Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1943-03-18
Labor Chiefs 10 Place
Wage Control Issue
Before President
Committee Will Visit
White House Saturday;
WLB Future at Stoke
By the Associated Press.


By the Associated Press.
Labor leaders demanding a re-
Taxation of the Governments wage
controls will lay their case before
President Roosevelt Saturday at a
meeting which conceivably may de-
termine the War Labor Boards fu-
ture policies.
The occasion is periodic gather
ing of labors Victory Committee,
composed of AFL, CLIO and Railroad
Brotherhood officials who are criti-
cal of the policies which the board
is administering.
Already shaken by internal dis
sension, the WLB faces an on
slaught from still another quarter
John l.. Lewis of the United Mine
Workers
Experienced Government obServ-
ers believe the real crisis in the soft
coal wage case will be postponed
considerably beyond April /, when
the present agreement expires, but
these and other informed sources
question whether some measures to
bolster WLB prestige and give it
harmonious front can be as long
delayed.
Coal Crisis Postponement.
PoStponement of the coal crisis. in
the opinion of Government officials.
Will take the form of an offer by Mr..
Lewis to make any future agreement
retroactive to April /, or an order
by the WLB, or the President. to
that effect.
The board is composed of an equal
number Of representatives of indus
try, labor and the public-a maxi
mum OF II members, though some
Tunes decisions are made by a nine
man board and, in minor cases, by
slx-man board. Decisions have been
unanimous in 10 per cent of the
cases and diSsents caused little more
than a ripple as long as they oc-
CURED on unit basis.
However, grave discussions over
interpreting basic policy became evil
dent in the West Coast aircraft case
two weeks ago when Public Member
Wayne L. Morse joined the labor
unit in minority vote, and some of
the labor members declared that
"dictation" by Sterilization Director
James F.. Byrnes had destroyed the
boards democratic processes.
AT one point in the aircraft case,
George Meany, AFL secretary-treas-
urer, gave the Nazi salute, shouted,
Hell, Byrnes," and walked out of
the room.
Since the aircraft decision, Mr..
Morse has disagreed with his public
colleagues several more times, though
not always voting with the labor
unit. A decision in the Allis- Chalm-
ers case, expected to be announced
tomorrow, placed him in the minor
1ty with the industry members in a
bitterly fought union security issue.
AFL Plan Up Monday.
Meanwhile, the AFT has formally
proposed a program to revamp the
boards wage policy, including a new
ceiling on cost-of Living adjustments.
The board will take it up Monday
and its rejection, If the board votes
at all, is generally expected.
Mr. Morse's quarrel with the rest
OF the public members does not in
volve the application of the Is per
cent Little Steel" formula, which
is strictly cost-of-living adjust
ment. He is on record against rails
ing that ceiling until the rest of
the Government agencies have had
more opportunity to stabilize living
costs. Eventually, he says, it may
have to be raised to assure living
standards that will not impair pro-
duction efficiency.
Mr.. Morse broke with his COL
leagues over the Interpretation and
application of correcting Unequal
tiles and aiding in the effective
prosecution of the war" The board
has not invoked the latter category,
as such. Under the heading of in
equalities, it has allowed more in
creases than under the IS per cent
formula, but Mr.. Morse felt the in
terpretations should have been more
liberal in the aircraft case and in
several subsequent decisions which
have not yet been announced. Mr..
Morse is dean of the University of
Oregon Law School,
Mr.. Lewis has denounced the WLB
and its formula several times and
implied he would not argue his case
for a $2-a-day raise before it, but
hardly any observer in Washington
doubted that the decision would be
made here.