The union times., 1947-10-25
Tone Explains Mutual Benefit
 Of Closed Shop
It Helps Management As Much As Labor, Conn.
 Man Says


 dresses of his career, Joseph M. Tone, international legislative repre- sentative of the International Asso- citation of Machinists, defended the closed shop in an address in Provi- dence, R. l., last Wednesday.
 Tone spoke under the auspices of the Social Action Institute of the Roman Catholic diocese of Providence, His remarks, in part, follow: N
 q am certain that in any discus sion of the union or closed shop, we must remember that we are talking about people. We are talking about men and women; we are talking about people who have families, and who have problems like everyone else. Maybe you are surprised that l say this-rnaybe you are saying to your self-"Of course they're people. Who ever thought anything else?"
 Unfortunately, it's not that simple. Too many editorial writers, commentators and others who in. Auence public opinion are inclined to discuss unions as if they were some sort of an abstraction. Maybe I can make it clearer if I put it this way:, When 8 person or an organization says they are opposed to unions, what they are saying is that they are opposed to working people-and again I say men and women = they are opposed to human beings using their joint strength to better themselves.
 There are many good-hearted people who are always ready to helr any worthy cause to relieve suffer ing-but mention union to them, and they are against it. They have for gotten that unions are people.
 LIVING HUMANITY
 To me this is an important issue, ii we are to see the problem of the closed shop in its full perspective. There is lot of talk about organized labor, and labor organization, and about labor. In my opinion, we will not begin to make real progress in solv- ing our labor-management relations problems until we think in terms oi living humanity.
 Of course, I accept the concept that workers themselves must think of their employers as people. have never been happy about some car- toons which always picture the em. ployer as a sbloated plutocrat,' usu. ally dressed in a silk hat and cut. away coat. Sure there are some like that, just as there is an occasional labor leader who wanders from the straight and narrow. By and large, labor and management are made up of decent, upstanding people.
 "The big problem is to arrive at ar understanding of each others prob lens. This does not mean that we will always agree with each other. But il does mean that the human dignity oi each one of us will be recognized. Nc matter how many forums are held no matter how many labor manage ment institutes are established; there will be no basic progress in solving our industrial problems until we learr to think in terms of people.
 "You may think that all this is unrelated to the problem we are con- sidering tonight. hope not. I don't think you can separate the issue oi the closed shop from the whole prob. lem of relationships between labor and management.
 TIME RUNNING OUT"
 "One of the reasons I believe we must solve this basic problem of rela. tionships is that time is running out Tn Europe free competitive enterprise as we know it in this country is dis. appearing 1 don't want to belabor thi: point, but do want to say to oul friends in management: Remember gentlemen, the American labor move ment is your best guarantee of tho continuation of our American demo cracy. Unlike the labor movements o England and France, we in this coun try have not officially asked for tho naturalization of transport, steel, oul public utilities, and our mines.
 ~Labor has asked for full recog milton of the right of workins people to organize without restric tive legislation being placed on thi, right; we are asking for an end tt monopoly which keeps the free en terprise system from being free anc enterprising. We are asking fol reasonable profits, so that the cos of living will not reduce our Twin, standards; we are asking for ex tended health and social security SO that we will have some protection against economic maladjustment.
 "One of the methods of achieving these objectives is to have strong unions. The strongest type of union i. the closed shop. A weak labor move ment in this country, with weal unions, means class legislation agains working people; and such Legislation is the first step to economic chaos.
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