonight is: How long W
e the strike last? OF course, one que
: is as good as another on this questc
The duration Of som Of the maj
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