Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1941-01-27
S+eeIman
Tactics Help
Avert Strikes
u. S. Labor ConciIiator
Gets Cooperation
BY PAUL MALLON

WASHINGTON. Jan. 27.-The
w most successful defense
job this government has done is
one that no one is supposed u
know about. Danger of whole.
sale strikes upsetting the re-
armament program at the out
set has been largely averted. 1t
has been done without publicity,
forcefully and amicably. Democ-
racy. in this instance at least,
has shown it can work.
The unsung history of how it
has worked can be condensed
into an illustrative example. A
strike call had been issued in
one of the production plants
most vital to immediate necesSi--
ties. Usual efforts to negotiate
had failed.
Up until half an hour before
the strike was TO be called. it
seemed not even a Supreme
Court writ could stop it.
DUT Is minutes before the
- time a government official,
John r. Steelman. head of the
Bureau of Cancellation, con-
ceived an idea that might pre-
8 vent the disastrous break to
labor's prestige. Mr.. Steelman
secured the help of Labor Sec
rotary Perkins. He put in a
Joint telephone call for the heads
=of-the+ respective strikers and
The management. His eenvefsa-
ton with them ran something
like this:
Miss Perkins has prepared a
telegram to both you people,
which she will send If this
strike occurs. l have ii right
here before me and | can assure
you that the newspapers will
have 1t tomorrow morning. |
need not tell you that it will do
neither of your causes any good.
Now why don't you be sensible
and get together on this thing?
They did, in five minutes.
& While newspapers were on the
street proclaiming the impossi-
billy of avoiding this grave
threat to American security, the
miracle was arranged by the
simple process OF a little m
genuity and pressure.
o.
THESE things have happened
L nearly every day in some
degree or other the past few
weeks. There was an occasion
when northwest lumber COM
pany strike tied up large guam
titles of this product ordered for
defense construction.
The strike seemed likely to
go on indefinitely until Mr..
Steelman got another idea. To
bring together the necessary
persons who were separated all
around the country. he arranged
a telephone hookup with his
own conciliator in Seattle. an
officer of the carpenters union
in Portland. the manager of a
large logging company who was
In New York attending the con-
vention of the National Associa-
ton of Manufacturers, and HIM
self.
After half an hour OF long
distance telephone argument,
the = strike was settled. The
government was glad to paw the
telephone bill.
THESE and other similar ac-
L complishments by Sidney
Hillman, the Presidents labor
director in defense, have kept
the situation from getting out
Of hand.
Their troubles are not over,
but they have succeeded in
bringing labor around during
the past five weeks to gen.
eral realization of its unusual
new responsibilities.
Up until that time co-opera-
ton was lacking and it looked
like quite a job in view of the
varying political and selfish
elements bound to exist in such
widespread movement.
TiE heavy responsibility for
L keeping things this way in
the future will devolve not upon
Mr.. Hillman but upon Mr.. Steel
man. Mr. Hillman may be the
front man who gets his name
in the papers, but Mr.. Steelman
is in the spot and has the facili-
ties to do the work.
Distributed by King Features Syndicate. Inc.
Rcnrnduci I'm In Whole or In part