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Our History A Union is Born The Turbulent Years The Conspiracy Trials The Beginning of the
Morrin Era The Depression and a New
Deal For Labor World War II Ironworkers Grow in the
1950's Part Two Part Three John H. Lyons Jr.
Elected President The Tradition Continues Pathways to the 21st
Century Under The Leadership of General President Jake West
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Part One
he year 1941 opened with the
world at war but the United States still at peace. All that would
change on December 7, 1941 when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor,
Hawaii. For the next four years the labor movement would dedicate
itself to the winning of the war. Workers would work long hours
without any vacations, be relocated far from their hometown, live in poor
housing, and experience high prices while their salaries were
frozen. Yet, with the exception of one major labor strike, union
workers stayed on the job. Yet, during the war,
anti-labor newspapers spread rumors about workers striking in great
numbers. Businessmen were crying for repeal of the Wagner Labor Act,
the Wage and Hour Law, and even child labor legislation. One
pro-labor writer wrote that management was more afraid of the union
movement in America and more anxious to fight that war than to fight
Germany and Japan. Then, when the war ended,
instead of rewarding labor with those things that were promised to them
during the war, such as a national plan for free medical care, higher
wages and shorter hours, and better housing and schools, Congress passed
anti-labor legislation such as the Taft-Hartley Act which President Truman
vetoed, only to have his veto overridden by the Republican Congress. Before we could even enjoy the
fruits of peace we found ourselves involved in the cold war and the Korean
Conflict. President Truman who had finished President Roosevelt's
fourth term, would be attacked by Republicans and some Dixiecrats but
would still be successful in gaining reelection in a huge upset in 1948
when he was challenged by Republican Governor Tom Dewey of New York. PREPARING FOR NATIONAL
DEFENSE With France conquered and
England under attack, President Roosevelt was able to convince Congress to
agree on the draft and a Lend-Lease program to aid Great Britain.
Although America still had about eight million workers unemployed, the war
in Europe was producing more and more jobs. M any defense plants
were now producing at full capacity, and many workers were working
overtime under the new wage and hour laws, receiving time and a half and
double time on Sundays. Management was making big profits on defense
contracts but didn't want to pay higher wages. The skills of the
Ironworkers were in great demand. Most of the plants that produced
products for domestic use needed to be converted to producing war material
and equipment, therefore, these plants had to be renovated. Management complained to
Colonel Philip B. Fleming, the wage and hour administrator. His
reply to management was printed in the January, 1941 issue of the
Bridgemen's Magazine. Mounting attention was being
directed toward apprenticeship, as a result of the efforts to solve the
problem of training skilled workers for defense industries. A survey
conducted in early 1941 by the Department of Labor revealed that the
number of apprentices in training in all trades , including the
Ironworkers, had jumped by approximately twenty percent. There were
125,000 apprentices, however, Labor Secretary Perkins said the number,
based on demands, should be twelve times that number or 1,500,000. ANTI-LABOR ACTIONS IN
CANADA Canada had entered the war
with Great Britain in 1939, and until 1941 the situation for labor was
bad. Although over a million Canadian men and women were engaged
directly in war industry and production was high, wages were still
low. In 1941, 32.9% of Canadian workers were earning less than
$450.00 dollars per year, and only 6.8% were earning over $1,949.00. Until 1941, union membership
in Canada was below what it had been in 1919. Canada did not have a
"New Deal" in the 1930's like that in the United States.
Workers were also divided into three large organizations. The Trades
and Labour Congress of Canada (TLC) included unions that in the U>
S> were affiliated with the AFL. In 1940, the Canadian Congress
of Labour (CCL) was founded, and it included many of the unions that in
the U. S. were affiliated with the CIO. Lastly, in Quebec, as well
as other parts of Canada workers were organized into the Canadian and
Catholic Confederation of Labour (CCCL). However, the war gave labor an
opportunity to make demands for higher wages and the right to organize the
unorganized. By 1941 membership was finally greater than it had been
in 1919. There were some strikes in Canada during the war and there
was debate in the house of Commons in Ottawa to pass anti-labor
legislation, but Mr. McLarty, the Canadian Federal Minister of Labour,
ended the debate by saying these words: The Bridgemen's Magazine pointed
out at this time that with the bombs dropping on England, workers still
had the right to strike. In 1942 Britain had 29% more strikes,
involving 61% more workers and causing 7% more worker lost days than in
the United States. The conservative Prime Minister, Winston
Churchill, appointed a great labor leader, Ernest Bevin, as Minister of
Labour. This had helped to bring harmony to England during the
war. The Bridgemen's Magazine
felt that America could learn a lesson from Britain and Canada if war came
to the United States. THE ATTACK ON PEARL
HARBOR: On December 7, 1941 the
Japanese launched their sneak attack on Pearl Harbor. On the
following day, General President Morrin wrote a letter to President
Roosevelt and sent the following message to all affiliated Local
Unions. It stated the position we would take throughout World War
II. St. Louis, Missouri, December 8, 1941 ALL AFFILIATED LOCAL UNIONS; Inasmuch as our country has been
unjustifiably attacked by Japan, our International
Association, through its officers, has pledged our complete
cooperation and support to President Roosevelt, our
commander-in-chief. In fulfillment of this pledge to
the President of the United States of the United States and
of the publicly established policy of this association by
delegates to our last convention to cooperate with the
National Defense Commission to bring the national program to
a successful conclusion. I as General President must
insist that there shall be no strikes or stoppages of work
by any local union, its officers or members of this
Association during this national emergency. P. J.
Morrin, Scroll to the top and click on
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