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It must also be remembered that at just this time there was in the Congress an early move for the repeal or changing of the Wagner Labor Relations Act. I'm not able to say whether there was a bill in the House or not, but I think there probably was. There was at least the beginnings of a rumble that the Wagner Labor Relations Act was what was causing all the trouble, or was one of the great causes of trouble. Those rumblings were heard all over the country. There was a great deal of newspaper editorializing about it. People were making speeches here and there. There was great doubt in the minds of members of Congress as to whether or not it hadn't been an idealistic mistake to have this. There was a bill, I think, already introduced. Later on the Taft-Hartley Bill came up, but not until 1946, I think. That rumbling eventuated in the Taft-Hartley Act which was supposed to pull the teeth, or some of the teeth, out of the Wagner Labor Relations Act. But the rumblings about all this had begun at this period, 1941.
That's why, of course, so many of the employer members were so affected by this conception that they had to enforce union security. Of course, it was one of the reasons why both the AF of L and the CIO wanted to make haste to do their organizing while they could Very little labor statesmanship, I may say, was being exhibited, but labor competition was very vigorous.
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