The Butler County press. [volume], May 23, 1941, Image 1

About The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946

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(WNU Service)
Paterson, N. J. (ILNS).—Condemn
ing anti-strike legislation in vigorous
language, President William Green of
the American Federation of Labor de
clared here that "any infringement of
the right to strike is a step toward
forced labor and the type of conditions
which prevail in the land dominated
by the dictators of Europe."
"Those conditions," President Green
continued, "are the very things Amer
ican workers want to defend this
country against. They will not listen
to any specious pleas that they must
accept a form of slavery to defend
themselves against slavery.
"That word slavery may seem
far-fetched to people who have read
in the newspapers that the Vinson
bill and other similar measures pro
posed in Congress merely provide for
a 'cooling off' period. But once Con
gress presumes to say that a worker
may not strike for 25 or 60 days, what
is there to prevent it from extending
the period to 25 years or 60 years or
forever?"
Legion Honors Green
Green spoke at a mass meeting
sponsored by the American Legion of
Passaic County and received a medal
from the Legion bestowed "for dis
tinguished service in counseling arbi
tration in industrial disputes to aid
national defense."
The A. F. of L. head declared that
the "no-strike" policy of the federa
tion on defense work had been highly
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THE BUTLER
VOL. XLI. No. 8. HAMILTON, OHIO, FRIDAY, MAY 23, 1941.
Post-graduate Course
i
Curb on Strikes Step to Despotism
Says Green, Praising A. F. of L.
Record on Defense Proji
"Any Infringement of the Right to Strike is a Step Toward
Forced Labor and the Type of Conditions Which Pre
vail in Lands Dominated by Dictators," Green Holds.
successful, saying:
"Figures show that from July, 1940,
through April 23, 1941, there were al
together 99 strikes in this country
involving national defense production
in any way. Out of these 99 strikes,
only 61 were considered important by
the Office of Production Management.
Of these 61 strikes, only 9 were called
by A. F. of L. unions. In terms of
man-days of idleness caused by de
fense strikes, only 5 per cent were
due to A. F. of L. strikes.
"No-Strike" Policy Successful
"Out of the five million working
men and women who are proud to be
identified with the American Federa
tion of Labor, there were never more
than three or four thousand on strike
at any time. This means that the no
strike policy of the federation was
more than 99 per cent effective at all
times."
The figures, he said, were taken
from the Office of Production
Management and "constitute a
record of self-discipline and sta
bility unmatched by the A. F. of
L. or any other labor organiza
tion in the world in any previous
time in history."
As further evidence of the effective
ness of the federation's "no-strike"
policy, Green pointed to a War De
partment report showing that labor
diffifulties had caused a loss of only
14,875 man-days out of a total of
40,607,000 man-days worked in the
Army camp construction program.
He paid high tribute to the A. F. of
L. Building and Construction Trades
Department and to its president, John
P. Coyne, for the record, which he
called "one of the outstanding achieve
ments in the defense program."
Democratic Methods Urged
"The great majority of American
workers," the speaker said, "have
demonstrated that they do not wish to
strike and will not strike or other
wise impede the defense program, yet
now a group of short-sighted and
labor-hating Congressmen are trying
to take away their right to strike."
In ending, Green urged the Ameri
can people and Congress to accord
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and said:
"The way to defend America is by
democratic methods. We cannot win
for democracy by surrendering democ
racy. Let Hitler, Stalin and Musso
lini use force. We do not need to
force our people in America.
"They are ready and willing to give
their lives if necessary to safeguard
what America stands for and what it
always must uphold."
PUBLIC TRIAL OF
HESSJUGGESTED
New York City (ILNS).—A sug
gestion that Rudolph Hess, third high
est Nazi leader, who landed by air
plane in Scotland, be put on trial be
fore an international court was made
by two labor editors in a cable mes
sage to Herbert Morrisson, labor
leader and British Minister of Home
Security. The message was sent by
Victor Riesel, managing editor of The
New Leader, official organ of the So
cial Democratic Federation, and Ger
hart H. Seger, editor of the German
labor weekly Neue Volkszeitung.
