POLITICAL REFUGEES NEED AID
CAREY, JAMES B.
POLITICAL REFUGEES NEED AID PoSTWAR Europe in united by one tragic factor—the threat of famine, the fear of epidemic!, the bitter reality of cold. But even in today'* Europe there are second-class...
...His advisors have not urged him to do so...
...From the standpoint of those who knew ths framework of the conference, it substantially accomplished its purpose," stated David Du-binsky...
...2.r>, on l>ehalf o>f the committee, I wrote you asking that you give the committee opportunity to confer with you...
...NAM President Ira Mosher conceded that thera should be "sincere collective bargaining on wages," but suggested that discussion be confined to individual groups of employers and workers...
...Management's "strong'' attitude was epitomized on the opening day of the conference, when NAM President Ira Mosher bluntly stated his open contempt for labor's "sacred cows" and i frank intention to shear down the legal prerogatives of the unions to a paint of "equality" with industry...
...Without notice to the committee or a chance for the committee to present its views, on Nov...
...But even in today'* Europe there are second-class citizens There are the political refugees, the hundrd* of thousands uf anti-Faseiat* of all nationalities who, for as long as a decade in ramr rases, have lived in exile, want and insecurity...
...As for the thousands who are either totally or partially disabled as a result of war Hounds or com ml ration ramp experiences, who are suffering from tuberculosis or chronic malnutrition, it is virtually impossible for them to obtain relief exrept through one of the few private organisations devoted to the aid of political refugees...
...and of the Clay ton Act...
...Turkey and other countries who are now on the rase lists of the Committee are democrat* of a dozen nationalities, with Spanish Republicans, Germans, Austrian*, Italians, Czechs in the majority...
...La hoi broke with management on the hitter's demands of "equality under the low," which substantially meant the amendment of the Wagner Act, of the Noi i is-I.a<;tiaiilia Act...
...Once more it is a case of the President's advisors urging on him the policy of a choice of the lesser of two evils...
...An initial allotment or $l(K),000 to buy supplies for war-devastated peoples was made by the International Ladies Garment Workers Union, • Prime Minister Stitsn Sjahrir of Indonesia declared that Dutch recognition of their right to complete self-rule would end hostilities quickly, bul that dominion status is unpopular...
...Their needs range from emergency asaiatsnce, such a* food packages and clothing, to legal advice...
...Ami since Negroes are the minority, not only in Washington but in the country, the decision of the President's advisois has gone against them...
...It voted, without dissent, that "no discrimination in employment due to race, color, creed or sex" become the accepted policy of American industry...
...24, Houston has revealed, President Truman ordered the KKI'C not to issue its derision, In his letter of resignation to the President, Houston said: "My resignation from FKPC is a protest action not merely against our treatment in the Capital Transit case, but against the Administration's persistent course of conduct to give lip service to matters of eliminating racial discrimination in employment since V.I lis v. while doing nothing to make this policy substantial...
...Hut most often these refugees appeal for the essentials of mere survival, and for that reason The Sew Leader is now emphasizing a program of immediate material aid...
...The strike is keeping them from getting aulos...
...On Nov...
...On Nov...
...FrOM the foregoing, it would seem reasonable to conclude that the Laboi-Management Confer nee was not a failure from the viewpoint of labor...
...To this labor said: "It would lie extremely unwise to build a fence around the rights and responsibilities of management on the one hand and unions on the other, as years of growth have shown that the responsibilities of one of the parties today may well become the responsibilities of both parties tomorrow...
...The Seiv Leader has made arrangements with the International Belief and Rescue Committee, one of the oldest American relief organisations operating in this Held and devoted to the aid of anti-totalitarian refugees, to help these sufferer...
...25, as a result of the Capital Transit strike, President Truman ordered the Office uf...
...The story was first revealed about three years ago in this column when the situation was disclosed as a violation of President Roosevelt's directive against racial discrimination in essential industries...
...President truman'S second boner was brought to lifht this week when Charles H. Houston, prominent Washington Negro attorney, resigned from the President's Committee on Fair Fm-ployment Practices, charging that President Truman had blocked issuance of an FKPC directive against the Capital Transit Company...
...The conference agreed that "arbitration should lie invoked to settle all (lis-putes under contract which have no strike, no lockout clauses...
...To begin with, during the four weeks of the meeting, the contending principals anburdened themselves in each other's presence, and thus the two sides got to know their respective areas of agreement and disagreement...
...Capital Transit is now being run by the United Stales Government, which makes the persistence of the discrimination an even more heinous offense, since it lie comes an offense not by a local traction company against a local minority, bul by the Federal Government itself against every Negro citizen within its bordei...
...And since there are more people looking for cars than there are people making them, it is politically wiser to please the greater number And the clincher on the argument was the statement that not all strikes hav^ a legitimate reason growing out of wages, hours or working conditions within the framework of employer employee relations...
...An example cited was that of the National Maritime Union sti ike this week when thousands of members of the CIO National Maritime Union throughout the nation left their jobs in a 24-hour stoppage that tied up loading anil sailing of hundreds of ships on all coasts ami halted repairs on many Ot hers...
...especially in seasonal trades, where it might frequently retard steps for remedying an acute wage or employment situation...
...Defense Transportation to take over the operation of the company...
...New York 2, N. Y. Financial routribiilions should be sent to The New Leader...
...New York 3, which will forward the money to the International Rescue and Relief Committee, * ho, in turn, will send food and other packages to the needy of F.uropr...
...The thousands in France, Italy, Switzerland, Sweden...
