The Rebellion of Business
The Rebellion of Business TPIIK case of Sewell Avery and Montgomery Ward A Company has become an important symbol. An inundating flood of propaganda is 8pleading the notion that this man and thin...
...The talks between the Lewis-AFL negotiation committees have revolved about the status of the U.M.W.'s District 50, in which Lewis has organized a bewildering variety of trades and workers...
...The War Labor Board and the President have ended this strike by following exactly the procedures laid down in the law...
...In addition to its great retail business, it manufactures a wide variety of farm machines and is now supplying the Army with propellers, gun mounts, and repair parts...
...And in this he has succeeded by v i i l u e of t h e c u r r e n t order for a n o t h e r r e p r e s e n t a t i o n election at Montgomery Ward...
...Coal mining, from the point of vTew of membership, •¦ s declining industry...
...The lickb »f l e t k the fact that a representation election has been ordered by the National I Relations Beard at the instance »f the War Labor Board...
...The U. S. Conciliation Service certified that the stoppage did actually interfere with war service, the company refused to abide by the directives of the War Labor Board, and then the case was handed over to the President...
...How to Detect a communist The Washington Post last Tuesday printed an imp o r t a n t s t a t e m e n t of policy by Civil Service Commissioner A r t h u r S. Flemming...
...Then came the strike...
...Commissioner Flemming was p i n c h - h i t t i n g as g u e s t columnist for J e r r y Klutl.z, c o n d u c t o r of the Pott'i famed government column, "The Federal D i a r y . " Said Commissioner Flemming: "The Civil Service Commission believes persons who have belonged to o r who h a v e followed the policies of p r o - F a s c i s t , pro-Nazi or p r o - J a p a n e s e o r g a n i z a t i o n s, and avowed members of t h e Communist P a r t y or blind followers of their line, should not be employed by t he Government...
...Roosevelt and Biddle are acting under the authority of the Constitution and of laws passed by Congress...
...If Lewis can jfc it, tlmt.eventuality will not mean the decline of M United Mine Workers as a potent union...
...This whole campaign is based upon a lie, and gives the public a false conception of what has taken place...
...Instead of defying a king, Sewell Avery is defying the nation and its people...
...The t r u e American had a perfect right t o be akeptical about this o v e r n i g h t change of f r o n t...
...At present, organization of the chemical industry is j*l*»»ented by a number of AFL federal locals...
...The questions involved, then, have to do with the nature of the laws and the motives of the individual objector...
...Picture, if you will, the obvious r e s u l t s if every place of employment in t h e c o u n t ry which o p e r a t e s under a union c o n t r a c t is forced to go t h r o u g h the turmoil of an election campaign every year - a proceeding which must of necessity have a d i s r u p t ing effect on i n d u s t r i a l r e l a t i o n s and p l a n t efficiency for one to t h r e e months or more...
...Lewis has replied that the AFL must admit the IIMW "as is-' and discuss the District 50 problem after...
...These, however, are by no means the only factors Involved There are other problems, probably of much greater importance, which remain largely obscured by the fierce bright light which l>eats on the personal dual between Roosevelt and I^ewis...
...By demanding an election every year before signing a renewal of t h e union contract, Avery hopes t o b r e a k down the union by f o r c i n g it to e x p a nd i t s e n e r g i e s , its money and t h r e e mouths out of every y e a r on election c a m p a i g n s. Montgomery Ward has succeeded, therefore, in e s t a b l i s h i n g a precedent which, if o t h e r employers adopt t h e s e tactics (and it is not to be doubted there a re many who will do s o ) , will produce chaos in t h e n a t i o n 's i n d u s t r i a l relations...
...No business is a strictly private affair...
...Obvi• a a l y , each action on oar part would violate t he very principles for which this war ia being foaght...
...And Lewis hae a very good argument on his side...
...F u r t h e r m o r e , t h e Civil Service Commission is doing e v e r y t h i n g in i t s power to see to it t h a t such1 p e r s o ns a r e not employed by t h e Government...
...That debate lias obscured rather than revealed the real problem...
...And t h a t i s t h e import a n t point, despite t h e d r a m a t i c s of t h e G o v e r n m e n t 's s e i z u r e of Montgomery Ward...