The editors proposed that Hess be
charged "with all the crimes against
humanity he committed as a fanatical
Nazi leader," and they interpreted
his departure from Germany as "the
first missile of poison gas fired to
England by Hitler to start public dis
cussion of peace possibilities, counting
on a split within the Nazi party."
"Such a split is not discernible and
is not likely but, even if existing, Hess
as a faithful servant of Hitler has
never displayed any opinion of his
own," the message continued. "He
would be the last person on earth to
dessert Hitler. If his escape is gen
uine, Hess would not have left behind
his wife and child as hostages. Judg
ing from the public excitement in
America, we consider public trial of
Hess the most effective way to coun
teract Hitler's intentions in sending
Hess."
AFL Insurance Agents
List More Victories
Washington, D. C.—The American
Federation of Industrial and Ordinary
Insurance Agents, A. F. of L. affiliate
continued their achievements with two
more victories.
The National Labor Relations Board
certified Local Union No. 21884, Wil
mington, Del., as the exclusive bar
gaining agent for the agents employed
by the Baltimore Life Insurance Com
pany in the Wilmington area, and
then Local Union No. 21858 of Phila
delphia won a National Labor Rela
tions Board election among the agents
employed by the Philadelphia United
Life Insurance Company.
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New York City (ILNS).—Strength
ening of national labor relations laws
to provide speedy punishment for em
ployers who, through evasion and
legal delay, seek to escape their re
sponsibilities under existing laws was
recently urged by Thomas J. Lyons,
president of the New York State Fed
eration of Labor.
New York Labor Head Asks Revision
Of U. S. Laws to Punish Employers
Refusing to Bargain in Good Faith
The labor leader's criticism was
made in a letter to the Leviton Strike
Committee of the International Broth
erhood of Electrical Workers, Local 3,
in which he accepted the union's in
vitation to address the 1,700 strikers
of the Leviton Manufacturing Com
pany.
Thomas J. Lyons, President of the New York State Fed
eration of Labor, Urges Punishment for Employers
Who Seek to Escape Responsibilities Under Laws.
In his remarks on the Leviton strike
in which he criticized the labor laws,
Lyons said:
'The eigh1-month-old Leviton strike
is a brutal example of how a stubborn
employer by means of evasion and
legal delay can escape his responsi-
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country.
"Teeth" in Laws Urged
"Although your union was over
whelmingly elected as exclusive bar
gaining agent in a National Labor
Relations Board election, the Leviton
company has consistently refused to
bargain collectively in good faith with
the result that these workers and
their families are suffering needless
privation.
"This country is now engaged in a
gigantic task of lending full economic
and industrial aid to the democracies
in their struggle against the dictator
countries in Europe. American labor
has enlisted in this fight for the du
ration of the struggle. But it seems
to me that if our own economic die
tators, like Isidore Leviton, president
of the Leviton company, are permitted
to condemn American workers and
their families to starvation then Con
gress, instead of concerning itself with
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legislation like the Vinson Bill, should
put teeth into the existing national
labor relations laws so that recalci
trant employers may be speedily pun
ished for evading their responsibili
ties under the law."
Arbitration Move Fails
The union's demands in the Leviton
strike include a $16 weekly minimum
scale, a proportionate increase for
those now receiving above the mini
mum, one week's vacation with pay,
a union shop, and improved working
conditions.
Last December, after negotiations
got under way following the NLRB
election, the union charged the com
pany with practising "evasive and dil
atory tactics" contrary to the provi
sions of the labor laws. Charges filed
with the labor board were withdrawn
when the company promised to bar
gain collectively in good faith.
In April, Mayor La Guardia called
upon Judge Lazansky of the Second
Department of the Appellate Division
to attempt to arbitrate the differences
between the Leviton company and the
union. The union immediately signi
fied its willingness to submit all ques
tions to arbitration, but so far the
company has refused to follow suit.
"We've had a drinking competition
at the club tonight," announced her
husband.
"Oh, have you?" she replied acidly,
"and who got second prize?"
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