Strikes, it now appears, rebably will continue' throughout the summer tothe embarrassment 'Administration. 'The comforting thought is being circulated that these strikes are really signs of good times Feturning. During @ depression there are. few labour. troubles but with Feturning property. labour troubles increase', They are the growing pains of industry. "The only drawback. to this view is that it-does not appear torn the fact Industry is nel Thould "be no" growing pains. The manding at the moment, 0. there
def sithe, which Sue to ime Rigver wages. The workers feel that ing conditions is the strike for
their share 1a business improvement insufctent, or they feel that prices Move risen with returning prosperity fod shat wages should be roed 2 corremonding manner.
Up to date. factory employment has increased 37 per cent, while fac-ory. payrolls increased 72 per cent, indication that all the gains of industry have not gone into. profs. Demands for increased wages oF 'Shorter hours are frequently. thrown {nto the strikers' demands for good measure, but the real motivating force the desire of the Trades Union leaders for power. Collective bar-Daining was set down in the Nation fal Recovery Act as one of the cor-Rerssiones of reorganized industry. Nearly all the strikes are called by Teaders who feel that this clause in the Recovery act is not being properly complied with, "Section The Act upon which Labour's claims are based. runs as follows: "Every code of farr competition... shall con-{ain the following condition, 1—That employees shall have the right to or-gauze "and. bargain collectively through representatives of their own choosing, and shall be free from the Interference, rostraist or coercion of employers of labour, of their agents, he designation of such represen tatives, of in self-organization, or in other concerted activities for the purpose of collective bargaining, or other mutual aid or protection. 2—That no employee and no one seeking employment shall be required, as a condition of employment, to join any company union or refrain from joining, or assisting, a labour organization of his own choosing."
Workers' Protection The intent of this section was obviously to prevent workers being forced into organizations set up by their employers. It was not intended to force all workers into joining some particular organization affliated with the American Federation of Labour. Under this section no worker was to be deprived of his right to work because his labour affAllations were distasteful to his em-hoped,|worker was to be deprived of his ight to work If for reasons of his for join some union not affiliated with the AFL, In other words while out. awing the so-called "yellow dog contracts" which prevented a worker from joining any union, it did not endorse the so-called "closed. shop" principle which might have forced every worker into joining an AFL. Union.
"The majority of strikes have been and will be due to attempts by labour leaders to get more out of this section of the National Recovery Act than the plain wording. would appear to permit, There are in the labour organization three types of union. There are first of all company unions dominat~ ed by the company. These are disliked by the N.R.A. and attacked by the labour leaders but are not sarily objected to by the work Everything depends naturally mon the individual employer. No dues are charged members, a feature which {s popular, and the union provides machinery' through which individual grievances can be brought to the attention of the management. There are other company unions which are in no way inspired by or directed by the management. They are not affiliated with the A.RL, and are, therefore, frowned upon by the AFL, leaders though they are popu-ar with employers. Finally, there fare the API. Unions which have increased enormously in numbers since the Recovery Act was passed.
The reason for this is that the AFL. has a trained body of ore ganizers ready to work among the unorganized employees. They have no competition, for the independent unions are only concerned with their own particular plant and are in no sense proselitising, while if the management initiated any move towards in independent union they would at once be accused of employing coerdelve methods contrary The employers have many complaints to mak AFL, leaders as the latter against the employers. In the first ere is too much of the "racket" about the organization, The nes are heavy and the salaries of officials high. Secondly, they hold that the organization is antiquated. One firm will have its employees scattered among. some halt dozen craft" unions. The A.F.L. organiza tion is usually horizontal. Absentee Inbour leaders knowing little of local needs and conditions may throw a whole industry out of gear by calling a strike of some key craft union, Communist Dangers Finally, though the communist menace is laughed at, communist organizations take advantage of strike Situations and encourage the violence The Wagner Labour Bill. attempts to meet some of the dificult conflicting interpretation of '7a have caused by setting up a permanent National Industrial Adjust ment Board to investigate all complaints of unfair practices and prevent them, if necessary, through court action. It is hoped that this will avert the use of the strike to settle minor points of controversy. If the dispute hinges on who shall represent the workers in any case of collec {tive bargaining the board may, on its own initiative, hold a hearing oF take a secret ballot of employees.
It it wishes it may enforce ma jority rule. That is to say if troup of employees presenting cer: tain demands is larger than any other organized group, or the unor~ ganized workers, the employers may de forced to treat with them as re~ presentative of the whole of the em-[ployees, a feature against which they protest. There already existe a tional Labour Board but its legal position is dubious and it was felt better to establish the Adjustment Board by law.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.