Evening star., 1937-07-19


only to investors .,,
and owners but
to employees and their families, has
not resulted in any constructive plan
for the prevention Of arbitrary stop
pages of work by handful of ire
sponsible persons.
The "sit-down" strike since has
been declared illegal by the courts,
but the right Of any group of work
men to withdraw and strike at a
moments notice, thus tieing up oper-
ations on an assembly line in a motor
plant or causing shortages of ma
terials in one plant that affect the
efficiency Of another plant, has not
II any sense been qualified.
Collective bargaining has been
granted by law, yet employers who
are compelled now to bargain with
groups of their Workmen have waited
in vain for some form of collective
responsibility to be imposed either by
law or by the force Of public opinion.
Issue Now Clarified.
Today the issue has been clarified.
1t is not question of whether Cen
eral Motors wants to sign a contract
with the chosen representatives of
groups of their Workmen. For Cen
eral Motors did sign such a contract
on March IL last, but there have been
no less than 200 violations of it by
the c. I. o. The General Motors off,
cials have about come to the con-
Clusion that further extensions of the
March IL contract would be useless
because that contract is considered by
them to be null and void.
The C. l. o. has been somewhat
crestfallen over the developments and
has been anxious that there be no
publicity with respect to the letters
exchanged between the union officials
and the General Motors officials. The
corporation has been unwilling to
discuss the matter at all with the
press. keeping its pledge to the union
But from officials Of the Department
of Labor here and others familiar
with the course of the negotiations, it
has been aScertained that the follow
ing provision of the contract signed
by the c. l. o. has been violated 200
times:
Should any differences arise over
grievances there shall be no suSpen-
sions or stoppages of work until every
effort has been exhausted to adjust
them through the regular grievance
procedure, and in no case without the
approval of the international officers
OF the union"
Admits Terms Ignored
The c. I. o. comedies that the 200
strikes have been called without the
approval of the union officers and
that the grievance procedure outlined
In the original agreement has been
ignored
But the c. I. o. asks that the con-
tract be renewed just the same and
promises to make its men behave.
The General Motors officials do not
want to take any more chances and
are insisting on the only safeguard
that can be effective, namely to fire
the men who break the union agree
ment with the company.
The corporation has suggested to
the G. l. o. provision which saws
that until after all the steps set forth
in the grievance procedure have been
complied with, no strike shall be
called and there shall be no refusal
to work or stoppage of production in
whole or in part, due to the union
Its officials or members, and that for
q violation of this provision the COM
pany shall forthwith discharge or
otherwise discipline the employees
guilty of the violation. 1t is also
stipulated that the unions shall take
suitable disciplinary action against the
parties responsible.
lhlS presents a new angle to the
question OF imposing responsibility on
labor unions.
viii the union agree to this? Homer
Martin of the c. I. o. has written a
concillatory letter, just made public
IN Detroit, which says the union is
prepared to cooperate and assist"
the company in its position on the
matter OF discharge Of employees
when the issue involves productive
efficiency"
Many excuses are given by Mr.. Mar
tin for the outbreak of 200 strikes
and stoppages, but there is a frank
confession that the violations oc-
Cured. The c. I. o. leadership now
Is denouncing such interruptions, but
is unwilling apparently to put its
name on the dotted line to the only
method whereby discipline and re-
sponsibility can be fixed.
There is way to solve the dead
lock. 1t is by the assumption of
financial responsibility by the unions
for the losses they incur through un-
authorized strikes or by accepting the
proposal that instigators of wildcat
strikes shall be fired automatically
from their jobs and from the unions
(Copyrisht, 1879