The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1949-03-31
Whole Democratic World Has Stake In
Success Of German Free Trade Unions

zones-is that natural economic
forces" will bring prices down
There has, in fact, been a slight
overall price drop-but not enough,
or in the right commodities, to per-
nit the workers to buy what they
need most.
Not until about four months
after the general price control
order was ended was the wage
freeze lifted. The occupying pow
ers gave the control Of wages back
to the Germans-to the German
Economic Council-and then every
body took their time drafting and
approving a collective bargaining
statute"
Now, for the first time in about
20 years-after two decades of de-
preston, fascism and war-the re-
born German labor movement Is
preparing to launch general wage
increase campaign.
Trade union leaders, fully con-
scious of the inexperience of most
of their followers in the real bus
mess of free unions, wondered
whether or not they could count on
the 100000 union members to
stick together in wage move
ment. A couple of recent carefully
thought-out experiments have con-
vinced them that the unions are
more than paper organizations.
Very shortly now the various
German unions will be announcing
their wage demands. Many of them
will be rejected by the employers
There will be strikes.
Altho the occupation chiefs
headed by US Gen. Clay, have
"given back" power over the econ
omic aspects of collective bargain
ing to the Germans, they still re-
tain the power to enforce public
order"
Will Gen. Clay consider straight
economic strikes a threat to pub
lie order?" No one can say. There
is reason to think that in the heav-
lily industrialized British zone the
authorities will not interfer with
non-political strikes. This may
have a restraining influence on
Clay's conduct in the American
zone.
That some restraint on the Gen
eral is needed is, | think, clear. He
is awowedly unsympathetic to the
aims of the German unions. Last
fall he blamed the unions for riot
in Stuttgart, for which they Were
in no wise responsible. And there
is reason to think that Clay knew
this when he put the blame on
them. This incident forced the re-
signation of former liberal Con-
gressman Charles LaFollette-gov-
emor of the state in which the riot
took place-and the only American
liberal to ever hold such office in
the Clay regime.
Not only is there no labor repre-
sentative on Clay's staff, but none
in the European Cooperation Adj
ministration mission in Germany.
N. II. Collision, ECA mission chief,
has asked for labor advisor. He's
needed in Germany now.
If the German unions are defeat
ed in their wage drive it means:
Germany enters its new era
of increased postwar self govern
ment with the old pro-Hitler gang
of industrialists firmly established
as the social and economic lords of
the Reich.
German goods will be produc-
ed at low wage levels and will over
the long run tend to drive out of
the European and world markets
the produce of England, Norway,
France and other Marshall plan
countries in which unions have,
or give promise of OBJ
tanning, decent wage rates.
S-With the cadre of pre-Hitler
democratic labor leaders discredit-
ed the now weak Communist party
will become the dominant factor in
the internal politics of the German
labor movement.