John L. Lewis on the NRA, 1934

From John L. Lewis and The International Union United Mine Workers of America, the Story from 1917 to 1952. Washington: The International Executive Board United Mine Workers of America, 1952. 52-53.

"Organized labor is a single unit in its approval of the objectives of the National Industrial Recovery Act. Labor may differ with the National Recovery Administration in its interpretations and policies, but as to the act itself, the support of organized labor, in a fundamental sense, is without reservation. From the standpoint of human welfare and economic freedom, we are convinced that there has been no legal instrument comparable with it since President Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation of seventy years ago.

"On the other hand, the practical application of the law up to the present time has, in the opinion of organized labor, been too restricted and too lacking in uniformity and comprehensiveness. Hours of labor have not been sufficiently reduced; employees exempted from the provisions of industry codes have been numerically excessive; price and production controls have been, as far as possible, ignored; the full cooperation of labor, as contemplated by the act, has been prevented by placing labor on the defensive in the formulation of codes, and also by forcing labor to use its economic strength, or the strike, in order to secure the mandatory guarantees of Section 7a of the act.

"Many of these points of criticism of the NRA have undoubtedly arisen from the scope and seemingly insurmountable difficulties of the test it has faced. As a whole, its accomplishments have been most heartening and laudatory. The preliminary stages, however, are now over and, in the opinion of organized labor, the time has now been reached for the application of a more fundamental and more clearly defined program.

"The representatives of organized labor realize fully that Section 7a of the Recovery Act does not impose any direct obligation on the part of the government to organize industrial workers. While we recognize the difficulties of this situation from the standpoint of the NRA, we do believe that the present procedure, which permits trade associations to submit the labor provisions of a code, places labor not in cooperative but defensive position in connection with the consideration of these labor provisions. The labor provisions under these conditions become a matter of controversy. . . .

"This being the fundamental situation, it seems to me that the NRA should put aside temporizing measures, and fearlessly apply a constructive plan for permanent economic recovery. I say this because I sincerely believe that the NRA is the only agency of the New Deal which can save us at this time. All necessary powers are lodged in the act. All that is required for the deliverance from the existing economic recovery is for the NRA to use boldly the powers which it possesses.

"The ultimate objectives as to policy and procedure of the NRA should be immediately announced and stated to be the standards which must be included by industries in their codes. To my mind, these standards should be:

"1. Hours of work per week to be reduced, as far as possible, to a general level of thirty hours a week, of five six-hour days.

"2. Minimum wage rates of 50 cents per hour.

"3. General wage rates of 1926 raised sufficiently to produce the same weekly wage for shorter hours earned per week before reduction in weekly schedule of hours.

"4. Production schedule as of 1926.

"The above program for the Industrial Recovery Administration would be clear cut, definite and immediately practicable, if generally applied.

"In conclusion, I repeat, that it is my firm conviction that in the adoption of a comprehensive program, as outlined by the National Industrial Recovery Act, rests our real hope for complete economic recovery. Definiteness and boldness are all that are required for its success. In its broad lines, such a program must be ultimately adopted and it cannot be put into effect too soon. Its fruits would consist not only of the employment of those now unemployed, and the realization of economic recovery, but it would also carry with it a high measure of human welfare and economic democracy, together with all the other elements of a better social and political life."