Evening star., 1949-02-13


careful and elaborate plans to en-
to the town and county level.
The AFL Executive Council
educational" campaign to support
its grass roots" political activities
It will take the form of publication
Of a national weekly newspaper,
national labor news radio broad
cast on a daily basis and the max
ing of various educational" mo-
ton pictures.
Immediate objective of the AFI
is to halt and turn back the tide OF
restrictive labor legislation in the
States. Labor leaders are taking
it for granted that the Taft-Hart-
Dley Act is whipped. But IS States
have laws or constitutional amend
ments placing various restrictions
'on union activity, that sort of thing
has spread fast the last two years
and the AFL aims at preventing
further spread and repeal of such
laws already on State books.
A peep" at confidential memo
randa of Labor League for Polit-
ical Education, the AFL's political
arm, reveals how very deep the
federation plans to 60 in politics
Help for the South
There are plans to pay the poll
tax of voters in the South, help
defray the expenses Of State legis-
lators-those favorable to labor
so that they will be able to attend
every legislative session. It was
pointed out that legislators are
notoriously underpaid and those
who are not well fixed" f1nan-
cially are unable to devote suffl.
cient time to their elected duties
The AFL will help them out and
make it attractive for the people
to run for office.
Branches of the political league
will be extended to every State
county and town of size in the
country. The AFL plans to mobi-
lize not only it's 100000 members
and their families, but outsiders
who are friendly to labor. These
outside" forces will be organized
and solicited for political contribu-
tions just as AFL members are.
While the AFL will concentrate
its energies for the next year or
so at the State and local level
in doing so, it is pointed out, the
league will be laying firm found
alton for all-out participation In
the congressional elections OF
1850. Labor leaders will make
every effort to see to it that the
liberal swing of the 1948 elections
continues. They know that his
torically the conservative forces
gain ground In the so-called of
year elections.
Test in Delaware
First test of labors' power ir
the States will come before the
end of this month in Delaware
That State has one of the tough.
est labor laws, even providing
criminal penalties for intractions
Bills to repeal the law are now
before the State House and Sen
ate. The Delaware Governor IA
vors repeal. The AFL is hopeful
of success.
Of more interest to Washing
ton, the main drive of the AFL
this year will take place in Vir-
ginia, where plans are being laid
to upset the machine of Senator
Byrd in the Statewide Democrat
ic primaries in August. Virginia
is another State with a tight labor
law. banning the closed shop. re-
stricting other forms of union
security and prohibiting strikes
in public utility industries.
Labor refers to the various
State laws as "little Taft-Hart-
leys" and perhaps most of them 60
further in telling unions just what
they can and cannot do than does
the national law.
A recent decision Of the United
States Supreme Court caused la
Dor to really turn it's guns on State
politics. In the decision the high
court upheld the rights of the
States to impose restrictions on
such union activities as the closed
and union shops.
I'm view of that decision" says
Joseph D. keenan,, director of the
AFL's political league, 1--WE must
be prepared for all-out battle not
just in the is States which now
restrict unions but in each of the
48 States. The decision is an in
vitation to anti-labor forces every
where to launch drives to break
organized labor. We must be pre-
pared to meet and turn back that
challenge"
Challenge in Law
With an eye on the August
primary, the AFL league in CO.
operation with the Virginia State
Federation of Labor is concentrat-
ing efforts to organize strong local
leagues all over Virginia. The
is proceeding quietly.
but mass-meetings already have
been held in Alexandria, Char
lottcVyille, Newport News. Norfolk,