DOES AFL WANT A NEW PARTY?
MEANY, GEORGE
Does AFL Want New Party Behavior of 81st Congress Shows Need for Political Action By George Meany THERE 18 NO DOUBT that there have been definite changes in the attitude of the American...
...Despite this'complete disinterest in politics, the AFL many years ago accepted without question the Gompers' policy of rewarding friends and defeating enemies...
...To meet this challenge and to protect the progress and achievements that have come after years of struggle, labor must move la the direction of Intelligent and energetic political action...
...But beginning with the 1932 campaign, there was a definite change in attitude of the rank and file of the AFL...
...Nor can we expect any aid from those on the Democratic side of the aisle who determine human values by the color of a person's skin...
...Many Southern Democrats still feel that their best interests are served by the maintenance of an alliance with the reactionary group that controls the Republican Party...
...But what has happened to date jn the 81st Congress indicates quite clearly that while Labor won a battle in 1948 it has by no means won the war...
...Keep in mind that the Chamber of Commerce is generally considered as a good deal less reactionary than its sister organization, the NAM...
...THE CHAMBER TURNED a deaf'ear to the overwhelmingly popular demand for improvements in federal social security...
...As of now, I do not think that the general membership if the AFD is thinking in terms of a national political party sponsored by the AFL...
...DURING THE ROOSEVELT YEARS...
...We either move in the direction indicated by the program of the Cham, ber of Commerce or we move forward toward a better day for America's little people under the program of labor...
...All realize beyond question that our future political activity cannot be based on a system that would necessitate the creation and operation of a new machine every two years...
...However, when it came to the necessary action required to implement this policy they ignored it entirely...
...More and more thought was given to political action without regard to party lines...
...The present situation in Congress is an indictment against the two-party system...
...To move in the direction of human value* we" cahnot depend on the Tafts, the HaUecks or the Martini in Congress...
...It is quite evident that the present Tweedledee and Tweedledum twoparty system and its virtues have been greatly overrated despite fears expressed by some that the weakening of this system would be a national calamity...
...Let me point up the situation which faces labor today by some comment on the policies adopted by the United States Chamber of Commerce at its •meeting which took place about two weeks ago...
...This attitude on the part of powerful big business of demanding every legislative advantage possible represents a challenge that labor cannot sidestep or ignore...
...They condemned the limitations on war profits contained in the VinsonTrammell Act as harmful to the American enterprise system...
...SecretaryTreasurer of the AFL...
...The Chamber gave strong endorsement to trade assciations and demanded that they be free from any special forms of government control...
...The real awakening to the need for direct political action by Labor came after passage of the Taft-Hartley Act in 1947...
...Still, we find the Chamber advocating a program dedicated to the selfish welfare of big business and completely callous in its attitude toward those who toil...
...Some even thought that the results of the 1948 election would change the attitude of the HaUecks and the Martins and the others in Congress who represent the philosophy and the interests of the National Association of Manufacturers...
...This means, in effect, that the Chamber of Commerce would bar unions by law from doing anything to eliminate the sweatshop with all its evils...
...In other words, their policy is complete freedom of action for unions of employers, and complete government con...
...Even a cursory analysis of the situation in Congress today reveals the fact that install of a two-party system wo have in oporotion a tugof-war between roataosfcery toarst from both parties est owe sole and liberals from both parties on the "It becomes jslear that a saseabie majority far the DoanooroStc Party ¦ in the (1st Congress often labor aoaeoaly any greater comfort than the heavy majority she Republicans had in the 10th Congress...
...Will this trend bring ^us to the point where labor will be ready to sponsor and maintain a national party of its own...
...This article is based on a speech made by George Moany...
...I think it would be well, however, to understand the traditional attitude of the American trade unionist in regard to the relationship between his membership in a trade union and his right to exercise his voting franchise as a citizen in any way he sees fit...
...Does AFL Want New Party Behavior of 81st Congress Shows Need for Political Action By George Meany THERE 18 NO DOUBT that there have been definite changes in the attitude of the American trade unionist toward political action in the Jast two decades...
...trol over unions of workers...
...As a result, 1946 found Labor sitting "on the sidelines...
...At the end of the war, however, there was almost a complete let-down on the part of labor in the field of political action...
...But I am convinced beyond question that tabor will go as far down this road at time and event* prove it ntctuary for us to go to carry out our basic purpose of raising, maintaining and protecting the standards of life of the workers of this nation...
...The AFL Executive Council made the following comment on this situation: "Even if Congress repeals the Taft-Hartley Act before adjournment of the present session, and enacts a new labor-management relations law satisfactory to labor, the workers of this country cannot feel sale and secure while reactionary forces are able to muster such strength in Congress as was manifested in the roll-call vote on the Wood BUI in the House of Representatives...
...The, consequences -were disastrous...
...How far will labor go down the road of political action...
...What is more important, perhaps, it has the support of the vast majority of the individual members of our unions...
...Gradually from 1930 on, the American trade unionist has been thinking more arid more of the necessity for direct political action as one more means to carry out the ideals and principles of the trade union movement...
...For the first time in the history of the AFL the entire membership approached the question of politics realistically...
...I. personally, have never been convinced that the two-party system as we have had it in America for a groat many years is so vital to the welfare of our country...
...DISCUSSION OF POLITICAL activity on the part of Labor, and acceptance of the fact that there is a definite trend toward the use of the ballot by labor, without regard to party lines, leads inevitably to the questions—what of the future...
...Labor's League for Political Education is receiving the full support of practically every international union connected with the AFL...
...What has happened in the 81st Congress vindicates the judgment of tho AFL when it set up its political arm on a permanent basis...
...This attitude was predicated on the belief that a trade union should confine its activities entirely to the economic field, and not in any way extend its influence to matters not directly connected with problems faced by the membrcsbip in their daily work...
...I do not share the feeling that it would be a catastrophe if the two-party system wore weakened by a third party assuming a stature that would give it a balance of power...
...The result, as you well know, was the action of the 1947 convention of the AFL creating a permanent political arm for the AFL through the establishment of Labor's League for Political Education—which provided a basis for direct political action by the AFL, all its constituent unions, as well* as its individual members, and also provided for corrfprehensive participation in this political work by all liberal and progressive groups who believe in the principles arfd ideals of the trade „ union movement Starting about April 1, 1948, Labor's League for Political Education achieved a certain success in the campaign that followed—in fact, some of our people thought we had won a complete victory over the reactionary forces that had dominated the 80th Congress...
...The Republican leadership, which seems to have unlimited capacity for political stupidity, still feels that a mandate from the voters means nothing as compared to a mandate from the NAM and all the selfish interests it represents—this, despite the fact that the Republicans have not won a national election in over twenty years...
...It also demanded that practically all the vicious controls over labor contained in the Taft-Hartley Law be continued...
...DESPITE THE FACT that the issues in which Labor was interested—including repeal of the Taft-Hartley Act— were presented clearly and definitely to the American people in the 1948 campaign, and that the American people gave a clear mandate to Congress oh these issues in 1948, more than fifty percent of the House of Representatives refuse to recognize this mandate...
...The Chamber opposes President Truman's health program, as well as his farm program...
...We will not stay at dead tenter...
...the idea of using Labor's strength at the ballot box for the benefit of Labor with, out regard to party gained currency...
...at the fifth annual dinner of the Now York State Liberal Party recently held in Now York City...
...The Chamber declares that both federal and state laws should bar a refusal to handle work or install products solely because they were made or handled in the first instance by unorganized work, ers...
Vol. 32 • July 1949 • No. 28
