Evening star., 1941-04-12
BY CHARLES G. ROSS.

ground-ref1ectS credit on both the
parties to the dispute and on the
mediators.
Among the latter, special praise is
due the Michigan Governor, Murray
D. Van Wagner, whose simple three
point plan, evolved after endless con-
ferences with the strike leaders and
Ford officials, formed the basis of the
settlement. Outside of company Of
ficialS, Gov. Van Wagner was the
only conferee who talked personally
to Henry Ford about the strike. R.
j. Thomas, head of the United Auto
mobile Workers, the G. I. o. union
which called the strike, said of the
Governor that no man in the coun-
try could have done as much to
bring both parties together"
Though the strikers got less than
they wanted, the result was never
theleSS, in the light of stubborn anti
union stand of Henry Ford through
387year life of his company, an his
toric triumph for the union principle.
For the first time, the Ford company
dealt face to face with union lead
ers in labor negotiation. The
agreement may be viewed as a vic
tory for Ford in the sense that it
does not carry explicit recognition
of the c. I. o. and does not provide
for a contract implicit in the agree
ment. However, through the ma
chlnery which is set up for the ad-
justment Of grievances, is recognition
of the C. I. o. as the bargaining
agent for its own members.
c. 1. o. Representatives Named.
On the Grievance Appeal Board
will be Gov. Van Wagner and
James F. Dewey, a Federal concili-
ator, representing the public; Harry
H. Bennett, the Ford personnel direc-
tor, and second Ford official repre-
senting the company, and Allan S
Haywood, national director of Or
ganiZation work for the C. I. O.
names in this liSt--the names whose
inclusion carries recognition of the
union-are those of Mr.. Thomas
and Mr.. Haywood.
The grievance machinery, with
It's Appeal Board as named, is to
function until after plant election
50 determine a bargaining agent
of the Ford workers. The election
already has been ordered by the
N. L. R. B., and will be held within
the next six weeks, voters will choose
among no representation, the C. I. o.
and the A. F.. of L. The A. F.. of L.
has flShed in the troubled waters
OF the Ford plant, but without ap-
preciable results. 1t can be left out
Of the reckoning.
Big c. 1. o. Victory Seen.
The strike leaders profess conf
dence that the balloting will show
30 per cent of the workers for the
c. I. o. all indications point to c. I
o, victory by substantial majority
Undoubtedly it has been helped by
the implied recognition of the union
in yesterdays agreement. If the c.
I. o. wins the election, it will become
under the Labor Relations Act, the
exclusive bargaining agent for all
the workers in the affected plants
Rouge and Lincoln.
Then will begin the effort of the
union to obtain contract embody-
ing specific gains The company
will be required to negotiate, but not
necessarily to reach an agreement
with the union. Mr.. Bennett is
quoted as having said that the COM
pany would meet the union and
would bargain till hell freezes over
and give the union nothing"
Whether that position will be main
tanned remains to be seen. If it is
maintained, in the face of the ex-
pected c. I. o. victory in the Labor
Board election, then the truce af-
fected yesterday will be of short
duration. 1t is doubted that the at
tltude attributed to Mr.. Bennett
squares fully with the present dis
position of the Ford Co. There is
some evidence to the contrary in the
formal statement of Mr.. Thomas.
after the settlement, that both he
and Gov. Van Wagner had been as
sured by the Ford Co., through an
authorized spokesman, that the COM
pany would bring its wages into line
with those paid in comparable auto
mobile plants.
Initial Loss for Bennett.
But these are matters of the fu-
ture. Yesterdays agreement con-
talns two main parts aside from that
relating to grievances. In the first
OF these, the company undertakes to
return all men to work, strikers and
non-strlkerS alike, with the exception
Of three men. These were among the
eight whose discharge by the COM
pany preclpitated the strike. Thus
hVe OF the eight go back in the face
OF Mr.. Benefits statement at the
start OF the strike that none of the
group would ever be re-employed.
The cases of the remaining three are
TO be arbitrated by Mr.. Dewey.
A third provision pledges both
parties to expedite the holding of
the N. L. R. B. election. In persu-
snce OF this agreement, the company
dropped its proposal to have pay
roll records examined in the plant
ana agreed to furnish information
c'A NNS NAAiP PAOS co w lllC LdDOI bOdTQ
IN any way the board might desig-
nate.
After the union had accepted the
three point program Thursday night.
the negotiations were snarled for a
time by the companys insistence on
poStponement of a Labor Board
hearing, set for next Monday on a
c. i. o. complaint charging the
company with unfair practices. The
company made its acceptance of the
Governors program conditional upon
deferment of the hearing until after
the Labor Board election. Union
leaders left the matter to the Gov
ernor, and he unraveled the knot
by getting the Labor Board chair
man at Washington to order the
postponement. Announcement that
the strike was over followed quickly.
A Point for Ford.
The reasons for the quarrel over
the time of the Labor Board hearing
are obvious. Naturally the strikers