Evening star., 1937-01-05
Sloan Refuses to Recognize
Any One Group to Repre-.
sent Workers in Collective
Bargaining.
$4,000 MORE EMPLOYEES
SLATED TO BE IDLE
President and Secretary Perkins
Confer-White House Due to
Act Directly Should Walkout
Become General-Nation's La.
Dor Disputes Spread.

A conference today between Presi-
dent Roosevelt and Secretary Perkins
on latest developments in the automo-
bile industry strike strengthened the
belief in labor circles here that White
House Intervention will be forthcoming
should walkout of all unions be called
against General Motors.
While the President and the Labor
Secretary conferred on the situation,
it was revealed by the Senate commits
tee investigating civil liberties viola
tions that General Motors labor
troubles were on its program.
Although the committee did not
make public its list of witnesses, in
vestigators said several high officials"
of General Motors probably would be
summoned to testify. Records Of the
corporation have been subpoenaed, too.
they said.
Secretary Perkins, officials said, went
to the White House in the forenoon to
give the President preliminary out.
line of the strike which has affected
eight General Motors plants. She
carried reports furnished by Edward F.
McGrady, Assistant Secretary of Labor.
who has personally investigated the
labor difficulties Of the motor industry.
But, despite the appearance Of Sec
retary Perkins at the White House and
the fact that the strike also was dis.
cussed later at the Presidents cabinet
meeting. there was no tangible evi.
that
ma1euvers are actually afoot at this
time.
However, Secretary Perkins was re.
ceiving hourly reports from seven con.
ciliators in the strike zone, and Nc.
Grady had informed John L. Lewis,
Chairman Of the Committee for In.
dustrial Organization, that the Labor
Department stood ready to help ar.
range an anlicable settlement.
There were three other labor de.
velopmentS in the last "a hours.
The Labor Relations Board, In its
first report to Congress, said trouble
in the steel industry was caused largely
by "the denial Of the rights Of self
organization and collective bargaining
to the employees"
Congress Gets Bill This Week.
Reporters learned at United Mine
Workers headquarters that the new
Guffey coal control bill, to be intro.
duced this week in Congress, would
seek to guarantee collective bargaining
in the soft coal industry. It is ex-
pected to have a clause saying the
Government will buy no coal from
firms refusing to bargain collectively.
Terming strikes and lockouts a
serious reflection" on the Nations
intelligence, Representative Smith,
Democrat. of Washington said he
would introduce soon bill establishing
court to settle labor disputes.
This court of labor adjustment ana
arbitration" Smith said. would have
power to determine controversies he
tween employers and employees "relat-
ing to wages, hours and conditions o.
employment, and affecting public
interest"
Enactment of his measure. Smith
pointed out. would mark the f1rst time
Congress exercised It's right to define
interstate commerce instead OF leav-
ing such responsibility to the Supreme
Court of the United States"
As a collateral move, it was learned
that a group of trade association
executives has undertaken to organize
business behind an industrial agree
ments" act, containing some features
Of the N. r. A.
The Labor Board, in its report, said
375 of 784 strikes during the first five
months of 1886 involved the issues OF
self organization and collective bar.
gaining ng-fundamental issues In the
General Motors walk-out.
The board assailed the American
Iron & Steel Institute, the employers
organization in steel, an industry that
Lewis is attempting to unionize along
with automobiles.
"The employers, through their own
(See LABOR, Page Asp