Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-08-06
ANALYZE SITUATION

Meanwhile, interested member
are studying an analysis of IN,
strike situation which has JUS
been issued hy the National ASSo
citation of Manufacturers. This re
port says
Emphasis IL no longer on pro-
tracted. nationally publicized
strikes involving thousands Of
men which characterized the
year 1871.
To-day. the 'hit-and-run, type
of strike, the slow down and the
trivial local issues feature strike
news. Even these are Obscured
In many Instances as no official
recognition IL given TO strikes of
shorter duration than "a hours.
However. the following sup
Elementary information gath
cred from newspapers over the
country IN recorded TO refute
any possible differences that the
war work stoppage problem has
nten mlHlInlLtu.
"One can understand the
warning issued by Wayne l..
Morse, member Of the War La
bOr Board, on July 81. Mr.. Morse
said:
"'As we 70 further and fur
ther into this war II becomes
clearer and clearer that we can
not permit any stoppages OF
work. don't care whether they
are juriSdictIonal disputes or
what they are over; they simply
have 10 stop.
PUBLIC'S BACKING
"'And IL our pleas 10 Mr..
Green and MIR. Murray are not
sufficient to get them to settle
the disputes, haven't any
doubt that the public will not
only look TO this board to settle
them -uAl-back- -up-in
whatever settlements we decree.
IF we ever do get into n sit
uation where either one Of the
great labor organizations. or both
of them. fail TO abide by the set
Element OF juriSdictional dis
pute decreed by this board, you
are going 10 find that drastic
action will be taken against any
one In any labor organization
that tries 10 bring about n stop
page of work over jurisdictiOnal
disputes. even 10 the application
Of the laws of treason, II neces-
Sary.'
"In defense Of the decrease OF
strikes, ms compared to the pre-
Pearl Harbor days of 1941, II Is
emphasized In official quarters
that only a fraction OF one per
cent of all workers have been in
vOlved since the war began.
AT VITAL POINTS
THE percentage Of workers
involved in strikes IL not i'm
pOrtant. Where the strikes oc-
Cured Is important. One ten
thousandth OF one per cent OF
all workers might paralyze the
production of planes or tanks II
they struck.
"'All workers are not at issue
i'm this case either; organized
labor, and not the unAffiliated
worker. IN responsible for strikes
as Is evident In the record.
"Ninety-nine per cent OF the
strikes have occurred I'm union
lied plants, and only 20 per cent
OF American labor is unionlLed.
THE number Of strikes In
war industries has increased
from - In January TO 1872 I'm
June, an increase Of Gil per
cent. The men involved in these
strikes was sos In January
and 8i,775 In June.
MAN-HOURS LOST
THE number Of man-hours
lost In war production indus
tries. because OF strikes. has In
creased from 369,576 In January
10 2.O37,224 i'm June, total of
AS per cent. During the first
six months Of 1912. 7,176.344
man-hOurs have been lost In war
industries because OF strikes.
This figure does not include
the time lost by other workers,
because Of the interruption Of
productive processes I'm plants
dependent upon Strike-bound
supplierS. There II no way Of
estimating these indirect losses
accurately. but We know from
number OF individual cases that
~ has been considerable.
while strikes are less fire.
quent and involve less loss OF
time than In l94I. there has
been an alarming increase In
strikes since January. Many Of
the strikes In 1912 have been
jurisdictional disputes and un-
authorized strikes.
Many Of the strikes are due
10 trivial issues, often having
nothing whatever To do with
hours or wages. Nevertheless,
these strikes over petty issues
are holding up important pro-
duction IN many places.
krsttpurrgrrNENT