THE LABORER PANAMA, SEPTEMBER 13, 1945 a copy YEAR No. 12 EDITORIAL THE PEOPLE RIGHTS MEAN NOTHING Atom Bomb Ends War, Says Green; Sees Future Benefits To Humanity contribution to final victory. The American Federation of Labor is grateful for that message and it wishes to let the American people know that the nation soldiers of production will continue to serve faithfully and unswervingly to win the war and to win the peace.
As some of those in authority think little or nothing of the rights of the laboring class, it is sometines necessary to bring about intense commotions that will actually shake the foundation of the social order now existing in order to achieve our aspirations. On the other hand to seek revindications in any other way is to lose precious time, for it would be the same as preaching in the desert.
The head of Government in 1941 may have had the best of intentions to serve the interests of the working man of the Republic when it handed down the Legislative Decree regulating matters pertaining to labor. Unfortunately for us his efforts did not bear fruits as those responsible for the wording of the decree went about their duties in such a manner as to crush whatever benefit the laboring man might have received from its compliance.
Of the rights Actablished in this law, these benefitting the working man are fully established in the article quoted below: Labor Points Way New Wage Policy Demanded Article 42 After eleven consecu ive months of service the person in charge of an establishment, or the owner, is under the obligation to concede to his workers or to those working under any form of contract, who may also have the same time of service, a vacation of one month or its equivalent in remuneration.
Most of the workers in commercial establishment receive vacations, which are not complete in every instance; in general terms they receive vacations because to deny the fact is to tell a lie.
But this is not a reason for keeping quiet and allowing injustice to be done to the most humble workers, who do not earn sufficient for the upkeep of their families. These humble workers do not get any consideration from their employers, who, in order to beat the law fice their employees during the tenth month of consecutive employment, thus denying them of an indispensable human right.
Now, if the legal disrosition quoted above had conceded the right to the worker who had not completed eleven consecutive months of employment to receive vacations in proportion to the time served, all workers would have equally benefitted and such injustices as cited would not have taken place.
CHICAGO Labor views on made. You recruited skilled the new atomic bomb were ex mechanics from thousands of pressed by AFL President Wil build and man the plants in liam Green in a nation wide miles away to work on these radio address over the Amer projects even though we could ican Broadcasting Company not tell you what they were network Mr. Green declared making. Now you have the rethat the new weapon should ward of knowing that their efend all future wars and that forts are making an important atomic power should be utilized in the future for the benefit of humanity, instead of destructive purposes. The text of his radio talk follows. American labor, which played a vital role in the successful development of the atomic bomb as an instrument of military destruction, is keenly interested in the plans of science for harnessing the power of The National War Labor the atom to peacetime industry Board is now entering its finafter victory is won.
al phase. When peace returns, there will no longer be any Shocked as we are by the reason or justification for its terrible and devastating effect continued existence. Wartime of this new explosive, we canwage control by government not help thinking that it will will necessarily give way to eventually prove a great blessfree collective bargaining in ing to humanity.
peacetime. The American Fed For nothing is better caleration of Labor hopes that culated to prevent future wars happy event is not far distant.
than the knowledge of the But in the meantime the Natcommon people in every nation ional War Labor Board has an of the world that now warimmediate and imperative duty fare may mean total annihilato perform. Our nation must tion. No dictator in the years be spared the shock of sudden to come will be able to pertransition from a wartime to suade his people to chance that a peacetime economy. Interim kind of retribution for aggresadjustments of the governsion.
ment wage policy can and should be made right now in The assurance of lasting order to facilitate the reconpeace will give science, labor version process, to prevent seriand industry a glorious oppor ous impairment of living standtunity to put the mighty re ards and to provide the high sources of the atom to work and steady flow of purchasing for the constructive benefit of power without which postwar mankind. The power to destroy production cannot find a markcan and must be transformed et.
to the power to build.
The executive council calls It requires no exaggerated upon the National War Labor stretch of the imagination to Board to end without further visualize the tremendous econodelay the wage freeze which is mic revc on which the dejeopardizing the well being of velopment of atomic power may the entire nation.
accomplish in the future. The We propose the following prodiscovery of how electricity gram: could be applied to improve the lives of human beings and Adjustment of the Little lighten their labors may become Steel formula to bring basic insignificant beside this new wage rates back into equitable and epochal scientific achieve relationship with increased livment.
ing costs. Wage rates are still at May, 1942, levels despite ad One thing is certain the mitted and considerable inflause of atomic power must be tion of the cost of living. The controlled so as not to enrich minimum adjustment in wage and strengthen the few, but to rates that would compensate bring its benefits equitably to the nation workers for the loss all the people.
of purchasing power that has The seven million members resulted from higher prices is of the American Federation of an additional 15 percent. Labor Labor will be glad to know that asks and demands that such the War Department has ex an adjustment be made now tended official recognition and for the further reason that loss praises for their efforts in conof overtime and incentive bostructing the tremendous plants nueses together with downgradwhere the atomic bomb is being have caused an alarming ing produced and in operating shrinkage in take home pay.
those plants. received today the following telegram from Restoration of free collecUndersecretary of War Robert tive bargaining to permit voP. Patterson: luntary wage increases to go Through you, want to into effect without the requirethank all the officers and mem ment of approval by the NWLB bers of your building and me whenever the employer certifies tal trades unions who helped that such increases will not which our atomic bomb are involve a substantial increase in the price of his product.
Hitherto, the NWLB has held that such voluntary increases might have an indirect inflationary effect by inviting competitive bidding for labor at a time of manpower shortages and by increasing consumer purchasing power when the supply of purchaseable civilian goods was scarce. These conditions are rapidly disappearing and the arguments are no longer valid. Due to cutbacks in war production and the slow pace of reconversion, the nation now faces unemployment rather than manpower shortages. Incraesing production of civilian goods will soon end tight markets. Furthermore, the time is fast approaching when labor and management once more must assume their full responsibilities in a democracy instead of looking to the government for decisions. That is the only way free enterprise can operate in normal times. It is therefore up to the National War Labor Board set an example for all federal agencies by beginning to reiinquish government controls over collective bargaining. More flexible administration. The NWLB should ask the President to restore its original power to use its discretion in deciding dispute cases instead of being bund by rigid rules.
The board should have the power to grant adjustments in pay even beyong the limits of the Little Steel formula and even though price increases will result whenever it finds that failure to do so would cause suffering and hardship.
From the ime this labor law tecame effective workers have protested to high heavens of the injustices committed hy its interpretation. The guaranteeing of rest days; the fixing of minimum salary; the collective labor contract and other ights stated in the law, are nothing more than a representation of perfidy and farse.
If the worker merits consideration, if effectively his rights mean something, from the time the deficiencias were noted Executive Decree No. 38 of 1941 would have been corrected long ago and the humblest worker would have gained much during the years of war just ended.
Supplementing these changes, the executive council renews its appeal to Congress to adopt legislation lifting minimum wage levels immediately to 65 cents an hour and to 75 cents at the end of three years, so that the NWLB will be able to correct substandard wage conditions accordingly.
Since the adoption of this program will require executive action, the executive council directs the officers of tile American Federation of Labor to present its views on wage policy to the President of the United States.
These deficiencies will be taken into account time to come out, and which may be worded such in the future Labor Code, which may take a long an enigmatic form to gain benefit the exploiters. BIBLIOTECA NACIONAL ERNESTO CASTILLERO