Montana labor news., 1948-09-16
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Hits at Reacionary
Leaders, TIL Law
Workers Urged to Vote to
Avoid Repetition Of 1916


ance Of Labor day, AFL Presi-
dent William Green declared
+. that it lies within the power of
the working men and women
of this nation to elect a new
Congress with a new and more
progressive outlook"
Warning against a repetition Of what
happened in 1916, when only one-third
of the qualified voters i'll America"
elected the reactionary 80th Congress,
the AFL leader adopted for his Labor
day theme the slogan, use Your Vote!"
Mr. Green spoke to a crowd Of over
$4,000 people gathered in Summit Beach
Park here to celebrate labor's wi ma
tiona1 holiday. A portion of his address
was carried over the nationwide net
work Of the National Broadcasting COM
pany to additional millions OF listeners.
The AFL leader dashed out vigorously
at the forces which have sought to cruel
fly working men and ONE on the cross
Of initiation, and c%astigated the 8Oth Con-
gress for its enactment of the vicious
Taft-Hartley law and its failure to act
on such vital issues as high prices, hous-
ing, minimum wage and social security
improvements.
Mr.. Green asserted that the nation
is gripped by the economic curse OF in
f~lation" because OF a lack of restraint
and foresight on the part Of leaders Of
big business who set prices, and because
of the lack of craftsmanship and re-
sponsibility on the part of the leaders
of Congress-"
He riddled the old argument adj
vanced by business leaders that high
prices have been caused by rising wages
and declared that for every wage in
crease, prices are boosted far out OF
proportion to the additional labor cost"
1T might be easy for us to feel sorry
for the poor, unfortunate corporations
Mr.. Green said, Except for the fact
that official records tell an entirely dif-
ferent story. Corporate profits, after
taxes, are now 272 per cent above the
1889 level"
Calling upon the government to spon-
sor Joint conferences of labor, business
and agriculture representatives to devise
ways to protect the economic security
OF, our country, Mr.. Green charged that
the primary responsibility Of business is
TO halt all price increases and to start
a gradual reduction in prices"
Turning to a discussion Of the Taft
Hartley law, MI. Green said that a
years experience under the Measure
fully confirmed" labor's fears that the
law was in fact "a Slave Labor BILL
The injunction provisions Of the law,
he said, have saddled upon labor the
alternative Of work or Jail" which does
not square with the principles Of Ameri-
can freedom, and constitutes "involun-
tary servitude."
As a glaring example Of the injustice
of the injunction procedure, Mr.. Green
cited the pending case before an Indiana
U. S. District Court in which the federal
government, through the National Labor
Relations board, is seeking ito forbid a
union to pay strike benefits to thousands
OF men who quit their jobs in Chicago
THAT means" he said, IAN attempt by
u government to break a strike BY
starving out the wives and children OF
the strikers"
Proclaiming that American workers
will resist such tactics and rush to the
assistance OF their brother workers. Mr..
Green declared that such piecemeal de-
lenses against the Taft-Hartley law are,
however, insufficient to free workers
from the shackles OF the obnoxious leg
i~slation.
There is only one certain and com
plete remedy for that oppressive law ant
that is its outright repeal Mr.. Greer
asserted.
The AFL leader said that labor's pro.
gram for higher minimum wages, I'M
provcments in the social security system
and the enactment Of a national health
insurance plan constitutes social Sc
curity not only for the American people
but for the free enterprise system a
well" He added:
From an immediate as well as ;
long-range standpoint, the peace OF thu
world depends upon the power of Amer
lea to guarantee peace To prevent war
America must remain strong. | charg'
that the policies instituted by the SOtl
Congress are sapping the strength o
America and the American people. Ihos
policies must be reversed"