...has asked I«n to disestablish District 60 and distribute its members among the AFL unions having the appropriate jurisdiction before the CMW is readmitted...
...In addition, he b i t t e r l y a t t a c k e d Hitler and called for a ' u n i t e d front' of the g r e a t democraciea...
...tewis, w.ith typical shrewdness, has properly evaluated the chemical industry...
...Mihailovitch to a r r a n g e for t h e s u r r e n d e r of his a r m s and equipment...
...Outside certain general provisions of the Constitution the law involved is chiefly the War Labor Disputes Act...
...The i n t e r n m e n t ' s seizure of Montgomery Ward ia the kind of gift horse which will bear looking in the mouth...
...Not until the af* was split as a r e s u l t of t h a t b a t t l e did t h e White |*Mf' political a d v i s e r s see t h e d a n g e r and how closely (Mr Interests were i n t e r w i n e d in the fight...
...A contract with the union came to an end...
...The Age of Plastics, still in.its infancy, will not really come into its own until MM time after the war...
...It c o n s t i t u t ed As best news from New York since t h e decent element .liked out on t h e A L P a f t e r the Communists captared the quondam white hope of t h e liberal p r o g r e t - Jjatt'fl* vote in N ew York S t a t e . As t h e inner circles ,„ired n, the f o r m a t i o n of the Liberal P a r t y meant the redemption of tens of t h o u s a n d s of Roosevelt votes ia Mew York S t a t e which otherwise would probably h>f( been lost t h r o u g h default...
...This is known as the Community p a r t y line t e s t ." Commissioner Flemming then outlined the Communist 4ine f r om 1919 to 19.'t5...
...alweJl Avery, Montgomery Ward's one-man confede r a c y , refused to renew the c o n t r a c t . He demanded ano t h e r r e p r e s e n t a t i o n election, c l a i m i n g that the union did not r e p r e s e n t a m a j o r i t y of the employees...
...While there is no way of proving it, there is little, reasonable ieuhl that political considerations play their part in iha situation...
...We haven' t had t h e r e s o u r c e s needed to i n v e s t i g a te [ all new F e d e r a l employees...
...Who, asks Lewis, has a W*t right to claim this jurisdiction than the coal Matta...
...According to the terms of this measure the War Labor Board and the President may take action with regard to any labor dispute "which may lead to aubstantial interference with the war effort...
...When that time comes, the anion having jurisdiction over the industry, undoubtedly WW become one of the giant unions of the nation with • membership potentially running over a million...
...Although new sources are constantly being opened up to the plastics division, the chemical industry still *»»*• very largely on the multitudinous things the •hemitt* make out of coal tar . . . which is, of course, • »jr-product of coal and therefore is intimately collated with coal mining...
...An individual or organization standing against them may be doing a public service...
...The War Labor Board ordered both parties to continue their contract till arrangement...
...The larger a concern becomes, the more its operations become a public concern...
...In war an increaaed degree ct' governmental coordination is necessary to the national safety...
...CapitalComment By JONATHAN STOUT lewis' Claim on Chemical Workers Blocks AFL Readmission 7" WASHINGTON, D. C—With another week still to go before the AM...
...Substantially the same procedure was followed in the case of the United Mine Workers' strike...
...union no longer represented a majority of Its employees...
...This point Avery has won...
...That ia universally agreed...
...This concern has over 600 establishments and employs more than 78,000 persons...
...The procedures employed were precisel ¦ the same aa those followed in other similar cases...
...NLRB Tures About...
...But t h a t ' s exactly what Sewell Avery's tactics bop* to achieve...
...F o r t u n a t e l y , when it comes to dealing with Communism, t h e r e is a well-recognized test which can be applied...
...The AH...
...He is, rather, a selfish and disloyal citizen, who hates labor unions and the New Deal and seeks to lead a crusade against both...
...dustries...
...President Roosevelt is not acting the role of King John...
...nltamiMl itwli in I n' Xl till hii...
...And those are big stakes for which *»Hsy...
...For t h e Montgomery Ward t a c t i c s a r e t h a t of h a r a s s ing t h e union...
...An inundating flood of propaganda is 8pleading the notion that this man and thin concern are standing np for the libei ty of the individual against the encroachment* of a dictatorial government...
