Evening star., 1950-01-31
Phone Strike Threats
Reflect Trade Union
responsibility
Also Reveal lnodequoey
Of Present Law to
Safeguard Public
By David Laurence

By David Laurence
Arbitrary power to paralyze the
telephone service of the United
States has been brought close to
reality by the threat of the CIO
Telephone Workers Union to start
q Nationwide telephone strike on
February 8.
The mere fact that a union
feels it can infiict this injury on
the Nation and does not hesitate
to announce publicly its purpose
is a serious reflection of the ir-
responsibility of trade unionism in
America, and also reveals dra-
matically the inadequacy of pres
ent law to safeguard the public
interest.
For some unexplained reason,
communications - which are just
as important as transportation by
rail and air are not covered
under the Railway Labor Act,
which governs common carriers. II
the telephone strike materializes,
Congress could almost overnight
pass an amendment to the exist
ing law so as to include communi-
cations. Then the cooling off,
processes of that particular stat
ute used in rail disputes would
become effective while both sides
continued normal operations.
Truman Could Act at Once.
The President could act imme-
diately through emergency fact
finding boards, which involve a
30-day period of study and ex-
tensions thereof while the subject
is explored and mediation pro-
ceSses are brought to bear.
If the Congress doesn't receive
such a recommendation to act,
the President could invoke the
anti-strike or injunction clauses
Of the Taft-Hartley Act, which
also set in motion a fact finding
procedure while 80 days of "cool-
Ing of" ensue. Public opinion
alone can influence the final out
come.
incidentally, the Communica-
ton Workers Union spokesmen
start off with bad mark against
them. They have been threaten
ing to impair the telephone sys-
tenn If the companies attempt to
operate their automatic equip
ment. One announcement spoke
Of an intention to urge their fol-
lowers and Sympathizers to food
the exchanges with calls so as to
break down the equipment if
possible. This could bring the
union into direct conflict with
some wartime statutes which
might be ruled by the Govern
ment to be still in effect.
These laws forbid any injury
to plants or facilities or buildings
connected with the maintenance
or operation of telephone COM
munications or the supply of
facilities of communication to
any war premises or to the mill
tary or naval forces" of the
United States.
Part Of Defense Act.
While many wartime laws have
been repealed, the statute which
prohibits injury to telephone sys-
TENS Is q part of the National
Defense Act of April 20, 1918, and
Is believed to apply to current
conditions Of national emergency.
For. technically, the United
States is still at war.
With Congress in session, the
chances are that unless media
ton efforts succeed in the next
few days and some postponement
Of the strike date is decided on
by the Communication Workers
Union, action will be taken to
prevent the strike from happen
ing. The economic damage would
be too great to ignore.
Maybe, today's union leaders
can, In their own councils, de-
fend their drastic steps, but they
are managing nevertheless to
demonstrate conclusively to the
general public, not only in coal
and steel and communications,
but In other fields, that industry
wide bargaining presents an eco
nomic inequality at the negotia-
ton stage. They also are demon
strating that the party of the
third part"-the public interest
has been left conspicuously un-
protected by law or by that sense
of responsibility which was al
ways supposed to be present as
the main virtue of a labor union
democracy.