...Neither side, however, found objection in principle to such a factfinding agency, provided it could he so coordinated as not to cause undue hardship to those seeking early and prompt relief...
...The Capital Transit case has been dragging through the FKPC for about three years...
...But there is an end even to a slow drag, and the FKPC finally voted unanimously to issue its final decision ordering the Capital Trail, sit Company to cease its discriminatory practices on November 2!t...
...But that isn't the way the President's advisors presented the picture to him...
...Still, it might be of interest to record that before the meeting adjourned, both labor and industry spokesmen had an opportunity to state their views on this subject...
...sweaters, men's suit*, children's rlothing and blanket...
...24 you ordered the committee not to issue the decision...
...Despite the war-caused breakdown in the transit situation in Washington, the Capital Transit Company refused to hire Negro motormen and bus drivers...
...H decided to form a "continuing com mil lee which wouTd lie called into act Ion when necessary to attempt a resolution of the points of difference...
...And at this time, the mini urgent need is for warm rlothing...
...It was advantageously educational," pontifirally remarked John L. l,eWis...
...blanket* and shoes The Ann Leader appeals to its reader* for rlothing contributions in order to rontinue this phase of Its work Tor politiral refugee...
...Unlike the postwar conference of 1919/ industry at this conference veered away from any definition at collective bargaining that would allow room for company unions or any equiva lent...
...It is only the exceptionally lucky refugee, who ran become self-supporting in these times...
...On the wage question, which was not on the agenda but kept nevertheless popping up nearly every day the conference was in session, the conferees leached no definite conclusions...
...No decision can make everybody happy in this case...
...or whose experience with argenised labor W in collective bargain-lag is raiatWely slight Still one more factor must not l>« avsriooked in appraising the results of this labor-industry confab and that is, namely, that the spokesmen of industry cane to it determined to strengthen industry's position quite definitely at the cipsnse of labor...
...Its stated purpose was the recall of American soldiers in the Pacific, particularly in China...
...The National Maritime Union strike had no reason relating to wages, hours or win king conditions...
...Said Philip Murray of the CIO "There is an imperative need of granting substantial wage increases which cannot be circumvented," William Green of the AFL want Murray one better by insisting that there is need for a "general wage increase" to include not only the skilled mechanics and the unionized people, but also the white-collar workers and the non-union people...
...In a general aense, it implied that lalmr would not attempt to pry into costs, profits, records or would keep away from unionising supervisory employees...
...To dale we have not received even an acknowl edgment of the letter...
...Much good was accomplished," commented William Green...
...The conference unanimously proposed that negotiations for new contracts should use every means at hand, in eluding mediation anil voluntary arhitia-tion, before strikes are permitted...
...Specifically, industry wanted a guarantee from labor that It "would not infringe on certain functions of management which are not to lie the subject of collective bargaining...
...He promised to protect Dutch economic Interests in Java, but rejected their claim for political control...
...The freedom of American workers, therefore, is additionally endangered because the Communist leadership of the National Maritime Union places the interests of their foreign masters above the interests -of American workers...
...Areas of Agreement LeT me now briefly examine the "pluses" and "minuses" reached at the conference...
...We should not stop trying to achieve industrial peace," declared Erie A. Johnston of the United States Cham ber of Commerce...
...Their advice was not merely ignorant -it was dishonest...
...More specifically, their recommendation carried further the suggestion that industries adopt the system of voluntary arbitration that would help carry into effect contractual provisions without causing production dislocation or accumulation of friction within plants...
...Labor demurred to industry's proposal for a specific declaration on the "rights of management...
...Charges were filed against the Capital Transit Company, and it is these charges which have been slowly dragging their way through the nia7.es of the FKPC...
...Truman Pulls Boners distrustful of the kind of deal they may expect to get under such circumstances...
...In this connection, the conference proposed that the United States Conciliation Service, an agency which had led a rather academic existence for years, be strengthened...
...On the subject of a fact-finding body, the disagreement centered on the tactical disadvantages it may cause workers...
...Labor-Management Conference trade union...
...The President, as the current head of the Capital Transit Company, could issue a new employment policy order...
...The argument ran: the public wants aulos...
...Was worth holding—it made progress," said Philip Murray...
...Uniolved Dispute* TrlK conference was unable to come to agreement on the following points: l.ahor refused to accept any punitive clauses in agreements in order "to insure provisions prohibiting strikes, lockouts and boycotts" mi the ground that it would give many employers provocative incentives to ruin unions financially...
...The argument presented to Tinman was that he had to make a choice between the public and labor a phony argument to begin with, since labor is the public...
...7 Fast 1.1 Street...
...Which made il plain that the Communist leadership of Ibis union was calling Hie strike foi a political purpose in the service of Communists in other countries...
...The unions, though divided in four groups-AFL, CIO, Mine Workers and Railway Brothorhooda—held the line pretty eaTee-tively against Management's afforta to outflank its position* In fact, moat criticism of the work of (he conference, while it lasted and when it ended, cams from industry sources because of labor's "intractability" and from—guess who?— Communist scribes...
...WORKERS AID UNRRA Nkw york (i.PAt—Over $i<i::,oov worth of supplies have already been turned over to the UNKKA shipping office in New York, through the Jewish Labor Committee, by its affiliated trade unions and laboi organizations...
...Any artirle of rlothing in good repair will he of use, but the most vitally needed items are men's and children's shoes, winter roat...
...Clothing should be sent to the International Rescue and Relief Committee Warehouse, CM) Orchard Street...
Vol. 28 • December 1945 • No. 49
