The Waterbury Democrat., 1941-06-19

averting machinery of this kint which ls being mentioned by many congressmen as Q device to prevent labor troublesin the defense indus. tries.
 Though the railway labor repre-. sentatives have asked that theii demands be met by July 10, the case has not yet come to the Ne. tional Mediation Board, the three. man body set up under the Rail. way Labor Act of 1894 to handle these matters. And the interesting thing to observe here is that the case won't be placed before the National Mediation Board until eS- forts have completely broken down to settle by direct negotiation be. tween the i4 unions involved and the employers.
 TALK IT OVER
 That's the first rule of successful mediation, always. Let the two 6idea to the controversy sit down by themselves and try to iron out their difficulties without government in. terference. The status of the case at present, therefore, is that the unions have presented their de. mands to their employers who are now holding conferences among themselves to decide what they can do. Then both sides will get to- gether and try to reach an agree. tnent.
 If direct negotiations should fail and if the case follows the regular channels, the next step would be the calling ifl Of c Mediation Board mediator. The mediators in these caseS work just like mediatorS al. ways have to, informally and of the record. First they talk to one side, then to the other, acting as mes. senger boys between the big men who aren't speaking to each other any more. Finally, the mediator may be able to find aformula to bring the two together again, and everlts ually they reach Q settlement. Ninety per cent of the boards cases are settled by this meditation.
 If that doesn't work, the next step is for the Mediation Board to sugs geSt arbitration, under which each side names one arbitrator, and these two name third. This arbitration board holds hearings, studies the case and makes It's findings which are then put in effect through U. lE 8. federal courts. Since 1e94, 1i cases have been settled by arbitra. ton following this pattern. If the two sides won't arbitrate, or # the arbitration award D uns satisfactory to both sides and t looks as though the issue is going to bring on a strike which will cripple transportation, the National Mediation Board then puts the mat. ter right up to the White House. Under the railway labor law, the President S empowered to name ta emergency board to investigate and report on the trouble.
 The so-calied and much discussed "cooling off" periods of the Railway Labor Act came through board or. ders and legal provisions freezing the situation pending mediation, arbitration and settlement. Nm. ployes and employers are required to fiie demands for changes is1 ex. istlng labor relations 90 days in advance. If arbitration is invoked, existing conditions must remain in force without 6 stoppage Of work for another 90 days.
 ROADS LOST
 LAST DISPUTE
 The wage issue hasn't been such a terribly difficult problem on . national scale since the Railway Labor Act was passed. Tn 1897 the employees asked for and got c gen- eral i've cents an hour increase. | Tn 1888 the roads tried to have wage rates reduced but failed.
 The present demands are some. thing else: c 90 per cent increase for 360,Oo0 men in the Big Five Bortherhoods, where the minimum pay b now S6.00 6 day; and c % to 34.cent an hour increase for 800, 1000 operating employees in i4 unions where the nlinima now range from 36 to 0S cents an hour.
 The Mediation Board handles as bout 300 cases 6 year, and the nulns Der of strikes since the law was passed has been low--aot more than . dozen, none serious. Pert and parcel Of It's Eet-up is the National Railroad Adjustment Board of 9e members, half employers and half employees, who referee disputes that come up under labor agreements after they're signed.
 whether Q scheme Of tniS .kknd would work for defense industries as a whole as well as t hes worked on the railroads iS something no one knows. But there are plenty Of con. KreSsmen who would like to see Y tried because they think anything would be on improvement on ex. isting uncertainties.