Evening star., 1937-03-06

DaVlu LdWTcnCes
frequent confer
ences with the executive head of the
United States Steel Corp. and also
with John L. Lewis. influenced the
making of the latest treaty between
the steel corporation and the C. I. o.
It was Mr. Roosevelt who dictated
that part of the General Motors settle
ment which gave Lewis his advantage
in the letter sent separately to Gov.
Murphy by the General Motors Corp.
agreeing for six months not to bargain
with other groups without submitting
the facts to the Michigan Governor
q stipulation which is being varlously
INTERPRETED but which the Lewis fol-
lowers say was tactical advantage.
What is significant about the Presi-
dents personal intervention in the
Industrial war is that the admins
tration took no steps at any time to
compel the evacuation of plants by
"sit-doWn' strikers. The knowledge
that the Government of the United
States might do likewise in the case
Of a steel strike had no doubt quite
an effect on the attitude of the United
States Steel Corp. in seeking to avoid
Q strike.
Message" Goes Unreprimanded.
Lewis and President Roosevelt are
working together in the labor Sltla-
ton. The c. l. o. is in such high
favor at the White House that the
Use of a circular entitled "A Message
From the President" to imply to pros
pective members of the c. l. o. unions
In New jersey that somehow the Gov
eminent wanted them to unionlze was
not in the slightest way reprlmanded.
IF some other organization used the
words "A Message From the PreSl-
dent in a circular and then pro-
ceeded to interpret some law as mean
Ing that the recipient should take due
note of governmental action affecting
him, the White House probably would
act promptly In this case the Presl-
dent for reasons of his own decided
10 overlook the implied use of the
name of his Office.
Concurrently with this obvious
friendiness to the C. I. o. cause, the
organiza tons controlled by Lewis are
getting ready to repay the President
by developing among their members
and the circle of their influence a
public sentiment in favor Of the Pres
ident's plan to enlarge the Supreme
Court. The C.. I. o. is reported to
have contributed no less than S5OO,OOo
to Mr.. Roosevelts campaign fund and
to have put into active operation a
get ut-the-vOte scheme which the G.
I. o. leaders feel entities them 10 the
favorable consideration for their cause
by President Roosevelt.
Forced One Lewis Retreat.
But whatever the c. I. o. spokesmen
NAV say about the high position they
occupy at the White House, the fact
remains that Mr., Roosevelt did force
them to retreat in the steel contro-
versy on a ma jor item OF strategy
the demand for exclusive bargaining
rights. Lewis attained so much more
in return from the United States Steel
Corp settlement that he was prob
ably glad for the time being to waive
such a demand But Mr.. Roosevelt
nevertheless is in position now 10
Insist on the wider application OF the
principle which was incorporated IN
the steel settlement. 1t if were in
cluded in the Wagner labor relations
act it would remove much Of the op-
position that employers have to what
they call a one-sided statute. The
principle as officially stated in the
agreement signed by the c. I. Q. and
the United States Steel Corp. Is as
follows:
"There shall be no discrimination,
interference, restraint or coercion by
the corporation. or any Of its agents,
against any member because OF men,
bership in the union or its successors.
The Steel Workers Organizing
Committee or its successors agree not
to intimidate or coerce employees into
membership, or to solicit membership
on corporation time or plant prop
erty."
Approved by Employers.
The foregoing would be accepted
BY 80 per cent of the employers of the
Nation as a proper statement OF en-
ployer and employe relations if en-
bodied in State laws or in Federal
laws relating to businesses engaged
IN interstate ouCil oOdVC
nent in almost identical language was
first agreed to by President Roosevelt
when he signed the automobile code
under the N r. A. and such statement
was in almost the same phraSeology
included in the Republican national
platform adopted at the Cleveland
convention. 1t was repeated in the
formal statement issued last July by
the American Iron and Steel Institute
on behalf of all the members of the
steel industry. And it was that very
same principle which Philip Murray,
organizer for the c. l. o., publicly
denounced as having been inspired
by the National Association of Manu-
facturers.
So while Mr.. Lewis is making some
gains, it is also fair to record that
gains have also been made in other
directions, toward a clarification of
the main issues that have caused or
threatened to cause strikes.
(Copyright. 1879