The people's voice., 1940-08-14
new DEAL
bETWEEn LABOR
AND T.v. A.
BY HENRY ION

WASHINGTON.-(F Sam
Roper and Arthur Jandrey sat down
together recently they did more than
sign contract between Is AFL un-
ions and the Tennessee Valley Author
ity.
What Roper, president OF the Ten
nessee Valley Trades & Labor Coun-
Gil, and Jandrey, personnel director of
ITVA, signed was code of labor re-
lations that sets standard for the
public utilities industry.
Its most interesting feature is the
provision that labor shall have an
equal voice with management in fix
ing labor standards, determination of
wage rates, promotion OF safety and
health, and improvement OF efficiency
and economy in operations
Wages and hours are set at satis-
factory level, machinery is provided
Tor the adjustment of jurisdictional
disputes, and preferential hiring is ac-
corded members Of AFL unions
Previously labor relations were gov
erned by an oral agreement. The con-
tract one of the first written con-
tract between the IVA and the men
who built IVA.
The original purpose of IVA, aside
from its national defense and naviga-
tion purposes, was to demonstrate
that publicly-owned power serves the
public better than power produced by
private corporations with private pro-
fit
That it has already demonstrated
in full measure. 1t now demonstrates
that publicly-owned power enterprises
can set higher standards of labor re-
lations than privately-owned power
corporations
Labor unions have long recognized
that publicly-owned power provides
they have also had sad experiences
with municipal power plants
City councils, enthusiastic about
publicly-owned power, have sometimes
displayed the feeling that just because
the public owned the power plant the
managers of the plant were entitled
to kick the unions around and demand
more work for less pay.
Private utilities were quick to seize
upon this notion on the part of some
city councils and made point of pay
ing wages notch higher than that
paid in the publicly plants
The result was that in some in
stances unions were inclined to sup
port the private utility in the fight
against public power. To them public
,ower simply meant abolition of union
gains.
The IVA contract, demonstrating
hat publicly-owned power and decent
working conditions are actually more
than private power rela-
ions, should go long way toward
the support of organized Ia
'or for publicly-owned power plants.
IVA Director David E. Lilienthal,
ollowing signing of the contract, de-
Jared, II consider this agreement
lore valuable than any of our dams.
charts the way to labor manage
lent cooperation in the national de-
ense program. 1t Is worth millions
, the people of this country"
All lul0T0StlIlS angie Is duuSu ny luc
ontrast between the labor relations
olicies of IVA, bitterly opposed by
Wendell WILKES Commonwealth &
outhern, and those of Consumers
over Co. of Jackson, Mich, a sub
diary of Commonwealth & Southern.
Worth noting is the fact that John
!. Garner, the Uvalde banker who
as vice president of the u. S. for
ght years, will shortly take his nose
1T of the public feedbag for the first
me in 38 years.
A member Of congress since 1902
imbing to position of prominence
the public prints by virtue Of the
'niority system, which respects no
ference between mediocrity and
crit, Garner has left Washington,
sver, so his friends say, to return.
The only solid achievement he
aves behind is that of having had
e public pay his salary for 38 years.