Evening star., 1947-07-24

unions 1Orpl0QlIlS GIleHl w IaA oAA
authorized strikes.
The machinists used to be afflli-
ated with the AFL and constitute
now the biggest single Independent
union in the country. Their mem
bership is In excess Of GOO, 1000. The
executive council at an emergency
session in Washington took the ac-
ton and Harvey w. Brown. presi-
dent. said afterward:
mo matter how technical the vio-
lation, or how great the provocation,
any strike which appears to violate
the language of an agreement be-
tween the International Association
of Machinists and an employer can
make the entire labor union liable
for damages
Text More Significant.
The text of the official order Is
even more significant. 1t says:
I'm order to protect the member
ship from the penalties incorporated
In the Taft Hartley Act, the Execu-
tive Council herewith instructs the
membership of all of its local lodges
that, regardless of circumstances, no
strikes or stoppages of work must
occur in advance of receiving sane
tion by the Executive Council in &C
cordance with International Associa-
ton of Machinists laws
Never even during the war period,
was such a drastic form of discipline
imposed on local labor unions in this
country by an international union,
and for the very logical reason that
there never was any penalty Of law
heretofore for a wildcat" or un-
authorized work stoppage.
Now under the Taft-Hartley law
an employer need not reinstate a
worker who engages in a wildcat
strike. Also damages can be OBJ
tanned from a union and from in
dividuals who operate in concert to
bring about such a work stoppage.
This provision of the new law, far
from being against the interests OF
a responsible labor union, fits in
with Its program Of discipline and
makes sure that minorities will not
pull off strikes without consulting
the proper union authorities.
Incalculable amounts OF money
both In wages and operating ex-
penses have been lost because of
work stoppages that have sprung
up sometimes as a result of internal
union squabbles, sometimes because
of Communistic activities, and some
times because of the feeling that
strikes could be called at any time
and the employer could be forced
to rehire the employees. The Ma
tional Labor Relations Board, with
out any real sanction under the
Wagner Law but with bias that
came out of its belief that the right
to strike could not be qualified, often
ordered reinstatement of strikers
irrespective of the circumstances
that had led to unauthorized work
stoppages.
Not All Strikes Forbidden.
II the Hartley law accom-
plishes nothing else than to end un-
authorized work stoppages in Amer
ica, it will add many millions OF
dollars to the pay of workers who
have been laid off due to breaks in an
assembly line or the shortages and
bottlenecks In materials resulting
from work stoppages in other plants
The law does not say all strikes
are forbidden. They can be called
whenever a union feels 1t has suff1-
cient provocation by an employer
and this may be when an employer
violates a contract and makes some
arbitrary change in the working
conditions agreed to under a col
lective bargaining contract. But
when such a work stoppage Is or
dered, 1t Is an authorized strike
The new law compels proper con-
sideration and action by the unions
own officers or council and taboos
spur-of- the moment strikes that oc-
cur because some one among the
workers suddenly wants to assert a
rival leadership inside union dur
ing the contract period.
incidentally, an individual may
quit work without penalty at any
time but if he persuades any one
else to quit with him he could con-
ceivably be bringing about an un-
authorized strike for which the
union might be held liable.
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