Evening star., 1943-03-02

es has been wide - llllA
ly condemned, David Lawrence.
but the background of that dispute
running back for more than year
involves far more incompetence and
bungling on the part Of the govern
mental agencies involved than on
the part OF the workers. Yet an
impartial and objective inquiry into
labor. conditions In the aircraft in
dustry has never been made.
It would be interesting If Congress
informed itself on the series Of steps
that have been taken to develop a
uniform wage policy and stabiliza-
ton agreement among the aircraft
plants of the Pacific Coast. It would
be interesting II the record OF the
various conferences between Gov-
ernment officials and the unions and
plant managers were available for
scrutiny by a congressional commit
tee. The Boeing episode would make
= significant case study and In the
end the Congress would learn more
about the conditions that prevail in
war plants which give rise to walk
outs and absenteeism.
Factors Causing Unrest.
It is reported. for instance, that
on two different occasions the in
dustry and the unions were close
to an agreement on wage scales on
the Pacific Coast when some Of the
union leaders became distrustful of
the mediator or believed that bet
ter bargain could be obtained by
delay. 1t is reported also that the
companies have been ready to pay
higher wages and have appealed to
the War Department for permission
to do so since the expense involved
has to be sanctioned under the
cost-plus contractual procedures. It
IS also said that one Government
mediator, who failed to win the
confidence of both sides when rep
resenting the War Production
Board, was appointed to the same
Job when the dispute was certified
to the War Labor Board for settle
ment. !,
Factors of this kind covering aI
period Of nearly two years have pro-
duced unrest and disturbance In the
aircraft industry IT would be In
teresting to know also just what
part labor union organizers have
played in telling the workers that
higher wages would be obtained II
they Joined unions. Lately, for in
stance, the promises of higher
wages. made by union leaders have
run into a snag because Of the ex-
ecutive order which froze wage levels
as OF September. 1912. unless cost Of
living increases could be proved.
This has put the union leaders on
the spot and they have kept continu-
ally predicting that the War Labor
Board would issue a favorable de-
cision.
The delays have provoked the
workers and now, 1t Is believed, the
War Labor Board, which is caught
In the strait jacket of national wage
freezing under what is known as the
Little Steel" formula, cannot give
the aircraft workers what their own
leaders have recklessly promised.
=. Sterilization Needed.
Disappointments Of this sort would
have been avoided If there had been
.. uniform stabilization agreement in
the aircraft industry and there is no
reason why even tocay each industry
or region should not be given an
opportunity to develop a stabilized
wage scale, irrespective OF whether
1t does or does not conform to the
Little Steel" formula. There Is no
special virtue in wage policy that
blankets all industries with the same
rules and scales. irrespective OF the
fact that the Nation needs Flying
Fortresses far more than it needs
almost any other weapon.
The incentives to work are still to
be found in the pay envelope-the
theorists in. Washington to the con-
trary notwithstanding. Some pro-
, vision for constantly applicable in
centives based on production is as
!; logical for aircraft as it Is for agri-
culture and the administration has
strongly indorsed the principle lately
tn the case of the farms.
But before there is legislation ban
ming strikes or Furnishing ab,entee-
ism, the people are entitled to know
the facts surrounding wartime labor
disputes. Certainly management
and labor have nothing to lose by
90 seeing the whole picture revealed
especially when it indicates that
n governmental interference and lack
OF coordination between govern
mental agencies has been to no small
extent responsible for preventing
collective bargaining from function
ing IN industry wide or regional
wage agreements.
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