The Potters Herald

Compromise Plant Seizure Labor Bill Backed By AFL

Washington, D. C. (ILNS). - Unanimous determination to fight to the last ditch for repeal of the Taft-Hartley Act and the passage of a new labor relations law with amendments acceptable to labor was expressed here at a meeting of the Legislative Conference of the American Federation of Labor.

"We appeal to all members of the United States Senate to vote with us," AFL President William Green told the conference. "We will fight to the bitter end against any amendments authorizing the government to issue anti-strike injunctions."

"We have agreed to go along with the Douglas-Aiken amendment providing for government seizure and operation for a limited period in national emergency disputes. We trust that all the friends of labor in the Senate will support this compromise when the showdown comes."

To Plan 1950 Drive

Green told the meeting that regardless of the outcome of the fight for Taft-Hartley repeal, the AFL's political arm, Labor's League for Political Education, plans to hold a conference in Washington July 19 of local union representatives from every section of the nation to perfect plans for the 1950 Congressional election campaign.

Backing up the AFL action, President James C. Petrillo of the American Federation of Musicians urged Congress to enact the best labor legislation possible at this session of Congress and pay no attention to the "rule or ruin" objections of John L. Lewis.

Lewis, in a telegram to Senators Claude Pepper of Florida, Matthew M. Neely of West Virginia and James E. Murray of Montana, had praised them for opposing all amendments to the Administration bill for repealing the Taft-Hartley Act.

Second Attack On Lewis

In a telegram to Senator Paul H. Douglas of Illinois delivered to him on the floor of the Senate while debate on the labor legislation was in progress, Petrillo declared that "the betrayal of labor is not by administration amendments but by John L. Lewis." The musicians' chief reminded Senator

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Douglas that Lewis had turned upon the late President Roosevelt and later had "lined up with Taft and Company" but that in both instances the coal miners supported Roosevelt and Truman at the polls.

Petrillo's telegram marked the second time in 10 days that the president of the AFL's seventh largest international union had, in the course of publicly urging enactment of the Truman labor bill, denounced Lewis' tactics as contrary to the best interests of labor.

On June 10, Petrillo told 1,000 delegates to the musicians' 52nd convention in San Francisco, that Lewis was "nuts" for calling a miners' "vacation" at that time.

Petrillo's telegram to Senator Douglas said in part:

"I say that 98 percent of labor in this country, including myself, while favoring the entire repeal of the Taft-Hartley Act, are for any measure that you and the rest of the liberal senators on the Democratic side and the Republican side—as opposed to the reactionary Republicans and Dixiecrats—can give labor. We feel that the only reason you are making amendments to the administration bill instead of entire repeal of the act is because there is very little possibility at this session of Congress of repealing the entire Taft-Hartley Act. We are satisfied that labor will back you 100 percent in anything you do.

"Make Start Now"

"We in the American Federation of Musicians, numbering 237,000 have lost hundreds of thousands of dollars in wages since the Taft-Hartley Act has been put on the statute books of our country. We are willing to follow the leadership of men like you. What we cannot get today we may be able to get at sometime in the future but certainly we must start some place to tear down this vicious slave labor bill."

Referring to Lewis, Petrillo told Douglas:

"We are just wondering how sincere that man is when he puts a club in Taft's hands to destroy all liberals and liberalism by first calling a strike in March of this year when the House of Representatives had the bill before the Congress. Now that it is up before the Senate he again calls a strike, much to the delight of Mr. Taft and his reactionary cohorts.

"In conclusion let me say that the labor movement is satisfied that the administration Democrats like yourself and the liberal Republicans are giving labor the best kind of a bill possible to get and we appreciate it. The betrayal of labor is not by the administration's amendments but by John L. Lewis."