1941: Strikes

In contrast with its predecessor, the year 1941 was marked by numerous, prolonged and serious strikes. By Dec. 1, the number of strikes had multiplied so rapidly and the time lost through strikes had increased so greatly that the year became one of the most troubled in recent history.

The entry of the United States into the war in early December called a halt to demands and stoppages. Existing strikes in defense plants were called off and no new ones were ordered. The two federations of labor, the C. I. O. and A. F. of L., instructed their affiliates to seek the peaceful settlement of differences and to avoid interruptions under all circumstances. The month, consequently, was a quiet one. But whether relative peace would be maintained the following year remained to be seen.

The important strikes of the year presented a variety of features and problems. The earliest—the strike against the Allis-Chalmers Company in Milwaukee—was one of the most stubborn. The principal issue of this strike—the effort of the union to protect itself against aggressions by rival organizations and to extract dues from its members—was to be repeated in the major labor battles of the year. The Allis-Chalmers strike also won extensive public attention when an investigation by the Wisconsin authorities disclosed that the strike vote taken by the union had been fraudulent and that the strike was presumably not supported by the majority of the employees. These disclosures had no effect and the decision of the Defense Mediation Board was in the main a victory for the union.

The same issue of union security, or of the closed shop, was the cause of the important strikes against the North American Aviation and Federal Shipbuilding companies and the strikes called by John Lewis's union, the United Mine Workers, against the captive coal mines. All of these encounters severely impeded war production, aroused public and congressional resentment against unions and strikes, and induced the Defense Mediation Board to devise a novel formula for settling the closed-shop issue. This formula in substance provided that all employees who were members of the union on the date of the signing of the contract would be required to remain members in good standing during the life of the contract. The arrangement was satisfactory to the unions, at least as an interim measure. But it was widely opposed by employers, who saw it as a first and long step toward the full closed shop. In the captive mine dispute, no compromise arrangement was acceptable and the outright closed shop was conceded to the miners before the year was over.

Earlier strikes in the coal mines of the country were concerned with still another fundamental issue. In the negotiations for a new contract, the United Mine Workers demanded not only a substantial increase in wages, but also the elimination of the North-South differential in wages. Since this differential had prevailed for a long time, the Southern coal operators fought hard to retain it. Their mines were struck, the case was finally adjudicated by the Mediation Board, which yielded to the pressure of the United Mine Workers. The effect of this decision was not restricted to this industry, because it encouraged the movement, already well under way, to reduce or eliminate regional wage differentials and create a more uniform wage level throughout the United States.

As the year ended labor conditions were peaceful. The Defense Mediation Board was in process of liquidation and the way was being paved for a new board. The question before the country was whether the stubborn issues of wages and closed shop would be handled in 1942 peacefully and with due regard to the legitimate interests of industry and labor.

See also LABOR ARBITRATION; LABOR LEGISLATION; WAGES, HOURS AND WORKING CONDITIONS.