In 1933, conflict exploded between labor and management as unions sought the right to bargain collectively under a vague section of President Roosevelt's National Industrial Recovery Act. Tonight's program, written by Quentin Reynolds, reviews the violent labor-management relations of the thirties.
The times are bitter for working man and employer alike. In Georgia, prison camps are set up for strikers, San Francisco and Minneapolis are virtually paralyzed by strikes; soldiers are sent to restore order in the coal fields of West Virginia; FDR is called " a traitor to his class" and the labor movement splits into two camps: AFL and CIO. Early in 1935, Senator Robert Wagner, Democrat from New York, introduces the National Labor Relations Act, designed to enforce the rights of labor. A manufacturers association claims the NLRA "will out-Stalin Stalin," while the Dailey Worker asserts "it will be a weapon to destroy the power of the workers."
Among those interviewed: Mrs. Eleanor Roosevelt, Mayor Robert F. Wagner of New York City and labor leader James Carey. Narrated by Arthur Kennedy. Charlton Heston reads from FDR's writings.
