Rebels' Rights?

"The [National Labor Relations] Board has given an insurgent group the rights of belligerents, a privilege accorded in international affairs only after careful deliberation and full consideration of its grave consequences," A. F. of L.'s monthly American Federationist complained this week. "Every agency of government that gives status to the C. I. O. gives the same recognition."

The bug in A. F. of L.'s craw which apparently occasioned this statement was an NLRB report, issued last week, which in effect showed that, as a general thing, employes participating in NLRB elections prefer C. I. O. over A. F. of L. In 208 of 966 elections between October 1935, and January i, 1938, C. I. O. directly opposed A. F. of L., won 160. In all, C. I. O. contested in 557 elections, won 81.7%; A. F. of L. entered 453, won 56.1%. Lately the proportion of A. F. of L. victories has risen, C. I. O.'s has declined, and (significantly for both) the proportion of elections in which employes rejected all unions has increased.

A. F. of L. hopes to amend the Wagner Act in order to clip NLRB's powers (TIME, July 25). The position taken by A. F. of L. this week indicates that it wants nothing less than an amendment to derive C. I. O. of a place on NLRB ballots. Said A. F. of L.'s practical editorialist: "Surely this [C. I. O. recognition] is . . . union development under Government patronage. Progressive legislation and practical democracy depend upon a united labor movement. Whatever groups or agencies give aid to insurgency within our movement defeat these purposes."

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.