Evening star., 1943-06-05

within. War laF Il
Labor Board David Lawrence
members said it wasn't necessary tC
renew the truce" Secretary Ickes
wanted to ask Lewis to renew it
The upShot was that Ickes was
compelled to remain silent and the
administration waited Lewis, true
to form. said the miners wouldn' t
work without a contract, and or
Tuesday $4,000 miners were idle
and the Nation began losing a huge
supply Of coal production
Meanwhile, as no request was
forthcoming to Lewis to resume
work, he and the operators went on
bargaining collectively. Then the
War Labor Board stepped in and
said it wouldn't tolerate any COL
lectlve bargaining while the miners
we're out on strike. The War Labor
Board ordered bargaining sus-
pended.
Lewis Protests.
Then Lewis became vocal. He
pointed out that nobody can sus-
pend collective bargaining except
Congress or a Federal agency en-
powered by Congress- And he was
right about it. The War Labor
Board doesn't have any statutory
power and in the executive order
creating it the point was made that
Its powers in no way Conficted with
those derived from the National
Labor Relations Act governing col
iective bargaining.
Senator Wagner. author of the
law. made a radio address saving
Lewis was misusing the law. but
The fact remains that, legally speak
Ing. Lewis is right. Nobody can
suspend collective BARGAINING except
Congress and the latter I'D to now
has been prevented by the Roose-
welt administration from giving the
War Labor Board full power to deal
with wartime strikes and work
stoppages.
But Lewis didn't challenge the
War Labor Boards order, He
merely sat and waited He knew
the Roosevelt administration had
bungled and that sooner or later it
would look at the situation realis-
tically and make another move.
And that move came It was in the
form of a request at last that the
miners union chief order his men
back to work.
It came not from the War Labor
Board At all. but from the fuel ad,
ministrator, Mr.. Ickes. Promptly
Lewis aCceded to the request of
what he terms the Government s
duly constituted agent" His Pol
Icy Committee then arranged AGAR
for resumption of work in the
mines.
But Lewis noted again that the
President and Mr. Ickes had given
assurance that collective bargaining
would be resumed. Likewise. it was
noted that the fuel administrator
as custodian of the mines for the
Government, ordered an extension
of the old contract plus the bene-
fits which the War Labor Board
panel Of last week had recon-
mended
So, in effect, the Government
acting through the fuel administra
tor gave Mr., Lewis a contract
something he had been contending
for all alOng-pluS some advantages
and concessions amounting to an in
crease of Is cents day per miner
On top of this. Lewis gets an op-
portunitv now to negotiate for more
money for his members. He has
disposed of the technica lities-in-
ability to work without a contract
He had received a formal request
from the Government to reopen the
mines. He had re-established the
situation precisely where it was
when the first and second "truces'
were granted He has, meanwhile
suffered no penalty or disa dvantage
He has not yet gone before the Wal
Labor Board. The administration
has been coming his way and has
been making the moves which ht
deemed prerequisite to resumption
of work
More Concessions Due.
In the collective bargaining nego
tiationS. Lewis now is to get more
concessions. Some of the mine op
orators are said to be willing to e.
as high as sl-a day in increased
pay, and Lewis has modified his de
mand from S2-a day to S150a-day
Only 50 cents a day separates th'
two sides. In the end, Lewis viii
wind up with substantial increas'
in pay for his men. And the Wa
Labor Board will approve.
What penalty is there for Levi
or the miners union-or any othe
union. for that matter-for inter
rupting war production? None what
ever. The House has passed a bill
forbidding wartime strikes. 1t /
somewhat different from that which
the Senate recently passed. The tw'
measures will be considered in con
ference. The administration is re
ported to be ready to scuttle tn,
measure by letting the conference
drag on and perhaps kill tn
legislation.
It's the administration, desirinl
labor support in its election cam
paigns. which is constantly backin,
down. In this it is aided by tha
section of the public which allow
Itself to vent all It's indignation O,
Lewis and fails to see that he i
merely playing to his own advan
tage the administration vacillatin