Show e Labor Disputants Must lust Heed Need Publics Public's s Interests ests By BAUKHAGE News New Analyst and Commentator Service GIG 1616 Eye Street N. N NW NN V. I Washington D D. D C. C WASHINGTON Regardless of the bitterness engendered by the I coal strike many real friends of labor in Washington watched the I preliminaries to the opening of conI congress con con- I gress gross with far for less apprehension than might have hove been supposed But that wasn't true of some of the labor lobor leaders There were several reasons for forthe forthe 1 the fears of the latter In the first place it was no secret that a great many mony union members were getting decidedly fed up with the autocratic methods of some of the top dogs Part of this may have been the general feeling that it was time for fora a change which the voters registered registered registered regis regis- so emphatically Many of I these voters were of course union men Without labors labor's support the Republicans would not have made such great gains in many of the cities I talked to one union man who expressed this skeptical attitude toward toward toward to to- ward the top leadership He said there was discontent because of too many strikes He didn't mean strikes in his own group He was referring to the fact that when other unions walked out it affected him too He didn't like the idleness that he had He resented the raising of his dues He felt the pressure from the higher cost of living which he did not blame entirely on big profits He was not immune to the argument that lack of production due to strikes for which he was not r responsible was also partly to blame His inability to control the strikes in other unions was not the only cause of his resentment He felt that his vote in itself had very little little little lit lit- tle effect that policy was hammered hammered hammered ham ham- out by the big fellows Then too the stories of the fine homes and the big cars of some of the high officers didn't help I found his attitude reflected in similar reports reports reports re re- re- re ports from other sources Most 1 of these conditions to which my informant objected of course stood out a at t the very beginning of the he coa coal strike with its powerful one-man-domination one and its crippling crippling crippling crip crip- pling effect on other industries Another feeling registered by I many workers was fear of a de de- de- de They know that that would weaken the unions because many men would do as my friend said he would have to do forget do-forget forget the union and take any job he could get if work grew scarce Predict predict euros Curbs on Autocratic Leaders Leaders' Since many of the men who followed followed followed fol fol- fol- fol lowed this line of reasoning helped make the Republican victory possible possible possible pos pos- sible astute political leaders with their eyes on 1948 are preparing to stop the union the talk and substitute for it the slogan smash the autocratic leaders and keep them from smashing the union The friends of labor that I mentioned mentioned mentioned men men- realize this They are freely predicting that this congress will not produce destructive labor legisla legislation tion They feel that such radical moves as compulsory arbitration or rigid government control will not suc suc- They do admit they expect many of the advantages labor has enjoyed under the Wagner Vagner act willbe will willbe willbe be pared down When the President said at a White House press and radio conference conference conference con con- ference that he intended to write as strong a message as possible to the congress it was not interpreted as meaning that any labor anti-labor shackles would rise Harry Truman's Truman's Truman's Tru Tru- mans man's whole record in congress is distinctly conservative but not re re- re- re On the other hand he doesn't intend to approach the subject subject subject sub sub- from the New Deal point of view As I pointed out but previously in this column he considers himself himself himself him him- self a free man bound by no previous obligations acting under no restraint He could not eSC escape the tenor of the vote in November nor could he ignore the gauntlet which John Lewis threw down Looking around in the senate the friends of labor feel they see evidence evidence evidence evi evi- dence of enough wisdom and discretion discretion discretion dis dis- dis- dis to prevent any labor bait ing orgy even if some of the members members members mem mem- bers of the house may lean to ex ex- After all most legislation is written in conference Although there was considerable concern expressed by their respective respective respective tive opponents both Senators Taft and Ball who naturally would be expected to initiate labor legislation legisla tion are considered too wise politically polItically politically the bounds of to overstep what really amounts to common commonsense commonsense commonsense Neither of sense on this question them would be likely to do Anything the they could avoid to prevent workers or anyone else from voting Republican Another thing which the optimistic optimistic optimistic the of feel will willbe willbe willbe sure will happen is that there be a careful study by congress of any measure which is proposed proposed- I develoPs develops develops de de- unless or ot course some crisis which demands speed In emergencies emotions run high and it is necessary to shift the ballast so rapidly merely to avoid capsizing capsizing capsizing ing that legislators may swamp the boat trying to reach an even keel Labor suffers most in an unstable economy Therefore it must have havea a multiple objective as Thurman Thurman Thurman Thur- Thur man Arnold and Walter Hamilton contributing their Thoughts on Labor Labor Labor La La- bor Day to the New Republic last September pointed out in these words It must work for a stable economy economy econ econ- omy with permanent high pr prosperity prosper prosper- sper- sper ity it must hold and advance wage rates for the sake of that permanent prosperity it must stand firm and even take the offensive I against limitation of production and the degradation of the dollar Therefore to succeed the labor movement must be a consumers consumer's movement as well The consumers consumer's consumers consumer's consumers consumer's con con- sumers sumer's vested interest in labor legislation will not be overlooked by thoughtful members of congress It was very plain that the will of the voter in the last election was expressed expressed expressed ex ex- pressed in the voice of the con con- sumer Must Consider Consumer In n Any Negotiations One of the most searching surveys surveys surveys sur sur- veys of the whole question of collective collective collective col col- bargaining which undoubtedly undoubted undoubted- ly has impressed our more studious I legislators is a report made two years ago by a special committee of the Century fund This report report report re re- re- re port stressed the need of recognition recognition tion by both labor and d management management management manage manage- ment of this third party the con con- sumer In that connection the committee committee committee com com- recommended strongly the use of economists engineers impartial impartial impartial im im- im- im partial finding fact-finding techniques They also suggested that managements managements managements manage ments a and unions ions together explore the possibilities of wide market-wide collective collective collective col col- bargaining This is a subject of which you will hear more before long T I 0 imagine The Century fund study also sounded a warning which might well have shown a foreknowledge of some of the big strikes which followed followed followed fol fol- fol- fol lowed including the coal strike It concluded conclude I with the admonition Unless spokesmen for Big Ownership Ownership Ownership Own Own- Big Unionism and Big Government Government Government Gov Gov- acquire a sharper awareness awareness awareness aware aware- ness of their separate and joint obligations to society all aU three will become becom like the dinosaurs which grew too big and stupid to survive The representatives of each sitting around the collective bargaining ta table table ta- ta ble must become more become more consciously conscious conscious- ly than ever before trustees of other peoples people's money skills and aspirations It is the committees committee's earnest belief that this ch change in moral and psychological climate of collective bargaining is vital necessary necessary necessary essary and long overdue That admonition which went unheeded unheeded un un- heeded was responsible in part for the temper of the people last ast November No labor legislation offered offered of of- by the present congress will stand long if U it includes the consumer consumer con con- sumer out And if the consumer is protected protect protect- ed both management and labor are safe 0 NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS OF A COL COLUMNIST COLUMNIST-COl COMMENTATOR COLUMNIST U INIST Il R I w will try to write and t talk lk as much like a human being as possible I wont won't use any words on paper paper pa pa- per or on the air I dont don't use on the street car and I will b be sure I know what the words I do use mean I will not talk or write down to my audience or up up to m my Y YI news sources I will swallow my snorts and coughs s and wheezes until I ca cae can n signal the engineer engine e r to cut off the mike I will read all my mail and answer it in person if a stamp is enclosed or on or the air if t there ere is is no or other ther fu spirit way in m I |