Evening star., 1943-04-15

freezes nao prOduceQ little sue
Management regarded job chang
ing as a much greater obstacle to
increased production and plant efii-
cheney than absenteeism. Yet man.
agement, like labor. was almost
unanimously opposed to = labor
draft. Entirely aside from the fact
that legislation such as the Austin
Wadsworth bill largely would take
away their right to hire and fire.
plant officials were strongly opposed
to it on the grounds that labor un-
der compulsion would not work.
One large General Motors plant
in Detroit reported 1912 labor
turnover of 124 per cent, and the
shift in personnel still was running
close to that figure despite the jan
uary Job freeze" there. and the ban
on enlistment to the armed forces
which followed shortly In num-
ber of other plants the situation was
nearly as bad. A small manufac-
turer said he lost as many men last
year as he did In Is years of peace
time operation.
In Muskegon, Mich. one of the
more important smaller war centers
visited, worker turnover actually had
increased considerably since the
Manpower Commission enlisted the
cooperation of manufacturers in
freezing workers to their jobs.
Muskeeon was one of the first
cities in the country to try the job
stabilization idea. 1t was invoked
there last October. There are So
war plants of varying size in the
area. The manpower problem per-
haps was more critical than in any
of the other places visited. The
turnover average for all the plants
was running nearly 100 per cent 4
year.
Robert Mason of the Muskegon
Employers Associa ton, reported
that separations for all causes In
October, the month Of the freeze" :"
averaged 6.5 per cent BY December
the figure had risen to 8.13, while in
January it was 786 per cent and
currently is only slightly lower. Mr..
Mason pointed out that at the jan
uary separation rate a plant en-
ploying 1000 men would have to
hire about $50 year to maintain its
force. Most Of the turnover was
represented by quits, although losses
to the draft were high.
Means Time Lost.
Mr.. Mason said the average time
lost in changing jobs was 8.76 days.
BY way of emphasizing the extent of
lost time, he carried it further to
show that if 1000 workers changed
Jobs in a month 1t would result in
a loss of 1900 man-days. This iS
equivalent to completely closing
down a plant Of 720 workers.
A machine tools factory in Ohio
hired $500 employees last year in
order to register personnel gain at
the end of the year Of $500. In
March the company added 45l men
and women for net loss in the
month of so workers
How does Washington expect us
% operate our plants efficiently when
this sort of thing is going on?" =
manufacturer asked.
Under the Manpower Commission S
job freeze arrangement, in effect
in a number of areas, a worker Is
supposed to obtain a certificate of
release from his employer before
changing jobs. Presumably, the new
plant would not hire him unless
he possessed such a release.
While most of the larger plants re-
portedly are complying with require
ments. cooperation is far from 100
per cent. Then, as plant executive
said. IF man doesn't want to stay
on the job. there are a thousands
and one ways to get fred VINO
has no positive means Of enforcing
its orders.
Labor Draft Opposed.
Management's almost universal
opposition to national service legis-
lation was summed up by c. E. Will
son, president of General Motors, in
this way:
Il am working in a copper mine
in Montana. l don't like the job and
I am looking for an opportunity to
leave. Then, I am frozen in the
job. You are moved from place in
St. Louis where you are happy to
work alongside of me in the mine
Do you think we will do very much
work."
Mr.. Mason declared that employ
ers in Muskegon were afraid" OF
the effect on the worker of national
labor legislation. Individual plant
executives in the city reflected that
view. One said a worker would
not be worth a whoop" If forced
into a job he did not like.
slave labor is not worth darn,
declared John Lovett of the Michi-
gan Manufacturers Association
when asked for his views on labor
draft. I'VE just don't think it would
work. 1t would be the worst thing
that could happen to the country
We oppose any plan to force effort
in industry. You could get better
results through proper leadership
in both management and labor and
through appeals to patriotism"
Detroit Labor Shortage Denied.
Frank Rising of the Automotive
Parts and Equipment Manufactur-
ers' Association expressed the same
view. A member of the War Man
power Commission in Detroit and
associate on the War Labor Board
Mr.. Rising joined Mr.. Lovett in de-
nying that Detroit had \ labor
shortage.
There definitely is not 4 labor
shortage in this area, although the
bureau boys of the United States
Employment Service say there is,
said Br. Rising. Furthermore, there
Is not going to be shortage. The
enoplOyment service has been D,lt-