Evening star., 1943-11-10
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Back to Congress
Those whose memories run back to
September of last year will detect
more than little irony in the ap-
pearance of George M. Harrison.
president of the Brotherhood of
= Railway Clerks, before a Senate
subcommittee yesterday.
In September of 1912 the President
was fighting for legislation from a
reluctant Congress to stabilize farm
prices. And it was at that time that
he delivered his famous you do it
or l Will ultimatum to the legis-
lators. After serving notice of his
intent to act on his own RESPONSIBLE
lty II Congress failed to meet the
deadllne he laid down. the President
went on to say: "At the same time
that farm prices are stabilized,
wages can and will be stabilized also.
This will do"
That was in line with the wishes
OF the labor leaders, who wanted no
legislative wage stabilization. So
Congress went ahead and stabilized
farm prices and the President under
took to stabilize wages. And now
we have the picture of Mr.. Harrison,
head OF one of the most powerful
labor groups in the country, de-
manding that Congress-not the
President-solve his unions wage
problem.
Mr. Harrison was very blunt about
1t. He did not use intemperate Ian
guage, but neither die he mince
words.
The labor leader told the subcom-
mittee that the President had
urged" acceptance by the union of
an eight-cent-an-hour wage in
crease recommended by an emer-
gency board A little later the
award was set aside by Sterilization
Director Vinson because it was
plainly in violation of the Little Steel
formula and the Presidents hold
the-line order so I went back to
the White House" Mr.. Harrison said,
and inquired how Gomez I was
told that every one was as dumb
founded as I was about what had
happened" The only thing that had
happened, however. was that Judge
Vinson had carried out the Presi-
dents instructions and had done his
job.
Next came the appointment of
another emergency board to make
another award, which the railroad
unions have rejected, and Mr.. Harri-
son has gone to Congress to demand
that Congress solve his problem. Nor
did he make the slightest effort to
disguise the fact that the demand
was accompanied by a threat.
I'VE are going ahead with our
strike vote" he said, and when the
time comes we shall fix the day to
interrupt the transportation system
OF this Nation. When we are con-
vinced it's hopeless, and that we are
being stalled and given a runaround.
we'll put the mandate into effect.
But if we felt we could get a solution
we would hold Olive want you
(Congress) to solve the problem"
And what is this problem? The
union, after first asking for twenty
cents, now wants a fat increase of
eight cents an hour, although it is
entitled to nothing under the Little
Steel formula. The offer which it
has rejected proposes a sliding scale
OF increases ranging from four to
ten cents an hour 80 it has now
boiled down. Mr.. Harrison said, "to
a question of one theoretical idea of
the best way to distribute the in
creases, as opposed to a practical
method. We say the presidential
boards plan is impractical.
Actually, there is no great differ
ence in the total amounts the union
members would receive under the
Two plans. The dispute concerns the
method of distributing the money
and that is the real issue which has
brought this threat to tie up the
Nations railroads and the demand
that Congress clip the wings of the
Presidents stabilization director.
All OF this sounds like a tempest in
a teapot, and in one sense it is. But
1t shows very clearly that the Presi-
dents wage stabilization program
has all but reached the breaking
point.