Evening star., 1942-08-18
Stee|man and Boyer
Outline Progress Of
Labor Mediation
Cancellation Chiefs HoiI
Collective Bargaining
In Forum Discussion

IN f0rum discussion
The progress mediation of labor
disputes has made toward industrial
peace was outlined last night by
John r. Steelman. director of the
United States Cancellation Service
in the Labor Department, and Otto
S. Beyer, a member Of the National
Mediation Board, at present on leave
to serve in the Office of Defense
Transportation The discussion was
given over the National Radio
Forum, sponsored by The Star and
heard over WMAL and the Blue
Network.
collective bargaining" DR.. Steel
man pointed out. is democracy at
work in our mines. mills, farms and
factories. We find 1t so at work
throughout our country today The
more effective it is. the more eff
cient is our production of ships,
guns, planes and all the vital ma
terials of our war program"
He added that "the primary pur-
pose OF collective bargaining is to
foster industrial peace" since col
lective bargaining is the constructive
way to solve industrial problems
without resorting to strikes, indus
trial violence or open labor conflict"
Meeting the Test.
Despite the attention given to
occasional flare-ups of strife within
industry" DR.. Steelman said, "the
American way of cooperation and
service Is meeting the test mag
niflcently. We should be thankful
for what we have achieved; at the
same time we insist on a better
performance.
For 20 years the United States
Cancellation Service. through its
voluntary methods OF conciliation
and arbitration, has been endeav-
oring to harmonic differences, pre-
vent work stoppages and promote
production. The war emergency, of
course, has presented many new
problems and has made new de-
mands upon u.s." He added:
When the problems OF price and
wage stabilization arise in addition
to the ordinary problems which con-
front our commissioners of con-
ciliation from day to day, they, in
deed, have a heavy work load. We
must take all these problems, how
ever, in our stride Always the
task before us is one of winning
human cooperation and challeng-
ing men and management to their
maximum productive ability"
Points to Record.
DR.. Steelman said the record
Shows that labor and management
have been cooperating about 1898
per cent of the time since the dec
laration Of war" and he pointed
out that this increased co-opera-
ton has been possible through an
increased use of conference table
methods and collective bargaining"
Mr.. Boyer explained that the Con-
ciliation Service was concerned with
counseling industry in general, while
the National Mediation Board per-
formed this service for the railroads
and air1ines, | - 49,
When mediator enters labor
dispute" Mr.. Beyer said, 'he is very
much In the same position and
discharges very much the, same
function as does catalyzer in
chemical reaction. am using
f1ve-dollar word which means some
thing like this: When a chemist
icboe RI coy,hina fuo roy,, yo,,ods
or elements into a new chemical,
he often finds 1t necessary to employ
third and entirely different COM
pound or element to help effect the
desired combination. That Is to say,
the two chemicals which 1t is in
tended to unite into a new and diff
ferent substance will not combine
unless the third chemical element,
named the catalyzer, is present and
facilitates the reaction. After the
reaction has taken place and the
new compound is formed, the inde-
pendent third chemical or catalyzer
is left over just as 1t was before it
was introduced into the mixture. 1t
can be used as a catalyzer again to
t1cCG tf1cI CIlCfIllCdl
tions.
Can't Hurry Process.
"Your Government mediator In
labor dispute works in just about
this fashion. He first confers with
one OF the parties involved, hears
his difficulties and gets his point of
view. He then approaches the other
party and exposes himself to the
latters problems, troubles and point
OF view At the same time, he
transmits to the second party some
OF the things he has learned from
the first"
Pointing out that the mediator
must be an individual In whom
both parties have confidence, Mr..
Boyer added: Mediation, like the
chemical reaction of catalysis, is
process that cannot be hurried, more
particularly since it involves the
elusive element known as making
up ones mind. Patience is domi-
nant requirement of mediation And
the same can be said of persever-
ance"
Mr.. Boyer said that experiences