Toledo union journal. [volume] (Toledo, Ohio) 1942-current, 1943-10-08
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Bv CLAYTON Rusch,

BY Clayton Rusch,
Chairman Of Food Price Control
Committee of Local IL UAW-ClO
DISTRICT FOOD CONFERENCE
On Sunday, Sept. 26, 1943 a
conference of OPA officials and
representative from organized la
Dor, the CIO, AFL, Railroad
Brotherhoods from Ohio, Michigan,
Indiana and West Virginia was
held in the Mel House in Colum-
bus.
The morning session was given
over to an explanation Of the
present program of the OPA as
worked out in conjunction with
the Labor Advisory Committees.
The fundamentals of this pro-
gram are that initiation must be
prevented or the whole economic
structure of the nation will col
lapse. Initiation does not come
suddenly, but creeps up little by
little until an uncontrolled race Of
wages and prices makes currency
of small value.
MUST HAVE CONTROLS
In order to prevent initiation
there must be adequate wage and
price control. Neither of these can
work alone, but both must to-
gether.
When organized labor gave up
it's traditional means of protecting
the interests of its members, a
whole new method had to be de-
veloped.
In the place of demands for
shorter hours and higher wages
labor must now demand a reduced
cost of living.
The first step in achieving price
control is uniform ceilings. Now
there are certain firms who be-
cause Of various circumstances
cannot, without a price raise;
maintain an adequate profit. d.
Other firms making the same
products can then sell at the
present price and show good
profit. Here then is where those
who need it must be aided with a
subsidy to keep prices down. A
subsidy only goes to those firms
who need it whereas an increase
in the ceiling price would go to
all who sell the product.
The next step is an overall
rationing program to see that
everybody gets his fair share of
the available goods.
Then if we want to prevent
hidden price rises by the selling
of poorer product at the price
of better grade, we must have
grade labelling,
LABOR'S AID NEEDED
The OPA officials agree that
in order to do a job of holding
down prices they must have the
cooperation of the labor move
ment.
They suggested to the confer
ence various way in which or
ganized labor could cooperate. 1t
was pointed out that organized
labor is the largest group of
organized consumers.
The most interesting thin G
about the Columbus Food Con-
ference was that the methods sug-
gested as a program for the labor
movement on the food price situa-
tion are exactly the methods that
have been employed by Local II
for the past four months or more.
The organization of Union Con-
sumers' Committee and Labor Ad-
vistory Boards was suggested and
program of education to sell the
need of effective price control to
the members was strongly urged.
The Food Price Control Com
mittee of Local II is one of the
very few early pioneers among
the Union Consumers Committees,
if not the very first one, and the
Labor Advisory Board from this
section has already made import
ant recommendations to the OPA
including setting a ceiling on
restaurants at 1870 above their
l941 prices.
The afternoon session was given
over to a discussion by the labor
representatives regarding ways
and means. About 500 people par
ticipated, including delegations
from Dayton, Cleveland, Saginaw,
South Bend, indianapolis, Lexing.
ton, Toledo, Iron Mountain, Colum-
huS Louisville natroit Grand