Show B Bruckart's Bruckart Washington Digest Signs o of Impending Trouble for National Labor Relations Board Advocates of Ame Amendment dment of Wagner Act Grow More V Vociferous Law Itself and Its Administration C Cause use Widespread Criticism Some Expert Stalling By WILLIAM BRUCKART Service National Press Wasl Washington D. D C. C W It WASHINGTON It was only a afew afew afew few years ago that any politician seeking a harvest of or votes would rather have cut off his right arm than offend organized labor In a close fight the labor vote held the balance of power Labor unions forged ahead with remarkable force But labor started fighting within its own ranks and there came the C. C I I. I O. O Rather John Lewis the leader of the mine workers got ambitious ambitious ambitious am am- and broke awa away from the theold theold theold old established and respected Amer Amer- Amerlean Ameri American i lean ican an Federation on of Labor and gave birth to the Congress of Industrial Organizations So many politicians including President Roosevelt turned to C. C I. I 0 O. because it was modern streamlined streamlined stream stream- lined aggressive It appeared for fora rora a time that C. C I. I O. O was going to tobe tobe tobe be the big power among the work work- ers Having that advantage C. C I. I O. O went to town as the football players say Its strength was manifest in congress congress and under the impetus of ot otC C C. C I I. I O. O force Senator Wagner the New York Democrat brought forth the national labor relations act under under un der which the national labor relations relations relations rela rela- board was appointed and began began began be be- gan functioning That much is history But now there are arc signs of impending impending impending im im- im- im pending trouble for the national labor labor labor la la- bor relations board With its main support the C. C I. I O 0 having its troubles troubles troubles trou trou- bles in collecting dues and with the peace efforts of President Roosevelt Roosevelt Roosevelt Roose Roose- velt who sought to get union men of the United States back in one organization having failed dismally the labor board is up against it it In fact to summarize the situation Inthe in inthe inthe the homely expression of my boyhood boyhood boy boy- hood home it looks like the swashbuckling swashbuckling swashbuckling swash swash- buckling defiant calf call is just about ready to choke itself itsel because of too much rope It may not happen in inthis inthis inthis this session of congress but it will happen before long Why The answer an- an is that organized labor as represented represented represented rep rep- resented by the Lewis faction made I the same mistake as greedy big business frequently makes It became became be be- came arrogant it bit off oft more than it could chew The reaction has now set in Demands for Amendment of Labor Act Grow Noisier Advocates of amendment of the Wagner labor act have been knocking knocking knock knock- ing at the door a long time Recently Recently Re Re- the knocking has resembled sledge hammer pounding A very large number of senators and representatives representatives representatives have heard ilAs it il As a matter of fact it was Mr Roosevelt's efforts to get A. A F F. F of L. L and C. C I I. I O. O back into a single national national na na- na- na union that has delayed the I moves in congress looking to amendment amendment amendment amend amend- ment of the labor law C. C I I. I 0 O. having stood by the President when he was a candidate and and having I fought for his cause time after time was entitled to the Presidents President's services services services ices as a peace negotiator Many persons thought there would be a happy reunion but there was no chance at all aU from the very outset of the negotiations and the affair did nothing to lift Mr Roosevelt's prestige especially in the rural areas where C. C I. I O. O and sit-down sit strikes have much the same meanIng mean mean- ing While the administrations administration's plans for a union reunion were slipping there came that sensational verdict by a federal court jury fury in Philadelphia Philadelphia Philadel Philadel- phia which assessed damages damages dam dam- ages against the sit-down sit strikers in m a hosiery plant The damages were assessed essed directly against the themen themen themen men who he did the job and thus for forthe forthe forthe the first time a responsibility as aswell aswell aswell well as a right was given to labor The right to strike long has been es es- ta and labor must guard it n nt ver before however had there been a court determination that liability liability liability lia lia- also exists if damage is done It is unnecessary here to review what the labor relations board has been doing Time after time it has been accused of dancing to the bagpipes bagpipes bag bag- pipes played by C. C I. I O. O The American American Amer Amer- ican Federation of Labor among I other critics has charged it with rank C. C I I. I O. O favoritism The board does not consist of persons capable of winning very much respect True I 1 believe they have very alert and moving last minds but I 1 cannot help regarding them as without a any iy ny trace of judicial temperament Without doubt the country would be better off had all three members been ousted months ago Act and Its Administration ion Causes Widespread Criticism It is perhaps as ns much because of the terrible administration of the law as from the inequities of the loos loosely ly drawn law itself that the criticism has been so widespread Hundreds of at cases coming before the board have left employers with personal losses as a result of one one- sided determinations