The union times. (New Haven, Conn.) 1941-1948, 1943-03-27

As this edition of THE UNION
TINES sOent to press, the W.L.B.'s
PHbtic and industry members re-
Jected the proposal of IabOr's men,
6ers to scrap the 1870 formula by
a UOte of eight to four.
By UOte of seven to fue, ,Uith
Wayne L. Morse, public member,
Joining the labor members, the
board refused to reconsider the
PackinghOuse and aircraft decisions
'Chich led to the demand for abOIi-
ton of the 'LittIe SteeI'' yardstick.
WASHINCTON-AFL MEM
bers and CIO members of the
National War Labor Board in
separate written protests to the
board have carried a step fur
Their labOr's insistence that the
board recognize that workers
wages cannot continue to be
the only item i'm the national
economy actually stabilized.
AFL m e m bers George
Meany, Matthew Vol, Martin
P. Lurkin, Louis A. Lopez and
Fred Hewitt presented a petit
ton asking the board to in
crease the allowance for in
creased cost of living from
l5% to a figure based on the
actual cost of living.
ASK REHEARINC
They asked that the West Coast
airframe cases and the Big Four
clearinghouse cases be scheduled
for rehearing. They asked that
employers be permitted to apply
the proposed adjusted cost of liv-
ing principle to wages without OBJ
tanning consent of the W.L.B.
Finally they asked the board to
guarantee that the right of the
W.L.B. to arrive at its own deci-
siOns on wage matters by the DEM
Ocratic process of majority rule
shall be preserved without dicta-
ton by any person or governmental
agency"
The last point alluded to the
claim made at the decision of the
aircraft case that it was dictated
by Sterilization Director James F.
Byrnes.
A statement by CLIO. Pres. Philip
Murray was presented by Van A.
Bittner, John Brophy, Richard T.
Frankensteen and Delmond Garst.
The CLIO. is still firmly of the
opinion that the National War Labor
Board as an instrument for further
ing the war program must be pre-
served" Murray said. He charged
that recent decisions of the board
are not consistent with its publicly
announced policies or those of the
sterilization act or the Presidents
sterilization order.
The boards policy as expressed.
in the aircraft and clearinghouse
cases, he said, can be accepted with
delight only by those who seek to
destroy the board, to hamper the war
effort and to provoke and discourage
the very people who must and shall
continue to bleed, die and sweat to
win the war"
Murray charged that while wage
sterilization was effective ''there
has been dismal failure on the
part of Congress and government
officials to effectuate the remaining
portions of the economic stabili-
cation policy
1.-THE American people are still
awaiting effective price control and
the application of an overall demo-
cratic system of rationing of all
foods and other necessities" he
said. ''Why in the face of adequate
authority -. are the people sub
jected to the ravages of black
markets."
"Why do we still have continued
increase in the cost of living? Stimuli
taneous with the announced increase
in the price of milk for New York
City the Borden Co. reported
for 1912 its highest record of profits
larger after taxes than its profit
for 1941."
Murray called for a tax program
other than 1942s program of soak
the poor and spare the rich" He
called on the CLIO. and "other labor
groups and all other Americans" to
rally behind the W.L.B.'s program
to assure workers they will have
enough money to meet basic needs
and maintain health and maximum
production. This should impress Con-
gress and government officials of the
urgency of its immediate application.