...That is, Lewis wants jurisdiction over 41...
...Sewell Awery is far from being a noble baron defending the sacred rights of the individual...
...The l a t t e r was what Mihailovitch s o i e l y needed to a rm his g u e r r i l l a forces, whose number was kept down only for lack of these necessities of w a r . At t h e l a s t moment, however, t h e B r i t i s h i n s i s t e d t h at Badoglio order the I t a l i a n s in Yugoslavia to s u r r e n d er t h e i r arms to Tito...
...there is no one AFL union having clear jurisdiction ever this field...
...From completely rel i a b l e sources it is learned that several days before the I t a l i a n surrender, the commander of the I t a l i a n forces in Yugoslavia, in p r e p a r a t i o n for t h a t act, s e n t a c o u r i er to Gen...
...The Administration represents the interests of the people oif the United States...
...11* original n o n c h a l a n t a t t i t u d e of White House adrisen towards the s t r u g g l e to keep the Communists from capturing the A L P w a s based on t h e f e e l i n g that tat White House w a s a b o v e t h e b a t t l e , since both sides van pledged to s u p p o r t of Roosevelt...
...F r o m July 1, 1940, our resources have p e r m i t t ed us to conduct i n v e s t i g a t i o n s of over 200,000 persons...
...A e union s o u g h t to r e n ew it for a n o t h e r year...
...Again, after August, 1939, t h e Communist Party line made a complete about face...
...Already there are machines ««paWe of drastically reducing the manpower working '•ree in the coal mines...
...The disquieting thing is that countless newspapers and publicists -and reactionary Congressmen—support him in his unsocial conduct...
...when the p a r t y was u l t r a - r e v o l u t i o n a r y . Then he continued: " F r om I9:tft after Karl Browder returned from a t r i p to Russia, to August 1939, t h e Communist hecame an advocate of all of t h e [ l i b e r a l ] domestic m e a s u r e s which he had been opposing...
...Clearly a strike of its employees "interfered with the war effort...
...King John is dragged into the case...
...The smug executive who was carried from his office feet-first on April 27 ia romantically disguised as a doughty baron standing up for eternal rights...
...Laws may be iniquitous...
...could b* mode for a new election...
...New York S t a t e , with its 47 e l e c t o r a l votes, will be eat of the pivotal s t a t e s next Election Day...
...The A d m i n i s t r a t i o n has t a k e n a long s t e p in helping to promote anarchy in the n a t i o n ' s industrial r e l a t i o n s. British Blacked aid To Mikhallavitch 'li..- t r u t h is beginning to leak out in g r e a t e r detail on the role the B r i t i s h played in the building up of t he Communist Tito in Yugoslavia...
...Therefore they were g r e a t l y relieved when the formation of t h e N ew York Liberal P a r t y gave, tens »f t h o u t a n d s of Roosevelt votes, which might h a re stayed a t home, a place to g o n e x t November...
...Action was precipitated by a strike in the Chicago establishment of Montgomery Ward A Company which was rapidly spreading to other cities...
...For when the current excitement sub •ides, when the election is held and when the plant ia returned to Montgomery Ward's Sewell Avery, a s sooner or later it will be...
...He began to vie with the p a t r i o t i c American in p u r c h a s i n g defense bonds, and in v o l u n t e e r i n g for civilian defense activity...
...The ¦nfons with the big futures ahead of them undoubtedly *ill be those in the auto, plane, electrical, textile and ehtmiral industries...
...The obvious d a n g e r was t h e n revealed - t h a t tens •f thousands of normal Roosevelt votes, in t h e i r disgust and disillusionment would simply s t a y home on election ear and not g o '•> t h e polls a t all...
...What is i m p o r t a n t in the h i s t o r y of the Montgomery Wanl ease is that over a year a g o a r e p r e s e n t a t i on •Hetieu was held t h e r e and the United Retail and Whslaial* Employee* Union, CIO, w a s d e s i g n a t e d by » amjoritjr of Montgomery Ward workers as their col*eh>e bargaining r e p r e s e n t a t i v e. Montgomery Ward refused at t h a t time to sign a " • t r a e t , but a f t e r P r e s i d e n t i a l p r e s s u r e did so, s i g n i ng 1 B * * f s a r c o n t r a c t . When t h a t c o n t r a c t expired r e - e**uV...
