Protecting the Public Interest in Labor Disputes

There exists general agreement that an effective means must be found, in the public interest, to curb strikes in basic industries that imperil the national health or safety. This principle, indeed, has been a part of our basic law for more than a decade. The trouble has been that the limited means provided to meet this need fail to give effective expression to the public interest. The only significant remedy is that which the steel strike has made so well known: an 80-day injunction followed by an election in which the employees may indicate for publicity purposes whether they wish to accept the employer’s last offer rather than continue the strike.

How are we to bring the force of public opinion to bear, in the search for labor peace? This question is at the heart of the most impelling domestic problem facing the United States today.