The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-08-26

l EMRMM dBCLS 1OI 1IIulYlu-
 ual plants have roamed all over the country, scour- ing the woods, hills and valleys fol new workers. They offer fancy pay and the resulting shifts of pop ulation have in most cases beer more than the importing communi. ties could comfortably absorb. With housing facilities crowded, many o1 the incoming workmen have left their families back home and put up any place they could find col under a roof. Sooner or later all such Workmen get homesick. And since they make good money, there has been little hesitancy to take a few days off to head for home, let ting the job go hang till the money ran out or they felt like going back to work.
 If it isn't that, it may be that the workman, with pocketful of dough and weekend ahead of him, goes to touch up the town cornices with red paint. Result-another Monday morning casualty.
 Women workers like time of every now and then, to rest up. That has proved to be particularly true among women who don't have to work, women recruited from among the housewives. In a sample survey taken in Baltimore where the first of these area labor manage ment manpoWer committees was set up, a third of the ordinarily non- working women queried would take jobs if they felt they were needed, but two thirds felt they were not needed.
 SUB-ROSA STUFF
 All such problems fall within the sphere of influence of the local war production area man-poWer com mittees which, before they can really get going on their job, must sign up practically all the employ CTS and unions in their community getting them to take a pledge to CO., operate on all phases of manpower control.
 For instance, on labor pirating, 1t has been found that in many war production areas a group of several large manufacturers have signed sub-rosa agreements among themselves, promising they would not poach on each others labor preserves. but leaving themselves free to hire away from all the other factories in town. Under we'll organized manpower control, all such under timetable deals would be barred.
 In the Baltimore area the at tempt is being made to get all manufacturers and all labor or ganizations to agree to set of principles which should solve most if not all of the problems of man. power supply in labor market where the demand is greater than the supply of workers.
 Employers are asked to agree:
 1. Not to employ anyone from another war production contract holder unless the worker is re- leased.
 2. To employ only local labor. including women and handicapped workers wherever possible, so as to avoid excessive labor in-migra- tion.
 3. To recruit new labor only through the United States En- ployment Service, so as to central ize hiring.
 4. To assist in the transfer of workers from non- essential to eS- sential jobs.
 5. To help reduce absenteeism.
 Unions are similarly asked to agree:
 l. To help eliminate labor pi- racy provided members of the unions can review grievances in cases where an employer refuses to grant an employees release.
 2. To cooperate in maximum utilization of local labor.
 B. To refrain from transferring workers from other areas unless transfers are cleared by the local U. E. Employment Service office.
 4. To assist in the transfer of workers from essential to es- sential occupations.
 5. To help reduce absenteeism. BRITAIN HAS A LAW
 Maybe the war labor problem can't be licked on any such demo- cratic. voluntary basis. Maybe 1t will take law. Great Britain has such a law, granting the govern ment the power to transfer any worker any place any time. How ever, 75 per cent of the British war labor transfers have been negoti- ated on voluntary basis.
 Canada is solving its labor shortage problems by system of labor priorities which will go into effect within the next 30 days. All labor in the Dominion will be put under Selective Service and required to transfer to or stay on high prior ity jobs. All industries will be reg istered and the unessential indus tries face eventual shutdown.
 The United States may have to resort to something like the British or Canadian systems if the war lasts