Battle of the West Coast

Not from any anti-labor die-hard Tory but from one of labor's most liberal-minded employers last week came an appeal for modification of the Wagner Act. The appealer was Henry J. Kaiser. His reason: the jurisdictional fight in three of his shipyards between A.F. of L. unions and C.I.O.

More than a year ago he signed an agreement making A.F. of L. sole bargaining agent for the handful of shipyard workers then employed in his yards. Since then total yard employment has jumped to 150,000--a huge army of dues payers who are hungrily eyed by rival C.I.O. shipbuilding unions.

Last week C.I.O. succeeded in getting NLRB to order hearings on accusations that Kaiser's closed-shop deal with A.F. of L. violated the spirit of the Wagner Act. The C.I.O. case rests on the fact that the majority of employes have had no choice in voting for their union.

But Kaiser knows that an election now to determine the issue between C.I.O. and A.F. of L. would result in bitter dissension in yards and the loss of precious manhours of work just as he is about to attain a record one ship per month per building-ways. He also knows that if C.I.O. won it would demand a closed shop no less exclusive than that enjoyed by A.F. of L.

Without suggesting how the Wagner Act should be amended, Kaiser would like to see it given an overhauling by Congress to make it "an effective instrument for settlement of industrial conflict." This week he seemed to be getting some backing from labor itself. In an open letter to Congress, William Green, head of A.F. of L., declared that "someone in authority within the government" has got to stop jurisdictional rows.

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