Evening star., 1936-06-16
$4Q,O)D,0l0 ORDER
|SVO|DEDBY |CKES
IN LABOR DISPUTE
"Unfair Practices" of Steel
Firm Cited in Cancellation
of Contract.
CAMPAIGN TO THROTTLE
EMPLOYEES IS CHARGED
Identical Bids Of Rival Companies
Studied to Determine
New Award.
Ry the Associated Press.

Hy the Associated Press.
Secretary Ickes today Cancelled O
SAC, ,086. 900 contract with the Jones q
Laughlin Steel Co. of Pittsburgh be-
cause, he said, 1t had been found
guilty by the National Labor Relations
Board of unfair labor practices"
Jones & Laughlin, with three other
companies. had submitted identical
bids for sheet steel piling in construct
ing the Imperial Dam on the ALL
American Canal In New Mexico.
Ickes said the award was Cancelled
because the Labor Relations Board had
notified him Of its decision that the
company had conducted . campaign
of systematic terror" against organi-
zation efforts Of the Amalgamated
Association Of Iron, Steel and Tin
Workers Of North America.
The Labor Boards suit to enforce
an order against the company was
denied yesterday by the Federal Court
Of Appeals at New Orleans.
Interior Department officials assert
ed, however, that Ickes' decision TO
cancel the contract was reached before
the court decision and that he was
simply utilizing his discretion In decid-
ing among identical bidders.
Bethlehem Firm Out
After. eliminating the Bethlehem
Steel Co. on the grounds of q dis
crepancy." Ickes had decided to award
the contract to Jones & Laughlin be-
cause its plant was farthest from the
Imperial Dam. He had hoped this
would discourage identical bidding.
The other two bidders were the
Inland Steel Co. Of Chicago, with q
plant at Indiana Harbor, Ind, and the
Carnegie Illinois Steel Co. of Denver,
with plant at South Chicago. III.
Ickes. who had announced award OF
the contract TO Jones & Laughlin on
May IS, said bids Of the two latter
companies were being restudied to de-
termine the new award.
In the case Of deciding between
identical bids" Ickes said, IT shall
always prefer that Of the bidder which
Is fair to its workers. I disapprove
Of the practice Of identical bidding,
and would reject all such bids except
for the fact that to reject them would
carry no assurance Of getting any
thing but more identical bids after
Reimbursement and delay.
"GIad" Of Opportunity.
Il am glad to take advantage of a
case of identical bidding to throw
additional weight behind the Govern
ment's effort to obtain and enforce
fair treatment Of labor.
1T has always been the policy Of
work-giving agencies under my direc-
ton to see that labor gets q square
deal. It certainly would not be fair
for the Government to give considera-
tion to a bid from company which
has demonstrated that 1t is unwilling
to deal fairly with the general public
by placing competitive bid and, in
addition, that it Is unwilling to deal
fairly with Its own employees"
Charges against Jones & Laughlin
were brought before the Labor Rela-
tons Board by Beaver Valley Lodge,
No. 200, of the amalgamated. The
New Orleans court rejected the boards
request that the company be forced
to re-employe certain men it had dis
charged and pay them back wages.
Meanwhile, the Labor Board
gathered to study the ruling and
chart @ future course for admins
tration Of the Wagner Act.
The Fifth Circuit Court Of Appeals
at New Orleans In o unanimous de.
cision yesterday ruled the Constitu-
ton docs not vest In the Federal
Government the power to regulate the
(See LABOR ACT. Page A-2.)