Evening star., 1942-02-24

I,.serson Who. David lawrence.
as an appointee Of President Roose-
velt, Is one OF the three members
Of the National Labor Relations
Board, which enforces the Wagner
Act.
Mr.. Leiserson Is known as friend
Of the laboring man, having served
tor several years with distinction
a. chairman of the National Media
ton Board, which is the organiza-
ton charged by law with handling
disputes growing out of labor prob
lens on the railroads.
What MIR. Leiserson has said d
worth reading by labor union ON
GERS, by management executives,
by members Of Congress and, most
of all, by President Roosevelt him
self. It Is . speech 50 plainly OBJ
jective and impersonal and so tact
fully phrased to avoid giving o1ense
TO any Government agency or
group that 1t must rank as . con-
structive contribution to the cause
of accelerated production, which
alone can help to bring victory In
the war.
Cites Representation Granted.
Mr.. Leiserson doesn't mince words.
He says labor groups have been
granted representation in the o.
P. NJ, In the old National Defense
Mediation Board, in the new Presi-
dents Committee on Labor Prob
lens and in the new War Labor
Board, but still labor isn't satisfied.
He points out that the labor divis-
ion Of the o. p. M. failed because
I'VE do not have to be versed in the
philosophy of management to under
stand that it Is not practical to mix
the policy-makiing functions of an
organization with the operating
functions"
On this point, Mr.. Leiserson says
bluntly:
This experience makes It plain
that the entirely legitimate aspira-
ton Of the labor movement to parti-
cipats ON equal terms with indus
trial management in the common
war effort cannot be satisfied by the
marc process Of appointing labor
man to Government Jobs paralleling
jobs hsld by industrial managers.
It does not work and satisfies no
one. It leads to maneuvering and
argument about policy among oper-
atins odicials whose sole duty
should Be to carry out promptly and
eflciently the operating orders Of
policy.making authorities. 1t turns
q production organization into .
debating society"
Mr.. Leiserson goes on to say that
the old National Defense Mediation
Board collapsed because "the board
itself made fatal error in con-
fusing mediation with arbitration"
OF the new War Labor Board, he
says there is no essential difference
between it and its predecessor.
"One." he says, was mediation
board that arbitrated, the other is
an arbitration board that mediates."
Urges National Policy.
Pointing out that the two major
issues-request for closed shop and
wages ncreases-call for q national
policy rather than pieoemeal treat
ment. Mr.. Leiserson predicts stormy
days ahead and fears that war pro-
duction will be impeded unless broad
policies are determined in advance
and people may know what to ex-
pect in the way of compulsory union
membership or wage adjustments in
relation to cost of living"
Still believing that these questions
can DO mutually adjusted between
management and labor, Mr.. Lesser
son says President Roosevelt made a
mistake recently in adjourning his
War Labor Committee conference of
union leaders and employers without
coming to grips finally with these
points. He says that the conference
ought to be reconvened to that end
or else Congress must enunciate
national policy. He thinks manage
ment.union committees should be
consultative and cites an example
of the same thing working success
fully alongside rather than inside
tho Government.
The foregoing excerpts hardly tell
the story Of what was contained in