Evening star., 1941-02-20
Continued From First Page

clination to comply with the labor
law.
Il don't think anybody, big or
small, should be above the law" Mr..
Hillman said.
He explained that he believed that
in cases in which the War Depart
ment reports that only one manu-
facturer can make vital defense
product, the interests of defense
should come before the interests of
labor. But where there is more than
one firm available, he added, COM
pliance with labor laws should be
required.
In times like these" Mr.. Hillman
declared, I'VE do have the right,
however, to ask both labor and man.
agement not to quibble over issues"
No Quarrel With Ford.
| Representative Hobbs inquired If
Mr.. Hillman had any quarrel with
Mr.. Ford.
Il have no personal quarrel with
Ford" was the reply. 49, But
/ it looked like Mr. Ford was refusing
to accept the o. P. M. and War De-
partment labor provisions. Then, OF
course the contract in question was
not given to him"
Mr.. Hobbs then wanted to know
| if Mr.. Hillman or one of his assist
/ ants had not prepared a special
provision for insertion in the Ford
contract and sent this provision to
Undersecretary of War Robert Pat
terson
II couldn't have done it, because
was sick in Baltimore hospital
at the time" Mr.. Hillman said, "and
I don't know that anybody else did.
NV Office sent over a circular 10 be
put in all contracts"
Wasn't this clause used for the
first time in the Ford contract?" Mr..
Hobbs insisted.
II DON'T think So" declared Mr..
Hillman, but Id have to check with
the War Department to find out"
almost Perfect" Labor Record.
Mr.. Hobbs asked if Mr.. Hillman
felt that it was his personal respon-
sibility to inform the President and
Congress if further legislation Is
needed to assure smooth production
in defense industries. particularly
when labor troubles might interfere.
Mr.. Hillman replied in the affirma-
tive.
This labor record I have outlined
is almost perfect" Mr.. Hillman con-
tinued. 1T is a better record than
! any of the totalitarian governments.
Otherwise the totalitarian govern
ments wouldn't need their concen-
tration camps.
so far the music Of labor rela-
tions has been to my liking. There
has been few discordant notes"
Under questioning Mr.. Hillman
revealed that the Vultee Airplane
Co. strike in California had never
been authorized by national union
! leaders and that the strike was set
tied within "a hours after these ma
tional leaders arrived on the scene.
Vultee Strike Brought Up.
as it not fact that the Vultee
strike was called largely TO en-
barrass you, since you were attend
! ing an important labor convention
in Atlantic City at the time?" Mr..
Hobbs asked.
"If so they didn't take me into
their confidence" Mr.. Hillman said
There were rCmors, though. and
newspaper columnists said So"
Later Mr. Hobbs asked if Mr. Hill
man favored "blacklisting" en-
ployerS in defense industries. Mr..
Hillman replied that he did not and
he pointed out that the Government
has the power to take over plants
in extreme cases.
Asked about high union initia-
ton fees" Mr. Hillman replied. II
have always favored low initiation
fees. We are getting opportunities
TO reCtify these matters"
The Defense Commission and the
o. P. M. do not have any fixed
labor policy, he said, nor do they
want any. Each problem is
handled on its own merits" he eX-
planned.
Our main objective" he ex-
planned. lis to establish confidence
between labor and management.
When you establish confidence.
management doesn't care about
open or closed shops.
There are some inexperienced
men in labor relations representing
both unions and management Some
employers are just beginning to take
personal part in labor relations
instead of leaving such duties up
to a foreman or some other assist
ant. and regarding labor, problems
as a personal nuisance"
Remarkable Record"
Mr.. Hillman, In a formal state
ment. said labor relations in defense
industries had a remarkable record"
for the last seven months.
He listed II vital defense indus
tries-aircraft, aluminium. automo-
biles, steel, electrical machinery
engines, explosives, foundries and
machine shops, machine tools
lumber and shipbuilding-and said
that statistics showed that "idleness
teenth of l per cent of the time
actually worked"
For the first time in our indus
trial history" he declared "em-
ployment has increased sharply
without an increase in the number
of strikes"
There were less than half as
many persons involved In strikes