Evening star., 1937-02-12

in which the auto
workers live.
The question naturally arises |
whether the strike gained anything
for anybody and whether it could
really have been shortened. Any one
who examines the terms of settlement
cannot but come to the conclusion that
General Motors granted at the final
settlement and John Lewis obtained
through it precisely what could have
been got on January 4 last, when the
peace parleys began in Gov. Murphy's
offce.
Error Of Strategy.
The mistake made by Lewis was IN
breaking up these peace negotiations
by a demand for exclusive recognition
for his union as a bargaining agency.
This was untenable from the outset,
and many labor union strategists say
that the technique of strike IS never
to demand something that cannot be
COMPROMISED and which leaves ones
side open to attack II retreat has
to come.
As for the General Motors Co., Its
original mistake was in insisting that
negotiations be carried on in plants
instead Of with the one general man
agement, position, however, from
which the company receded promptly
enough to escape the blame Tor pro-
longing the strike.
Law and order didn't come out so
well in the strike, but, If the truth IS
ever confessed by the union leaders.
they will be compelled to admit that
the granting of an Injunction against
the "sit-down' strikers was a very
vital point in the whole strike strategy
because the Lewis union was put In
an embarrassing position with pub
lie sentiment. On the one hand, 20
withdraw the "sit-down" striker was
to acknowledge defeat and lose the
only leverage the auto strikers really
possessed as a minority, but on the
other hand, to defy the injunction it
self was to swing public opinion from
the "sit-down" strikers.
Quick Conclusion Forecast.
The more it became apparent that
the local police at Flint would have
to be augmented for a battle in which
the militia might have to join, the
more 1t was evident that the strike
had to come to quick conclusion.
In this respect. the pressure OF the
injunction itself worked the strike
negotiations to a climax, and yet there
was no pitched battle or open war
fare such as might have come If the
negotiations carried on by the Gov
ernor had come to naught.
Gov. Murphy was in q tight spot
throughout. He was carrying the load
of an administration at Washington
which had messed up the situation
considerably and he was facing In
Michigan demands for enforcement Of
the injunction whic. he knew might
mean a tragic ending. So while he
stalled off the sheriff and angry cit
izens of Flint, and in this sense law
and order may be considered to have
been ignored, the fact remains that
''sit-down" strikes now have been
widely condemned by public opinion
and a by a court of law, so the next
time they occur in other situations
the demands for the use of eviction
orders will be prompt and doubtless
effective Immediately.
There were, from an academic
standpoint, gains by both General Mo-
tors and Lewis in the final settlement.
Lewis succeeded in focusing the at
tention of workers generally-his
prospective henderson what can be
done by an insistent minority and he
in, for
his own membership as group in any
general parleys on wages and hours
with big industrial corporation.
Murphy Becomes Umpire.
From labor standpoint, every con-
cession, no matter how small, Is mag
nified in membership drive, but the
letter from General Motors and the
agreement itself make it quite clear
that no exclusive bargaining rights
have been granted and that the rights
OF the Lewis group as we'll as the non
Lewis workers will have to be defined
by Gov. Murphy himself as the fu-
ture mediator during period of six
months. It's sort of compulsory ar
bitration for limited period on q
collateral issue-how a minority can
bargain without injuring the majority
in plant.
General Motors, on the other hand,
succeeded in maintaining successfully
that 1t would not recognize any group
as the exclusive bargaining agency
for non-union or any other workers in
their plants who might be aff1liated
with the A. F. Of l.. This principle
has an important bearing on the fu-
ture of industrial warfare and much
will depend on whether the Wagner
Labor Relations Act is declared un-
constitutional. II 1t is held valid,
then some amendment of the law Is
bound to be compelled by public opin-
ion 80 that the rights Of the minority
win be protected against a majority
or vice versa. These issues are far
from settled.
Meddling by q. s. Seen.
Basically, the strike Is a sad example
Of how political government, refusing
to act through Federal mediation ma
chinery, prolonged strike that could
have been settled locally, namely by
the Governor of Michigan, weeks ago,
II the national administration had not
got mixed up in the politics Of the
, Lewis controversy with the A. F. of L.
as to the form of union that shall rep
resent workers for collective bargain
ing in America.
Collective bargaining; Of course, now
has been more widely advertised than
ever and the public has beer educated
on various aspects of modern labor
warfare, including the technique Of
"sit-down" strikes, but If the lesson
learned is that reason and persuasion
and impartial administration at WASH
tngton can do more to forward the
cause of the workers than anything
else, the strike may not have been
fought altogether in vain.
copyright. 1937)