Evening star., 1947-04-10
lrun,on and Congress
PIoying Lobor Politics

rum0n uH0 OssiSSS
Playing Lobor Politics
pI.r sen 10 LIT Strikes Multiply
Until Public = Aroused
b. Dsvid LaaDrsscs
PRESIDENT Truman apparently has no
/ s.cs,at,cn % ofIsr ii tho present Indus
rial crisis and. 20 far = any one
rrrv. the plan now = 70 lst strikes
muItip,y ID the hops that an aroused
nuhIic opinion o. an economic crash
vin make il good politics e 90 some
thing"
John 1. Lewis has demonstrated con-
caudyely what the Wagner Act ana the
closed shop together can accomplish to
Interrupt coal production. He has out
nnaneuyered Mr. Truman and his cabi-
net 6 well 8 the courts. As conse-
uuence steal operations are already be-
inr curtailed, due 10 shortage Of fusl,
ana hundreds Of products needed m the
construction industry Win b further
dalayed.
There u ! steal striks h the ofans.
too. a vave of strikes y coming because
the bottom has dropped out of the ad-
uainistrxslcn's determination % DO
something about unrestrainsd us Of
monopoly power by unions. The ap-
prosch 81 the lolS elections has made
the prssident tilnid. and It has also
sent saivers Of apprehension up and
down ths splnes Of the Republican
Steering Committee IN the House.
Proposed nm b Tans.
The proposed labor bin = tame
afYair and WIN not diminish strikes or
impair ths monopoly power OF unions.
On the subject Of closed shops, tho Re-
publican steering COMMITTEES has put
its stamp of approval on one form Of
closed shop known as the union shop"
In the case Of completely closed shop.
the employer cannot hire anybody but
member Of the union which does the
type work for which workers may bs
needed. Under the union shop the
employer can hire whom he pleases but
he must tell The prospective employees
that within so days after they start
work, they must Join the union or be
discharged.
This Is compulsion just the same. and
1t benefits only those unions which can
not supply employees or who wish to bs
rid OF the responsibilities Of an employ
ment agency. The result Is the same
under both. forms Of closed shops
union membership Is compulsory.
There Is provision that II . majority
Of the employees vote for . union shop"
they may have it, provided the employer
agrees. That's exactly the situation
which exists already but the Republican
Steering Committee apparently intends
to legalize the monopolies. which Ger
tainly makes its proposal pro-labor
measurement to the surprise Of those
observers who had expected some real
restriction on closed-shop Monopolies.
The right to work is not recognized
as fundamental liberty by the House
Republican Steering Committees bill.
The right Of concerted action to pre-
vent others from getting Jobs unless
they agree to join unions Is upheld
This is the essence Of the monopoly
power which has brought John l. Lewis
to his position Of supremacy In America
IA position SO strong that neither the
President nor the Congress Ii willing to
recommend legislation to alter that
position.
Fiction Of "yoluntary" Action.
The fiction that the employer must
agree does not make it q voluntary"
action. The Wagner Act sanctions
closed-shop contracts now II the EN-
ployer and the union agree voluntarily.
But the pressure exerted makes the
contract hardly voluntary.
It Is stipulated In the proposed bill
that there cannot be q strike to get
union shop" So long as 1t Is legal
to negotiate" for union shop" with
its compulsory membership In labor
unions, the union In question will not
concede that strike is ever called on
that issue. It will strike for some Of
the many other phases Of working rules
and conditions, and when the time
comes for negotiating q settlement 1t
will insist on the union shop being
granted voluntarily" by the employer
as condition of the settlement.
just why the Republican leaders hesi-
tate to affirm the right OF American
citizens to work wherever they please
and just why the right to exclude .
man from a Job Is delegated by tbs
Government itself to q private organi-
zation is difficult to understand. It
had been thought that the Republicans
understood the temper Of the country
on labor matters