Imperial Valley press., 1942-10-04

1886 1918 5E3, ITO 2,032, ,o9S
In addition, in August, lS42, the
U. s. Cancellation Service settled
964 disputes involving 697938 work
ers. referred to National War Labor
Board ll3 cases it couldn't settle.
Today U. S. c. S. has over 1900
cases pending.
These may look like formidable
statistics, but don't let them
throw you. Anyone who has ever
looked inside fourth grade
arithmetic can run down those
columns and see the trends.
Among the conclusions he will
reach are these:
l. Strikes in war industries,
which were running 10 per cent
of the total number of strikes "A
year ago, are now running about
so per cent of the total in all in
duStries.
Don't let this first observation
miSlead you. That increased per-
centage is accounted for largely
by the fact that more and more
industries are converting from
private TO war production.
2. The number of strikes in war
industries sank to an all-time low
in December, l94l. In the first seven
DAYS of December there were seven
new strikes reported Then came
Pearl Harbor In the last "a days
of the month there were only seven
new strikes Everybody got mad af-
ter Pearl Harbor. Only 10000 man
days Of labor were lost through
strikes in that month.
FEVER WORE OFF
The trouble is, the no-strike fever
wore off. In January the number
OF war industry strikes nearly
doubled over December and nearly
doubled again in February over
January. The number of new
strikes in war plants has been 60
ing up every month all through the
first seven months of 1912 and was
checked only in August when it
dropped three-from 1913 to 1875.
8. The number Of workers in
volved in the average war plant
strike is relatively small-aproxi-
mately 800 men in the 1875 new
strikes reported in August. In
clu-k d in these August strikes,
many more Workers-2100 in the
however, were several involving
many more Workers-2100 in the
Ohio ell strike at Cleveland, 1000
in the General Cable outlaw strike
at Bayonne, N. j., 10000 in a mid
west truck strike, 1000 in jurisdic-
tional strikes at six plants Of Rey-
noldS Metals, 1000 at Wright Aero
nautical, Paterson, N. j. Three Of
these big strikes today tend to be
shorter.
4. The average war industry
strike in August, 194Z, caused a
loss of approximately 1866 man days
of work Converting that into some
kind of practical figure, it takes
1875 man days to build a combat
plane, $3.50 man days to build a
bomber Every strike in August
cost the equivalent of about two
thirds of combat plane, or one
third of a bomber.
1856 PLANES LOST"
The total of man days lost in
August through strikes thus repre-
sents the equivalent of 1876 combat
planes or 68 bombers. For the past
u months the less was 1900 COM
bat planes or $50 bombers.
5. The number of man days
lost through strikes i'm war plants
has been increasing every month
except May since Pearl Harbor,
but this also may be due TO the
increasing number of war work
erS.
6. From July to August of this
year there has been a slight tend
ency to level off on strikes. All you
can do is hope for the best.
The only figure which shows the
percentage of time lost through
strikes to the percentage of time
worked. That figure is not shown
in the table and cannot be shown
because it has been computed only
in the last few months. For war
production industries alone in May
it was 6-l00 of per cent, in June
it was 9-l00 of l per cent, in July
il was 8-l00 of l per cent, and in
August it was 9-100 of ! per cent. 1t
has never reached one-tenth of l
per cent, or one day lost for every