Evening star., 1937-06-25

when IL expires IN
4 few weeks. These parleys are now
going on. 1t Is hardly to be presumed
that the General Motors Co. after the
experience they have had with violated
contracts. will agree to an extension
OF the present contract without oe-
manding some safeguards Of a bind
ing character.
Since President Roosevelt himself
intervened in the General Motors
strike and Secretary Perkins insisted
to the motor company executives that
the John Lewis unions would live
up to their contracts, the question now
arises A. to what the Administration
has to say about the record OF un-
authorized strikes which has been
built Up over the last four months
by the c. I. o. unions.
Although the contract specifically
provided that there WAS not to be
any strikes or interruptions and all
grievances were to be taken up through
the committees specially constituted
for the purpose, the General Motors
plants have suffered 2so separate stop
pages. Under such circumstances, IT
would not be surprising II the General
Motors officials decided that con-
tract with the c. I. o. isn't worth
the paper it Is written on. and that
henceforth their position must become
Identical With that Of the independent
steel compA MES vhEh are refusing
to sign any contracts with c. 7. o.
U. 3. Enerts Feared Futile.
Should such = situation develop it
would be most regrettable because it
would indicate that after all the mil
lions OF dollars Of economic loss in
Michigan due to the sit down" strikes,
and the final contamination OF an
agreement through the intervention
Of the President OF the United States
and the Governor OF Michigan, such
4 thing as labor discipline IA so lacking
~ to render the recent efforts Of Mr.
Roosevelt ~ well ~ his Secretary OF
Labor absolutely futile.
The relationship between the nego-
tiations going on between General
Motors of7lcials and Homer Martin
On the one hand and the strikes In
Ohio and Pennsylvania between the
c. I. o. unions and the steel COM
and closer n the experience In the
motor industry IA revealed. 1t chal-
lenges not only the good faith Of the
G. l. o. leaders. but the influence Of
The Roosevelt administration with its
own allies. the c. l. 0. unions.
just what Is happening in the
Michigan negotiations Is not known
10 the public, because both motor ex-
eeutives and labor leaders have de-
clined to tell what is happening in
the exchanges between them. 1t Is
known. Of course, that Homer Martin
il trying to discover the causes Of the
unauthorized strikes and that he says
he is endsavorinS to develop discipline,
but, on the other hand. the very point
that the steel companies make is
coming to the fore. namely that ap-
parently nobody. not even John Lewis,
can give ASSURANCES that the G. l. o.
unions will live up to their contracts
when signed.
LAbsrs Evolution.
It is. Of course. = practical question
e labor evolution. The admins
tration has been disposed to argue
that labor unions are in the early
stages Of an unusual expansion, and
that growing pains are inevitably
the cause Of local break-dovns. But
unfortunately this does not answer
the question OF how In the meantime
losses are to be prevented when ire
sponsible leaders permit outbreaks
and cannot control sporadic strikes.
If the labor unions were incorporated,
or II they were compelled to post
bonds. or II Congress passed a statute
forbidding strikes when contracts pro-
vlding mediation machinery to set
tie grievances had been agreed to
by both sides, something might be
done to bring about stability in the
relations OF employers and employees
even where c I. O. unionisa ton exists.
The eyes Of the country from now
on Will be focused on Michigan as
0luSiA 30 VII Oilio uuu 1SIlIlSylVAnlA,
For the General Motors Co. has be-
fore 1t now 4 request for 4 new con-
tract or an extension OF the present
agreement. Will the General Motors
Co. sign another contract? Few OBJ
servers think the General Motors Co.
would be 50 poorly advised as to con-
tinue an arrangement wherein no
sense Of responsibility is manifested
by one Of the parties to the agree
ment.
What, then, can the c. I. o. unions
do? They can Investigate" but in
the meantime probably there will be
no contract made unless some safe.
guards or assurances can Be invoked.
The Government OF the United States
and the government Of Michigan
could help In making contracts bind
ing. President Roosevelt Ii to some
extent "on the spot" In the con-
toversy, because he and his Secretary
OF Labor used their influence in ner.