Evening star., 1942-06-12

week anO IN a0a4A $500
volved 1890 David Lawrence.
employees
To understand the gravity Of the
situation statistics for previous
weeks should be noted. There were
only $500 workers involved the pre-
vious week and loss Of 10000 man
DAYS. For the week before that the
number of employees on strike was
5,700 and the number of man
days lost was 1880.
Thus in a short space Of three
weeks the number OF man-days
lost has nearly trebled.
Not all of the strikes are "unau-
thorized' Thus the National Ex-
ecutive Committee of the Window
Glass Cutters League of America,
an AFL union, ordered a walkout
Wednesday of this week in four ma
jor windoW-glass manufacturing
plants in 10 different cities. Some
Of the largest glass factories in the
country are affected.
No inquiry has gone out from the
White House, so far as is known,
to determine why the no-strike
pledge solemnly given by the AFL
and since repeated in the public
press as an indication of labor's
cooperation in the war effort. has
now been broken by actual order Of
a national union. 1t may be that
AF1. leaders have lost control of
their affiliated national unions and
that the strike was ordered over
the protests of the leaders in the
Executive Council, but if this is
the case no public reputation Of
what has been done by the window
glass union has been offered to
conform to the pledge given the
President of the United States.
Steel Strikes Growing.
Another situation that is grow
ing worse each day is that which
exists in the steel mills. Strikes
have been breaking out in the
plants of the Bethlehem Steel Co.
at Johnstown. Pa, the Carnegie
Illinois Steel Co. at Gary. Ind. the
worlds biggest steel mill. and at
the Central Foundry in Hope. Ala,
and at the plant Of the Youngstown
Sheet and Tube Co. in Ohio.
1t is presumed that in these in
stances the strikes are "unauthor-
led Yet Philip Murray. head of
the CIO, is also president Of the
Steel Workers Union, and it might
be supposed that, as member Of
President Roosevelt's own labor
cabinet, he would have enough
influence to prevent these "un-
authorized" strikes in the midst Of
war when steel is scarce and the
American people are asked to do
without building construction and
other necessities in order to con-
serve steel.
What is the meaning of an "un-
authorized strike? 1t begins to
appear that when the local union
wishes to begin a strike it never
asks for sanction of the national
headquarters. 1t might be embar-
RAISING to do so. Then the strike is
called and the national headquarters
of the AFL or the CIO, as the case
may be, says 1t is unauthorized
This permits union executives in
Washington and high administra-
tion officials here to make speeches
claiming that mot single author
lied strike" has occurred since Pearl
Harbor Congress is lulled into in
action and the Nation is misled.
Pressure Tactics Charged.
One of the chief difficulties, of
course, for the national head
quarters here grows out of the
zeal of the local union organizing
committees to get wage increases
for their members or to put pres
sure on employers just before
negotiations begin. Thus in the
Chrysler tank arsenal showdown
developed the other day, as we'll as
. work stoppage.
The zeal Of the locals sometimes
produces other complications. Thus
in the steel area the workers have
been given to understand by the
union politicians that $l-a-day
increase in wages is forthcoming.
The War Labor Board has made 1t
policy to grant wage increases on
q retroactive basis. Thus the steel
workers have been telling their
wives and families that they al
ready have money coming to them
on the retroactive basis.
As human nature sometimes
causes people to spend money they
think has already been earned but
not yet paid. complications can
readily be seen. Then when the
War Labor Board hesitates as it is
now doing to decide the steel cases,
the workers get restless and the
organizers probably wink their eyes
at these unauthorized strikes"
which save the faces of the local
politicians in the unions and at the
same time threaten the War Labor
Board that it had better come
across.
The War Labor Board has been
hearing about imitation and the
need for stabilization of wages, so
what can it do? The Once Of
Price Administration has given one
answer. 1t is to take all wage in
creases out OF profits and not let
prices reflect any increased costs.
This may be possible If the tax
collectors sent out by Uncle Sam
haven't taken the bulk Of the profits
OF the employer before the labor
union negotiators extract their share.
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