Evening star., 1941-10-30

lose their jobs. David Lawrence.
This is the dictatorship principle
which grows out of closed shops
and union monopolies. 1t is the
antithesis of democracy, but it is
aided and abetted by the Wagner
Act and the administration one
sided labor policies.
Second, the United States Steel
Corp, one of the largest employers
of labor in America, agreed in writ
Ing to allow an arbitration tribunal
to decide the closed shop issue and
TO abide by the award
The consequence of the first fact
reclted above is that the industrial
production of America in a critical
moment of international relations
can be tied up by the fiat of one
man. The personal and official
intervention of the President, plus
the public opinion of the country,
has to be brought into play to beg
the union leader in question to let
the miners go back to work.
The consequence of the second
fact is that no longer can critics
say that employers are adamant in
refusing to submit their issues to
arbitration or mediation, thus al
lowing fairminded tribunals to de-
eide what is or is not in the public
interest.
Two Plans Offered.
Two plans were offered to the
United States Steel Corp One was
10 submit the dispute to a Joint
board which would select a third
person as an arbitrator. This meant
prolonged negotiations and hear
ings and finally a decision by
private agency. The other plan was
to let the National Defense Media
ton Board act as an arbitration
board and let the decision be bind
ing on both sides.
The steel corporation executives
did not choose the first plan be-
cause it meant delay and time con-
suming procedures, but did accept
the second plan because it meant
that governmental agency finally
would have to take the responsibility !
for the making of decision in the
public interest. This was the plan |
accepted Tuesday by the steel cor
poration but not commented on by
John L. Lewis.
The n n I'm m n from the
White House yesterday after the
conference between President Roose-
velt, Myron Taylor, Mr.. Lewis and
Chairman William H. Davis of the
Mediation Board, sets forth that the
new procedure will not be the same.
The dispute will be submitted to
the National Defense Mediation
Boards full panel, but neither side
will be committed to accept the re-
suit. Thus the proceeding is not one
Of arbitration but OF voluntary
mediation in which each side is free
TO accept or reject the conclusions
reached.
Roosevelt Wins Two Points.
While the United Mine Workers
did not go on record as favoring
arbitration Of the closed shop issue,
the steel corporation did. President
Roosevelt, however, wins his point.
This is what should have happen
cd last week when Mr.. Lewis made
the mistake of announcing October
I'll that the truce in the coal mines
would be ended on Monday, October
27, even though at the time of his
announcement the Mediation Board
had not yet disclosed its findings.
What will the ultimate decision
be? The probabilities are that the
Mediation Board will either refuse
to recommend closed shop and
Insist that this is no time TO bring up
that issue or it will recognize Mr.
Lewis point that 95 per cent of the
workers in the mines owned by the
steel companies are uniopized and
hence grant closed shop. But in
so doing, the Mediation Board may
give as sop to the steel companies
point they want, namely, that
what Is done on the captive coal
mines shall not be construed to ap-
ply to the other workers in the
steel industry. 1t will be recalled
that the Mediation Board last FRI
day said that whatever is decided in
the present dispute should not be
regarded as precedent for solution
of the closed shop problems in the
steel and shipbuilding industries.
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