...Mr...
...States, then our war machine is jeopardized...
...The War Labor Disputes Act was passed by Congress after long debate to prevent strikes in war in...
...The issues involved are fundamental...
...Neither the Democrats nor the Republicans can afford to lose New York and remain eeaMent of winning t h e presidency...
...Such a defiance is not necessarily evil...
...The union agreed, but the company refused to continue within the terms of the agreement...
...We can no longer be sure that we can supply the food and arms which our men need at the fronts where the battle ia now approaching its crisis...
...Only the opposition of the ¦Wat has kept the mine owners from instituting these Manpower cuts with anti-social disregard for the consequences to the miners, for whom they bear a responsibility- But the rationalization of the coal mining in-*»»try goes steadily forward nonetheless, and within • viewable future, mining must decline from a large *»*• industry to a much smaller one...
...The majority may be wrong...
...We have concentrated our ; r e s o u r c e s on p e r s o n s selected for key positions in w a r a g e n c i e s . "At the same time, we have recognised that w* must make sure that no citizen of this country, even in time of war, becomes the victim of a witch hunt...
...There are, for example, extremista who wantapproach to political or economic problema...
...If a large and powerful corporation like Montgomery Ward A Company can buck the government of the United...
...J u s t over 1,000 have been declared ineligible because t h e r e was a r e a s o n a b l e doubt a s t o t h e i r l o y a l t y to tne Government of the United S t a t e s. " J u s t 448 of these persons were declared ineligible because they have belonged to or have followed the policies sponsored by pro-Nazi, p r o - F a s c i s t or p r o - J a p a n e s e o r g a n i z a t i o n s , and 563 w e r e declared ineligible because of their affiliations with t h e Communist P a r ty or t h e i r adherence to t h e Communist P a r t y line...
...After the d a m a g e was done, the Adminstration's poKtaeail m a s t e r m i n d s belatedly woke u p to t h e obvious etnstqueroes of f a i l i n g to s u p p o r t the reliable antitstalharian elementa in t h e ALP, a n d of allowing the < ommunisU to j e t t i a o n t h e i r own p a r t y and Invade a n - ttbtr...
...Hits Mantgamery Ward Workers The steras «f confusion which at this point has thoroughly obscured the realitiea in the Montfssaery Ward Case has misdirected public attention free* Ike fact that lab*r has taken an important tai fatefnl licUng ia that c a n s , celebre...
...That fact will have the greatest signiflcance for the fatare ef every labor anion in the nation and far the fatare ef peaceful industrial relations betwtta labor and management...
...the only permanent mark which will be left by the present dramatica will be the validation by the Government of management's right te demand an election each time before renewing a union contract—with all of the obvious disruptive results of this new union-busting technique in industrial relations...
...The 5**»tion in many respects is reminiscent of the one •IMftattMcT in the auto industry before the CIO Now Deal Group Hails Formation of Liberal Party »f the f o r m a t i o n of t h e Liberal P a r t y in New Cart'-VM received in Washington with a vast sigh at BP" 'n n c r White House circles...
...The company maintained' that the...
...The President—as he had done in previous cases—ordered Department of Commerce to take over the concern...
...White House advisers a r e a w a r e t h a t in pivotal New Terk S t a t e every vote l o s t to Roosevelt is w o r t h two to tat Republicans...
...Executive Council concludes its current deliberations in Philadelphia, it is nevertheless •tin a safe bet that the readmission of the I'niled Mine Workers in the AFL will not take place until after the November" election is out of the way...
...The I t a l i a n s did so and provided T i t o with the enormous supplies which enabled him to open up civil war in Yugoslavia by a t t a c k i n g the forces of the recognized Yugoslavian (iovernment, which has been a fighting member of the United Nations longer t h a n the Communist Tito or t h e Soviet Union...
...Immediately all p r e p a r a t i o n s for defense were termed wai- m o n g e r i n g. "Then, immediately after June 22, 1941, t h e Communist indulged in another somersault...
Vol. 27 • May 1944 • No. 19
