The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1950-07-27
1900 1850 PROGRESS OF LABOR
NOTED IN BUREAU SURVEY

w dSllilS IOll I LII "A ~hAhN'
labor's outstanding progress during
the past so years is the subject OF
special anniversary edition OF
Labor's Monthly Survey, official
publication of the US Labor De-
partment's Bureau of Labor Stat
istics.
The growth and power of Ameri-
can industry shaped American
labor, causing both its triumphs
and its troubles, the survey articles
show. Labor had difficult time in
the courts early in the century, a
reflection of the employers atti-
tudes.
Despite American labor's milit-
ancy, it was agreed, the labor
movement in this country (unlike
the rest of the world )has no re-
volutionary goals and has secured
a place for itself within capitalist
society.
An editorial by Lawrence r.
Klein, editor of the Review, sum-
married. these ideas from the ZOO
page issue. Another conclusion that
could be made, Klein said, is that
"for labor, the Goth was indeed the
Gompers century"
Gompers, guiding light in the
growth of the AFL, fought early
Socialists who wanted to make
labor a political party. He saw
unions primarily as economic or
ganizations fighting to improve
pay and working conditions.
Marking the mid-century mile
stone of labor in this country,
Evan Clague, Commissioner of
Labor Statistics, points out that the
next half-century will be governed
by international problems" more
serious than ever before" That
labor will play big role in deter
mining the outcome of these con-
flicts there is no doubt.
"World War H." Fortune labor
editor Daniel Bell writes, finally
gave labor defined role in Amer
lean society, and the trade-union
leadership a more than token place
in the establishment of war policy
and the execution of orders. The
degree to which that recognition
went beyond the assignments given
labor in World War | is a signfic-
ant measure of its new status"
How far the Government can go
in providing security without
threatening the independence of
workers is discussed by Social Sc
curity Commissioner Arthur j.
Altmeyer in "The Workers Quest
for Security"
Collective bargaining, the most
contribution of Amer
lean labor, has been accepted as a
permanent fact of American econ
omic life" points out George
Brooks, research and education
director for the AFL Pulp, Sui
phite e. Paper Mill Workers, in his
study of workers organizations.
Recent developments on the poll
tical scene are discussed by Dan
Bell. "Labor's full-scale entry in
politics." he found, "has marked a
subtle change in the operations of
trade-unionism. In various cities,
the AFL and CIO have banded to-
gether behind a pro-labor man and
have, in varying measure, become
allied with local political bosses or
have become competitors for con
troll of party machinery"
A reappraisal of some of the
most influential literature on labor
during the past so years is offered
in special section by ten book re-
viewers.
The Monthly Labor Review is the
oldest periodical in the Govern
ment, celebrating its 35th birth
day with this special issue. Labor
Secretary Maurice Tobin declared
in the preface that the Review has
earned an enviable record for ac-
curacy and objectivity which has
made it veritable symbol of auth
ority in the fields of labor rela-
tinnc ond la ahor aoopnpniccv -