Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1942-06-25
Politics Rises
In Furry Of
New Strikes
WPB Fa e Demands
for More Grants
BY PAUL MALLON

IL ~
" furry of news-items about
strikes breaking here and there
about the country does not yet
constitute new strike-threat 10
war production. but does betray
a new outburst of union politics.
The union politicos apparently
are bent on crowding Mr.. Roose-
velt's war board into great new
salary and political concessions.
The new strikes are minor,
usually involving a small num-
Der of men. They have been
running anywhere from three 10
eight day since Pearl Harbor
and are generally short.
1t is astonishing that there are
any at all at q time like this, but
the union leaders seem TO be
holding their boys in line reason
ably well.
RUT they themselves. have
- been building up through
simultaneous demands upon en-
ployerS and the WPB what con-
stitutes a campaign TO break the
voluntary government wage
eZing arrangement upon
which the war economy is
based. ---
The United Auto Workers
have. for instance, made ex-
treme demands on the Chrysler
Corporation for a new contract.
These 60 far beyond the limits
of F'DR's cost of living yardstick
for wages, and probably beyond
what the union leaders expect to
get.
The union demanded 81 day
increase for every one. 81 per
hour minimum for all workers,
and S1.50 an hour minimum for
maintenance workers on retro
active basis long way-baek,
together with other concessions.
MANY other cases seeking 81
4'1 a day increases are piling
up in WPB. The little steel cases
have been there undecided since
February. Also a General Mo-
tors case has rested there since
April 81. WPB has received in
all, around 200 cases and about
125 are on hand.
Each labor member of nego-
tiating committees is apparently
trying 10 Guido all others in
making demands. Their mass
demands are thus being dumped
into WPB, which is piled high
with what might be called po-
litical labor demands.
No wage pattern has yet been
laid down by WPB. Recently it
granted 10 cents an hour in
crease $50 cents a day. in the
Ryan aeronautical case. but
WPB members indicated this
was not to be used as a. pattern.
On closed shop. however, it
has established a loose policy
for forms of the union mainte-
nance shop which is, in practi-
cal effect, a closed one. In GUS
tomary form. ii allows members
10 resign from unions at the
start of the contract, but not
thereafter, and new employees
must join the union.
THE British probably did not
Il intend to hold Tobruk this
time. The best troops they had
there on surrender day were a
brigade of Indians and a division
Of South Africans, along with
anti-aircraft. units and supplies.
Apparently they intended TO
blow up their ammunition and
escape on boats.
The port could not be used as
a plane and sea base for de-
Tense of Malta with so much
German aircraft around, and the
cost of a siege would have been
dear
But the Germans took them
by surprise. Marshal Rommel
changed tactics from the last
campaign.
THEN he had by-passed To-
bruk and pursued the Brit
iSh into Egypt with the main
part Of his force. coming back
later TO lay siege. That gave
the Tobruk forces time to get
ready.
Last Saturday he gave them
no time. His dive bombing
planes took their small air force
by surprise and he pierced
their outer lines and captured
the city before they had time
to destroy ammunition.
II was another case of infe-
rior British generalship in keep
ing with the rest of the Libyan
campaign.
MUD-SLlNGING always fol-
Ni lows lost campaign. Sew
eral military interpreters arc
throwing some at our tanks.
They assume that the big Nazi
So nm. guns were in German
tanks and that these blasted
our General Grants out of the
desert.
If this were true, and our
tank is inferior 10 the Nazis, the
implications would be terrific
upon our war effort. particu-
larry as 10 establishing of a
second front, and as to the
length of the war Git might take