Evening star., 1943-04-16
Labor Board Head
Asks Atlas Strikers
To Resume Work
Davis Says Employees
Are Opposing RooseveIt's
Hold the Line Order
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
Chairman William H. Davis of the
War Labor Board told strikers at
the Universal Atlas Cement Co.
plant, at Universal, Pa, today that
they were violating ''labor's pledge
and were striking against President
Roosevelt's hold-the- line order
against initiation.
The board made public telegram,
signed by Mr.. Davis and sent to un-
ion leaders. asking the workers to re-
turn to their jobs so that full and
continuous production may be re-
sumed immediately
The employees stopped work yester-
day in protest against the board S
action in cutting a referees recon-
mendatio of 5l2 cent hourly raise
to 2 cents.
Common Problem" Cited.
The leaders of American labor
and the War Labor Board" Mr..
mon problem with a common pur-
pose to protect the value Of the wage
earners' dollar and at the same time
hold to minimum all avoidable or
gross inequities.
The War Labor Board believes
that when the facts of this national
problem are clearly understood by
the American people the present
difficulties will be overcome by the
of Al lob
leaders with the War Labor Board
and the director of economic stabil-
ization.
I'VE call upon the international
Union of Mine. Mill and Smelter
Workers to continue and intensity
production while these problems are
being solved"
Wire Sent to Officials?
The telegram was sent to Reid
Robinson, president of the Interna-
tional Union of Mine, Mill and
Smelter Workers (CIO); Philip
Murray CIO president; Nicholas
Evan, president of Local No. 309
at Universal and c. Marino, union
representative at Langloth, Pa.
AFL members of the Wage Labor
Board denounced the President S
order yesterday as a fragrant vio-
lation" of the no-strike- -no-lockout
agreement and said the administra-
ton will lose the workers conf
dence.
CIO leaders added nothing pub
licly to President Murray's let
ter of two days ago, but privately
conveyed their views to Stabiliza-
ton Director James F. Byrnes and
the WLB. More than $50 protesting
kilograms were delivered to the
board, more than half of them from
CIO United Automobile Workers
local union.
WLB Curb Hub of Dispute.
Hub of the controversy is the
WLB's loss of power to approve pay
increases for the correction of in
equalities.' Mr.. Murray's letter. to
atffiliates called this a serious omis-
sion and urged that cases of injus-
tees be called to Mr.. Byrnes at
tention.
AFL members of the board. in
special concurring opinion in the
Universal Atlas case, emphasized
that their vote was dictated by the
terms of the order. but said any in
depreciation that they agreed with
the principles of the order was
erroneous.
The fact is" they said, that we
believe the order is neither sound
In construction nor workable in
practice. To the contrary, we Ve-
lieve that literal Interpretation
and application of the order will
work manifest injustices upon
American labor and industry and
be detrimental to the war effort
Backlog of 1900 Cases.
The board still may grant in
creases consistent with the little
steel formula and to eliminate sub
standard wages. Before the Presi-
dents hold-the-line order of April
8, however, the WLB could exceed
the little steel" formula, if neces-
sary, to equalize wages within an
Industry or area whenever it found
manifest injustices existed. Now
that power is reserved to MI. Byrnes.
The WLB had backlog of 1900
voluntary wage increase applica-
tions when the executive order was
announced Approximately two
thirds of them were submitted un-
der the category of "inequalities"
and it has been estimated that
about 10000 of them were reason
ably certain of approval
1T is only natural" said the AFL
opinion, that the workers of the
country will lose confidence in an
administration which penalties
them for the delays Of the War
Labor Board which was created by
the adminiStra ton y
The workers who have suffered
for many months past because of
unavoidable delays in the settle
ment of their cases by the WLB will
be all the more embittered now if
the administration applies the exec
utive order of April s. l943, without
making any exception for pending
cases.
What about future cases?
The agreement with the President
was that all labor disputes would be
settled for the duration of the war
by a tripartite War Labor Board
Now we find that wage disputes in
volving gross inequities and mani
fest injustices apparently cannot be
settled by the tripartite War Labor
Board in which labor, industry and
the public have a vote"
Signers of the opinion were George
Meany and Matthew Woll, principal
AFL members; Robert J. Watt and
Martin P. Durkin, alternates, and
Louis A. Lopez and Fred Hewitt,
substitute members.
Conferences Held.
Lee Pressman, CIO counsel. and
group representing affiliated
unions conferred with Mr.. Byrnes
and later with Chairman Davis. In