Evening star., 1943-05-01
D. {. Manpower
Stabi|iziing Plans
NearConnp|etion
Will Be Enforced
By Public Opinion
And Sanctions
BY MIRIAM GUTENBERG.

employers whom they may and may
not hire. with enforcement mainly
by public opinion and threat of
Sanctions" appeared to be reach
Ing its final stages today.
Area Director RAINY B. Deschner
told press conference late yester-
day that his Management-Labor
Committee had named a subcom-
mittee of three to prepare a tenta-
tive draft of an employment stabili-
zation plan to present to the full
committee on or before next Satur-
DAY for final action.
The subcommittee charged with
preparing the plan that will affect
all Washington employers and
workers includes w. A. Mccoy of
the Civil Service Commission, rep
resenting management; Ernest B.
Spangler OF the Hotel and Restau-
rant Employees Alliance, represent
ing the AFL, and Joseph D. Phillips,
an employe of the War Shipping
Administration, representing the
CIO.
oUU Eases TO be Decided.
Another subcommittee is to be ap-
pointed to handle the other major
problem of the area WMC-opera-
tion of the 48-hour week. The sub
committee, Mr.. Deschner said, will
go through the file of involved and
controversial" cases in which he has
granted temporary exemptions and
recommend what policy is to be fol-
lowed in deciding them.
About 900 cases are still to be de-
cided here, of which some Is were
described by Mr.. Deschner as con-
troversial. Several hundred cases,
he said, had already been decided
and there have been no appeals
AS soon as the stabilization plan
Is agreed on, Mr.. Deschner said, his
Office will be in a position to carry it
out because "budgetary matters
have been overcome to a considera-
BILE extent and additional person.
mel can be taken into the United
States Employment Service. Area
headquarters, now at Fifth and K
streets NV, will be moved to other
quarters in the near future, a move
which Mr.. Deschner had said also
was necessary for successful pro-
gram.
Powers Defined.
Mr.. Deschner made it clear that
in this area the Management-Labor
Committee would have the authority
to formulate policies, establish en-
ployment controls and give "criti-
cal evaluation of the administration
of the area program"
He admitted that this definition
of the committees role in guiding
manpower activities here came on
demands from members of the COM
mittee who had been under fire from
organizations and individuals to find
out what they were doing in the
absence of stabilization plan, par
ticularly since there had been no
regular meetings of the committee.
If the area director and the, COM
mittee fail to agree on policy, he
said, the question will be submitted
to the regional Office. Mr.. Deschner
said he would overrule the commit
tee "only in real emergencies" and
"even then, I will have to submit
an explanation to the regional
director and his committee"
Since he was absent in st. Louis
when the War Manpower Commis-
sion job-wage freeze order was
issued, he said, he was unable to call
a meeting of the committee and
notified his staff by long distance
to 60 ahead on the theory that
Washington had stabilization plan.
Halls Employer Response.
For the protection of essential
establishments" he said, I'VE op-
Grated as though stabilization plan
was in effect here and so far We
have had no complaints notwith-
standing the confusion. The re-
sponse to mere suggestion that
employers act as though We had
a stabilization plan has been mag
nif1cent."
Asked how he would enforce
stabilization plan when it is adopted
here, Mr.. Deschner said that if an
employer in an essential activity
continued to pirate" labor, refused
to issue or require releases, and re-
cruited workers from other areas
without clearing through the United
States Employment Service, I'VE can
bring to bear every agency compris-
Ing the commission itself as we'll as
any Of the cooperating, collaborat-
Ing or constituent agencies to de-
mand that they bring pressure to
bear on an employer to conform to
the stabilization plan"
If the employer still refused to
comply, Mr.. Deschner added, the
area director could, with the ap-
proval of his committee, deny the
employer the benefits of the stabili-
cation plan by declaring him nom
essential under the plan and pub
fishing that decision so the COM
munity may know who refuses to
carry out the spirit of a voluntary
plan"
If the employer was declared non
essential under the plan presumably
otlicI cIlplOyclS WOOlu NC given d
blank check in hiring workers away
from the non-complying employer
without having to require releases.
The area Office also is charged with
certifying housing needs for an en-
ployer's workers and approving Sc
lective service replacement sched-
ules, which might be used to bring
the employer into line.
To Define Activities.
The stabilization plan also will de-
hne locally needed activities, pos
sibly enlarging the list to other serv-
ice industries considered essential
here, Mr.. Deschner said.
Yet to be decided are whether the
United States Employment Service
will be the exclusive hiring agent
for any workers and whether re-
leases will be required only where
transfers are made for higher pay.
On the former question, Mr.. Desch-
ner said that If the USES is the
exclusive hiring agent in any case
1t will be for workers In critical oc-
cupations. He refused to comment
on the latter question because of
the national WING controversy on