Labor unions affiliated with the American Federation Federation Federa Federa- tion of Labor have repeatedly asserted as as- they could not obtain justice If the C. C I. I O. O figured in the situa tiou tion In any event there are now senators and representatives sponsoring sponsoring spon spon- a hatfull of amendments to the law and a large number of these amendments are being promoted by bythe bythe bythe the A. A F. F of L L. L lobby at the capitol There is one amendment for instance instance in in- st stance that proposes to disband the present three-man three board and supplant supplant supplant sup sup- plant it with a man five-man board That of course is the political maneuver to get rid of or people with whom congress congress con con- gress is disgusted The amendment is by Senator Walsh Massa Massachusetts D Democrat Senator Walsh also has introduced several other amendments one of which in particular is worth noting It would attempt at least to eliminate eliminate eliminate nate prejudicial delays That sounds rather academic It is however however however how how- ever important because according to the A A. F F. F of L L. explanation delays delays de dc- de- de lays by the board have worked or have been used to the advantage of C. C I. I 0 O. O If the C. C I. I 0 O. O was not sure that it had a majority according to the other union rather thinly disguised disguised dis dis- dis guised reasons for delays were brought up Then C C. I. I 0 O. organizers organize ers would start their drives Whether the A. A F. F of L. L charges are arc true and whether the criticisms of employers have been justified it remains as fact that C. C I. I 0 O. O is isnow isnow isnow now opposing amendment to the act Hearings Are Delayed by Various Stalling Maneuvers Supporters of the law in its present present present pres pres- ent form and defenders of the board as it is now made up succeeded for example in delaying hearings bearings on amendments to the act for more than a month The urged Senator Thomas of Utah committee chairman chairman chairman chair chair- man not to hold hearings while peace negotiations were in ress They insisted that it was unfair unfair unfair un un- un- un fair to embarrass the President in his attempts to restore unity in the labor movement and argued that hearings hearings' would bring bitter statements statements state state- ments into print Mr Thomas yielded yield yield- ed to the plea for delay but eventually eventually eventually ally the pressure for action became too strong even for the Utah sena senator tor torto to resist And the friends of the law were right when they anticipated bitter words Senator Wagner in hi his testimony testimony testimony mony spoke rather blatantly about critics being unacquainted with the purposes of the law He felt too that there was no need for haste about changes He rather hinted that there were some Ethiopian gentlemen gentlemen gentlemen gen gen- in the woodpile but failed to put his finger on them He simply was standing pat about the whole thing A little later however the C. C I I. I 0 O. O people named the terrible conspirators conspirators conspirators who wanted the act changed The rhe American Federation of Labor had conspired with the Chamber of f Commerce of the United States There here was the fine unseen hand the Chamber of Commerce big business business business busi busi- ness personified It was the guilty party it was speaking for the employers employers employers em em- who want to grind poor workmen into the dust destroy unIonism unionism un- un wreck the families of the wage earners or earners or so the C. C I. I O. O shouted Well as far as I am concerned concerned concerned con con- I fail fall to see why the C C. C I I. I O. O picked the Chamber of Commerce It t is so thoroughly discredited that it t hasn't had any influence at the capitol in 10 years Why anyone should think that the Chamber of Commerce could have started a movement as strong as the present demand for tor change of the labor act actis actis acts is s quite beyond me But that was what the C. C I. I O. O charged It may have been what Senator Wagner meant Say Changes Would Benefit Neither Labor Nor Industry Finally the labor board itself appeared appeared appeared ap ap- ap- ap before the senate committee commit commit- tee and announced it had an open mind Its mind was so open that it submitted a document of at typewritten typewritten typewritten type type- written pages analyzing the proposals proposals proposals pro pro- for changes and arriving generally generally generally gen gen- at the conclusion that the proposed proposed proposed pro pro- posed changes were no good In substance the board said that the bulk of ot the changes being pressed would benefit neither labor abor group nor would they be of help to indus indus- try Most of ot all in the labor boards board's mind the amendments would conflict with the basic purposes purposes purposes pur pur- poses of at the act Thus as the hearings were con con- concluded concluded eluded and the committee seeks todo to todo todo do some deliberating on its own account account ac ac- ac count labor finds itself still fightIng fighting fighting fight fight- ing within itself itsel lacking direction and one could almost say lacking purpose It Is too bad that there must be the same greed creed the same thirst for power within the ranks of workers as there is among political political cal leaders and heads of govern govern- ments Those fellows who play the game of politics can lose their jobs and the country is none the worse But when political labor leaders play their games and lose the pawns pawn are the workers who have no means of protection Western Newspaper Union |