Evening star., 1942-12-10
VINO Acts 10 Avert
Job Switching by
Seamen,W Workers
660,000 in Detroit Area
Affected by Employment
Sterilization Program

The War Manpower Commission
said today 1t had placed into effect
in Detroit q program aimed at sta
bilizing employment conditions Of
about 100000 war workers in that
area.
The commission also is weighing
proposals for a stabilization order
designed to keep merchant seamen
at work on the ships and possibly
to return to the sea some who have
left it for work in industry.
A commission spokesman said the
Detroit program was similar to the
stabilization plan now being worked
out in Baltimore and Louisville.
The plan was described by officials
as "voluntary-but with extensive
possibilities for its enforcement.
Job Switching Opposed.
At Baltimore and Louisville. the
programs have aimed at stabilizing
employment, a commission official
said. with a view to keeping job
switching to a minimum and at the
same time facilitate the draft of
men into the armed services at least
expense to vital war production.
Asking the cooperation of man
agement and labor, the Detroit
manpower district Office, according
to the Associated Press, recon-
mended that no worker leave his
present job for another without
clearance" from his employer, or
from the district Office.
The Detroit Office policy, covering
"a essential categories" of work,
sets forth that such clearance"
should be granted only under speci-
fled conditions.
Covers Big Arms Plants.
The plan, adopted by the Labor
Management Advisory Committee
to the Manpower Commission in
Detroit, covers such factories as the
Ford Willow Run bomber plant,
Detroit Tank Arsenal, operated by
Chrysler Corp, and the United
States Naval Ordnance Plant, op-
Grated by the Hudson Motor Car
Co.
A spokesman for the VINO said
the commission yesterday talked
over suggestions that seamen be
given draft deferment so long as
they remained merchant sailors,
and that draft boards be instructed
to reclassify them if they quit with
out approval of Government agen-
cies.
One proposal called for applica-
ton Of this plan to all who were
seamen or being trained as seamen
when the United States entered the
war. Advocates said this would in
duce many who had left for other
jobs to return to the sea.
Balk at Job Freezing.
These proposals, similar to action
taken by the commission to keep
copper miners at their work. carried
the Endorsement of the CIO-Na-
tional Maritime Union. which, how
ever, opposed freezing" OF wages
or working conditions and pegging
any one to particular job
The union said 5000 ships would
be added to the merchant marine
in 1943 and 1914, and that loss of
nearly 5000 men in ship sinkings
and the drafting Of 1000 more sea-
men made some action necessary to
assure trained crews. 1..
1t was reported that the commits
sion also discussed suggestions for
of Mexican railroad
track workers to relieve a shortage
in that field Chairman Paul v.
McNutt, however, refused comment
on this or the seaman sterilization
plan, and no immediate action was
indicated.
Iowa Farm Labor Shortage.
Gov-elect Bourke B. Hicken-
looper Of Iowa yesterday character
lied the farm labor problem as criti-
cal in his State and expressed the
hope OF making some progress in
getting 1t solved" during confer
ences here.
Our farmers" he said, produced
the biggest crop of food supplies in
history this year and they've done
it under terrible labor handicap.
Il am going to try to impress
upon Government officials the fact
that farmers are technicians Just
as much as the man behind the
lathe. Apparently the farther
east you go. the stronger the i'm
preston Is that just any one can
farm. and that, of course, is not
fr,1e"