Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-05-17

He argues that strikes should
be prohibited because such "col-
lusive' work stoppaees interfere
with free enterprise. Instead Of
coercing employers through
strikes. he urges. unions should
rely on persuasive salesmanship."
# the employer and the union
cannot agree. he recommends, the
issues should be arbitrated.
If wages established by free
market forces are too low to sus-
tain some workers. Mr.. Knight
suggests. the Government and
private charity can make up the
deficit.
James w. McKie Of Vanderbilt
University comedies that unions
must exert some monopoly power
to perform their function, but he
recommends restrictions against
excuses.
He urges. In part, laws to pre-
vent unions from helping employ
ers restrain competition and con-
troll product prices, in an effort to
protect wage scales. Mr.. McKie
also would curb the power Of
unions to restrict entry of workers
into an industry. And he proposes
to limit industry-wide bargaining.
Exploitation Feared
David McCord Wright Of Nc
Gill University concurs in the idea
that the power Of unions to push
wages too high must be diluted to
prevent exploitation" Besides
restricting boycotts and limiting
the size Of unions. he proposes to
crack down on Misunderstanding"
work rules and rigid seniority reg
ulationS.
Examining the extent Of union
power, H. Gregg Lewis of the
University Of Chicago and Gary s.
Becker Of Columbia University
conclude that old-line craft unions
are in many ways stronger than
industrial unions. Mr.. Lewis states
that only monopolistic unions
have any real effect on wages. Mr..
Becker discusses union methods Of
restricting the size of the labor
force in an industry, as the only
way to keep wages high.
William Fellner Of Yale Univer-
sity. who blames unions for in.
flation, suggests that an unem.
ployment rate Of about per cent
might restrain union wage de-
mands and help employers re-
sist wage increases. If this does
not work, he states, it may be-
come necessary to use antitrust
laws to prevent industry-wide es-
adjustment Of wages.
Discussing the limits on union
power. G. Warren Nutter of the
University of Virginia empha-
sizes demand and supply of work.
ers. Unions. he asserts, achieve
their power through collision to
withhold essential labor and
through coercion to block worker
replacements. An employers abil-
ity to break a union depends
largely on whether he can re-
cruit requirements for strikers.
Mr.. Nutter continues.
Economic Showdown
Along with other lecturers, J.
M. Clark of Columbia University
agrees broadly with President Eli
senhower that wage increases
should be limited to overall gains
IN productivity. The alternative,
Mr.. Clark warns, is price imitation
and a squeeze on profts-which
he maintains would lead to an
economic showdown and unem-
ployment.
Mr.. Bradley himself, now a pri.
vate consulting economist with
headquarters here, contributes a
denunciation of union shop con-
tracts, under which employees must
join the recognized union In their
company within 80 days.
He blames union thugs" am
bilious politicians and selfish EN-
ployerS for "conscripting" unwill-
ing workers into unions. He also
objects to negotiation of insur-
ance and other fringe benefits for
union members, contending these
benefits curtail the workers right
to decide how to spend his earn
ings.
"The individual in the labor
area is treated very much like q
child. and very often, particularly
by union leaders, as a juvenile de-
linquent, Mr.. Bradley charges.
In some respects. he says "the de.
cent union leader is like the de.
cent slave owner"