Evening star., 1943-03-30
.WLb Decides 10 Take
Jurisdiction in All
Labor DeadIocks
Refuses to Classify
Coses as Not Bearing
On War Effort

Asserting that any labor dispute
threatening to result in a strike or
lockout affects the prosecution of
the war on the home front, the War
Labor Board last night asserted it
has jurisdiction over all labor con-
troversies not settled by other peace
full procedures.
The boards position was given by
Wayne L. Morse, public member, in
an opinion which in timing and con-
tent suggested more than a COIN
cidental relationship to the soft coal
wage case .l
John L. Lewis, United Mine Work.
erS president, has indicated that if
any Government agency is to pass
on this dispute, involving demands
for 81 day pay increase for $50 900
miners, he would prefer some special
tribunal rather than the WLB. He
protests that the board does not fol-
low judicial procedure on wage ques-
tions by operating under formula
based on its little steel" decision
holding wage increases to IS per
cent above the level of January l,
1941.
Mr.. Morse's opinion was issued in
the case Of the Reuben H. Donnelley
Corp, New York, which challenged
the boards jurisdiction, asserting
the dispute could have no substantial
effect on the war effort. The board
decided the jurisdiction issue jan
uary %, and there was no stated
reason for issuing the opinion yes
terday, more than two months late.
The merits of the case are still be-
fore the board.
Full Compliance Urged.
'The board trusts that the parties
to this dispute as we'll as parties to
all similar disputes will fully appre-
ciate the fact that it is to the best
interest of the national security and
of the total war effort that all
parties comply fully with the boards
decision" Mr.. Morse said.
He declared that the war powers
of the President were sufficiently
broad ito empower him to provide
for the final determination of all
wartime labor disputes by the War
Labor Board as he has done in ex-
ecutive order 9Ol7."
The first time that any employer
or union succeeds in defying the
jurisdiction of the War Labor Board,
it follows that the board will cease
being an effective tribunal for the
final determination of wartime labor
disputes" Dean Morse warned.
Would Endanger Policy.
What is more serious is that a
success defiance of the jurisdiction
of the War Labor Board by any en-
ployer or union, large or small, would
endanger the continuance of the
'no-strike, no-lockout' wartime labor
policy. The abrogation of that policy
in the midst of this war would con-
Stitute major defeat IN the battle
Of production and would endanger
the successful operations of our
armed forces"
The Donnelley case involved about
100 statesmen who solicit advertising
for classified telephone directories
published in New York and nearby
areas. They are represented by the
CIO United Office and Professional
Workers of America.
Cannot Classify Disputes.
1T is the opinion of the War
Labor Board that it would indeed
be unrealistic for it to attempt to
classify labor disputes into two
main categories as apparently pro-
posed in the instant case, namely,
those which affect the prosecution
Of the war and those which do not"
Dean Morse said.
The adoption of any such classi-
fication would have to be promised
upon the assumption that employees
and employers in industries and
businesses classified as non-essen-
tial 70 the war effort are free to
strike and lock out
If the company'S argument were
valid, Dean Morse stated, the board
would have jurisdiction over some
wages and some disputes and not
over Others limited jurisdiction,
he added, which would make i'm
possible successful wage and price
sta tabilization.
Our domestic economy must be
treated as a totality under any pro-
gram which seeks to control the
cost of living" he declared. only
to the extent that the Government
S,lcceedS in Stahilizirc oil u,ooes 10,