The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1942-01-24

4
There are more than 1000 unem-
ployed in Dayton right now, In spite
of the fact Dayton has brand
new government-built ordnance
plant and Wright Field is only spit
tin distance up the Big -Four tracks,
while Cincinnati and Hamilton with
| big machine tool aircraft and war
supply contracts are within COM
muting distance.
Dayton Frigidaire, normally en-
ploying $4,000, is down to $500 max
ing allotment of refrigerators. In
land Manufacturing division Of
General Motors, normally employing
2,400, Is down to 600 Delco Products
manufacturing electrical equipment,
/ normally employing 5000, has $500
unemployed with another 1000 fac
Ing layoff. Only 800 men in the
working force at Delco are supposed
to be on war production.
COPPER
NEEDED
The middle Of January, Delco off,
Gals came TO Washington, went to
| tAlC SopDCL DCCIAOll Vi IllC olACC Vi
Production Management and asked
for an allotment of 325,00O pounds
of copper to keep the plant going
and to keep its workers employed
until the first of March. The COM
pany then had on hand only enough
copper to keep going three days.
Copper, as you may have heard, Is q
strategic material. When copper is
allotted for civilian goods manufac-
ture, it means that much copper
doesn't go into airplanes or trucks
or tanks or shells. In spite Of that,
the OPM copper rationing policy
has olen to give civilian goods man
ufacturers certain amounts to keep
going and to hold their labor forces
together while they are converting
their plant to production of war Or
ders.
In this case, however, the Delco
officials couldn't offer sufficient evil
dence that they were converting
their plant To war production. Men
ton was made of the fact that the
tool room was working 10 hours a
day, seven days week, on retool-
ing for war production. OPM's reply
was that the company should have
been working "a hours a day, seven
days week on retooling. The COM
pany therefore didn't get the cop
per and as a result 1900 more men
will be thrown out Of work and their
productive capacity lost to the war
effort till they can find jobs.
The corrective machinery set In
motion on this particular situation
is interesting. The Dayton represen-
tatives of the United Electrical, Ra-
dio and Machine Workers Union
which has contract with Delco
called the unions Washington rep
resentative to go around the OPM
and see why the company couldn't
get the copper. Naturally the union
was interested in seeing that its
members were kept on the Job as
dues payers instead Of benefit collec-
tors.
The contact was made" as they
say in Washington lobbying circles,
and the report as outlined above
went back to Dayton with the adj
vice that the local union get after
the factory management to speed
up the conversion effort, to get
more war orders, and then come
back to Washington with some real
ly convincing proof that the COM
pany was preparing for war work in
some big constructive way.
LABOR
TAKES OVER
Now here is perfect example OF
union taking over one of the func-
tons of management. This is a ster
which is feared by management anc
1t is one Of the issues which nearly
wrecked the general auto industry
conversion conferences in Washing.
ton early in January. Labor wantet
voice on the policy committee
Management would have none of 1t
Yet the story in Dayton, as 1t l.
revealed In Washington, Is a serie!
of efforts on the part of labor X
prod management into faster action
c. I. o. headquarters in one instance
sent out over thousand letters u
the leading business and profession.
al men OF the city containing some
pretty serious charges about manu-.
facturers, lacking defense contracts
begged down in indecision and rel
and red tape, and throwing skilled
men and women out of work by cut
ting defense production. In a wore
persisting in doing business a.
usual when the very life of oul
country is at stake
The situation isn't cleaned up We
and 1t probably won't be for som'
weeks, but the warning to manage
ment all over the country should b.
clear II management does not ex
ercise leadership in this crisis 1t cal
expect to have labor prodding
constantly for an increasing shar
of that management.