Evening star., 1938-06-05
Rail Strike Threat Clouds
Comparative Labor Peace
Man Hours of Work Lost in April Reduced to
About Fifth of Same Month in 1887.
Recession Factor.

A measure of the effect which the law is
now having on potential industrial strife
may be found in the following summary Of
disposition Of cases by the Labor Board
during April:
Cases closed during April, sos, involving
l44,6o7 workers
Agreement of both parties reached in
315 cases. more than one-half Of total
closed, involving 36,688 workers.
Cases closed by certification after elec-
tion, 23, involving 1857 workers
Cases dismissed by board or regional di-
rectors, 103, involving 1896 workers.
Cases withdrawn before formal action
taken, 149, involving s1,175 workers.
In So cases under consideration, s,692
workers were on strike In rs of these cases,
parties reached agreement during month.
Thirteen threatened strikes, involving
2,480 workers, were averted through action
of board.
A second factor contributing to the de-
creasing number of strikes is the obvious
strength of labor and the realization Of
many employers that 1t is frequently more
expensive to fight union demands, and risk
defeat by stronger labor movement, than
to seek some middle ground of compromise
and avoid disruption Of production.
The best instance Of such employer
strategy occurred in the steel industry, with
United States Steel and its subsidiaries set
ting the fashion Of voluntary cooperation
with the union for more than 500 other
companies in the industry. Although big
Steel adopted this policy initially at a time
when strikes were frequent and severe, re-
neawls of contracts have occurred since the
present depression got under way and nu-
merous other important concerns In various
industries have followed suit in recent
months.
Among these were General Electric Co.
and several concerns signing up with the
National Maritime Union and the Textile
Workers Organizing Committee.
Important contracts were won by strikes
in the automobile industry, the rubber in
dustry and in the Southwestern agricultural
industries.
At the same time, of course, there have
been notable cases where companies did
not choose to bow to union demands and
where strikes either have been lost or
have never materialized Into this group
fall such companies as Ford, Remington
Rand and the steer independents.
In attempting to foresee trend for the
remainder of the year, there must be much
apprehension felt about the railroad situa-
ton.
Situation Runs Through Cooler.
Under threat Of a Is per cent wage cut,
the railway unions have united in strike
threat with the whole crisis being sifted
through the cooling-of process set up by
the Railway Labor Act.
At this time the roads are notifying their
employees of intention to slash wages on
July l. Conferences between operators and
unions are provided, however, and a dead
lock will move the proceedings into juris-
diction of the National Mediation Board.
Weeks or even months of negotiation are
likely in this phase. with the board un-
likely to relinquish its efforts until all hope
of agreement or voluntary arbitration may
be gone.
If disagreement still is the order, a strike
vote then may be taken. If majority
OF the 900 employees affected favor the
walkout, presidential Intervention in the
form of appointment Of a special fact
finding board must report within 80 days.
and neither side may take precipitate &C
tion for another 80 days Meanwhile, wages
remain at the present level
In event strike actually should de-
velop next fall it probably would far over
shadow even the intensive conflicts In the
steel and automobile industries, and sue
cessfully spoil any record of better indus
trial relations in 1888. It is more likely.
however, that the lengthy process outlined
above will result in amicable settlement
somewhere along the line.
Much figuring has been done on this
monetary costs of strikes, the sum of work.
ers' wages lost being cited most frequently
with "cost to the public" also spread on the
record.
A recent computation of loss in wages was
made and circulated by G. r. Stahl, indus
trial relations expert. Mr. Stahl estimates
that strikers lost $2,675,00o in wages In
January, $3,2o3, 900 in February and s4.~
$4,000 in March. For April, the loss was
about $4,0oo,o0o.
On the same basis, the loss of wages in
strikes during the first four months of
1887 was $61 ,062, 900. as compared with
$14,S4S.o00 in the same period of 1898.
For the entire year 1887, there was an es-
timated loss of $160,o00,oO0 but continu-
alton of the present trend of strikes in
1888 should not involve more than $5o, ,000,-
900 by this method of computation.
Such figures must be qualified, however.
by the fact that wage increases won in
most successful strikes, and overtime work
so often required to make up lost produc-
ton, result in extra income for the workers,
At the same time, costs to the employer
side of the conflicts have been fully as
great, with numerous instances being on
record Of companies spending millions Of
dollars to fight strikes. Transit strikes in
Philadelphia, New York and New Orleans
cost the companies involved, and their
stockholders, many times the amount of
the union demands.
If true balance could be struck, 1t
undoubtedly would show a tremendous
economic loss to society in the strike habit,
but the entire responsibility may not fairly
be laid at the feet Of either labor or in
dustry.