Evening star., 1943-05-14

the operators to David Lawrence.
deduct from the miners wages the
union dues? Is the United States
Government turning over these
funds to a closed-shop union?
1t has been argued heretofore
that the Government really is not
the employer, but merely Gus
todian of the property OF the coal
operators under sort of temporary
trusteeship. Theoretically this would
mean that the Government isn't
the employer but is watching the
interests of both in sort of status
QUO arrangement whereby the Gus
toms and practices hitherto in
existence would be continued until
a new contract could be worked out
Precedents Being Set.
The mine operators doubtless felt
that since they were appointed Gov
ernment agents and were expected
to continue in force the previous
contractual clauses, they were
justified in regarding the whole con-
tract as still operative, including the
feature relating to fines for absences.
The fuel administrator. it appears.
has not ordered the mine operators
to deSiSt from imposing the fines but
has requested" them not to do it.
presumably to avoid aggravating the
whole coal controversy.
Maybe the "check-off'' of union
dues is merely a courtesy to the
unions and not an act Of the Fed
eral Government. Strange situ-
ationS are being created by the Gov
ernment'S seizure Of the mines, and
the retention of the "check-of" is
not the least of the extraordinary
precedents which will be looked
back on some day as governing the
Governments relations with unions.
Meanwhile, it is clear that no set
tlement of the coal situation is in
sight. The fuel administrator evi-
IDENTITY cannot act as mediator in
order to bring the employers and the
union together put must wait on
some further action or hearing by
the War Labor Board. Undoubtedly
the administration would be pleased
to have representatives of the
miners union appear before the War
Labor Board while the 15-day truce
is extended.
On the surface it would appear
that the new directive broadening
the powers of the War Labor Board
to correct gross lnequities in wage
rates in order to aid in the prosecu-
ton OF the war means that the
situation against which John L.
Lewis protested a fortnight ago has
been changed. His point was that
the board was bound by the April
8 Executive Order and hence could
not take a judicial attitude toward
evidence or data submitted to it
thereafter. While, however, the
new directive seems to restore the
judicial position of the board some
what, the rise in wages must come
within the 'littel steel formula" and
cannot be a straight acroSs-the-
board increases. If this interpreta-
tion is correct, then there is really
little in the new directive to assist
toward a settlement of the contro-
versy.
Two other important points, how
ever, could be the basis of an agree
ment. One is the so-called portal
to-portal method of computing
wages already approved by the
courts, and the other is the reten-
ton of the SiX-day work week. If
the operators and the union got
together on some agreement cover
ing these points, it would seem that
the War Labor Board would ratify
It and there would be no need for
hearings before the board.
President Roosevelt in his broad
cast, made it clear that the way
was still open for Lewis and the
operators to get together and that
the only requirement was that the
agreement must meet with the ap-
proval of the War Labor Board.
If no agreement is worked cut by
May 18 and no decision is made of
!ts own initiative by the War Labor
Board on the basis of testimony thus
Ear taken, an interruption Of work
N the coal mines would seem to be
certainty. The miners are under
discipline not to work unless they
have a contract, They will gladly
work for the United States Govern
ment, but their employment ar
rangement must be formalized-a