Evening star., 1942-05-02

Board
To intrust such a big task to a
single agency in wartime Is not
unprecedented. but it is a matter
of regret that the four public mem
bers Of the War Labor Board have
by their utterances and their acts
forfeited the confidence of many
employers in America.
The board has been inconsistent
and oftentimes plainly prejudiced in
its acts, but it CLOSES over its mis-
takes with the implied excuse that
the war must be won. Evidently it
doesn't matter what injustices are
created so long as the views of the
group with the biggest bludgeoning
power are accepted as the price of
continued production.
The most conspicuous example of
hnfairness is written in the text of
the decision issued by the four
public members OF the board in
connection with the case of the
Federal Shipbuilding & Drydock
Co. of Kearny, N. j. In that deci-
sion the public members say that a
contract for compulsory mainte-
nance of membership must be
signed by the employer and that
this is insisted upon because Of the
long defiance OF the Government OF
the United States by the Federal
Shipbuilding & Drydock Co."
Union Seen at Fault.
The record shows the exact op-
posite to be true, namely, that the
Government was defied by the
G. I. o. shipbuilding union at
Kearny, N. j.. and that the public
members of the War Labor Board
have rewarded with union-mainte-
nance contract national union
which made a scrap Of paper Of its
written pledge not to strike.
This pledge was given on June IL,
ls41, to be effective for two years.
It was proclaimed after three
months of conferences among all
the shipbuilding companies of the
East and the agreement was signed
between the union, the shipbuilding
companies, the Secretary of the
Navy, the Office of Production Man
agement and the United States
Maritime Commission. 1t covered
81 shipyards and provided for the
sterilization of employment condi-
tions. The companies granted in
creases in wages totalling $220, ,000,-
900, and Morris L. Cooke, chairman
of the Shipbuilding and Stabiliza-
ton Committee for o. P M, boasted
on July Il. 194l, in radio address
that this was an industry wide pact
Of peace and productivity"
On August 6, 1941, however, the
c. I. o. union at Kearny voted to
strike and thus broke its solemn
pledge to the Government. The
national shipbuilding union con-
Cured and approved the action
taken.
In the face of the foregoing rec
ord, the issue was sent to the old
National Defense Mediation Board
and the union was rewarded with
q union maintenance agreement.
The company declined on principle
TO accept such a finding. believing
1t to be in violation of the law for
. company to accept contract dis
eliminating between dues-paying
and non -dues-paying members OF a
union. Then the plant was ordered
seized by President Roosevelt, was
operated by the Navy Department
for several months and was finally
turned back Internationally to the
company.
"Out" Conflicts With Union.
Now the issue has been revived
and the War Labor Board has rem
dered virtually the same decision in
favor OF union maintenance. 1t Is
averred this time that employees
may withdraw from the union and
their dues would be paid by the
company, but the constitution Of the
union does not provide such an
opportunity for designations despite
the protestations of some members
of the War Labor Board to that
effect.
The worker is held in the strait
Jacket Of union membership once
he Joins. The Government, through
the War Labor Board now says that
the worker can eXtricate himself
from the union by defaulting on his
dues and letting the company pay
for it. But the union, on the other
hand. can blacklist any employe
doing this as having violated the
union constitution.
The War Labor Boards record on
union maintenance can only mean
more friction and more disputes be-
cause the board has failed to deal
firmly with the issue and insists or
form of compulsory support OF
unions financially by employers in
direct contradiction 10 the terms of
the Wagner Labor Relations Act,
which forbid employers to support
labor unions except under closed
shop agreements, and the War La
Dor Board denies that it has i'm
posed a closed shop agreement in
the Kearny case.
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