Imperial Valley press., 1933-07-31
LABOR UN|OA>
V|CTOR|OUS|N
STEEL DAT Tile
Win Right To Insert Collect
i've Bargaining Agreement In
Industry's Code.
PRODUCERS GIVE In
Action Hailed By Labor Secre-
tary As Patriotic And Far
Sighted Policy
By II. O. THOMPSON

United Press Staff Correspondent
WASHINGTON, July 81. U.Pj -
Organized labor, aided by the Re-
covery Administration, won sig
nificant victory today in its fight
to give the 100000 steel mill work.
ers of the country the right of COL
lective bargaining when the steel
industry withdrew a code of fair
competition provision aimed at re-
tanning the company union set-ups
of the industry.
Elimination of the most contro-
versial issue raised by the steel code
came shortly after hearing opened
on the proposed code for the lead
ing American industry.
! Administrator Johnsons iasser-
ton that the provision was incom-
patible with the recovery program
resulted in the directors of the Iron
and Steel Institute agreeing in
hastily calle dmeeting to delete the
provision.
The action Immediately was hail
ed by Secretary of Labor Perkins,
who congratulated the industry on
its patriotic and far sighted pol
ICY"
The right of collective bargain
ing has been fundamental tenet
of the recovery administration, and
previous indications that the in
dustry would seek in its code to re-
tain the present company spon-
sored unions had been sharply
condemned by organized labor.
The provision which was with
drawn attempted to restrict COL
lective bargaining by steel workers
to the so-called company unions.
WASHINGTON, July 31.-Power-
ful administration forces were
aligned with organized labor today
in its fight for the right to union
ize 100000 steel workers as the code
for that giant of American indus
, tries came up for public hearing.
Dispute centered over provis-
ion of the proposed code by which
the steel industry sought to main
tain its system of company -spon-
Sored unions.
, Organized labor, which in a bat
tie over many years has been able
to gain only a bare toe-hold in the
steel mills, claims company unions
did not give fair voice to work.
erS.
Labor appeared to have strong
support from General Hugh S.
johnson, administrator of the NRA.
While emphasizing that it is not
the purpose of the recovery act to
foster Colonization of any indus
try, he gave indications that the
labor provision of the steel code
should be confined to a guarantee
of the right of collective bargain
ing, without attempting to prescribe
the nature of the organizations
through which 1t could be carried
on.
This would leave organized labor
free to attempt unionization of the
industry with the guarantee that
its recruits would not be denied en-
ployment.
Further support for labor's stand
was seen in the presence of Fran
ceS Perkins, secretary of labor, as
first witness in the hearings Long
friend of labor, she was ready to
present the findings of personal
inspection of the steel centers.
Messages Continue
Aside from the union section, ma
jor provisions of the steel code pre-
scribe an average 40-hour week to
spread employment; grant Is per
cent wage increase for skilled work
ers, for common labor fix minimum
wages of 81 to 40 cents an hour
depending on the locality; and bar
employment of children under 16.
More than 80 per cent of the steel
plants in the country already have
subscribed to the code.
AS the steel hearings went for
ward, messages continued to roll in
telling of thousands of additional
adheranceS to the voluntary code
shortening hours and fixing min
imum wages for all classes of la
Dor.
Tomorrow, when the agreement
formally takes effect, the sign of
the blue eagle will go up in fac
tories, shops, and offices throughout
the land, proclaiming to consumers
that those concerns "do their part"
The tide of unemployment un-
der these agreements already had
set in. Within five weeks the NRA
expects to have carried 100000 Of
the jobless back TO work