The Waterbury Democrat., 1944-05-31

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rowed money!, that war production
has been tremendous, and thai
manpower and time lost through
strikes have been held down to ar
average Of fraction Of per cent.
But where are we now? Echo an.
swers, right straight UP in the air
What good there Is in today's labor
/ and production situation Is more
attributable to the natural patrio-
tic instincts of the people as q
whole than 1t Is to any brilliance in
government handling OF these mat
tiers.
Take look at the delays in cases
before National Labor Relations
Board, War Labor Board and other
government agencies charged with
these matters.
Take this strike of the Foremen's
Association In the Detroit area. The
foremen have thus far caught all
the blame for interfering with war
production, but they have been try
ing for two months to get their case
handled by the government, and
only after they struck did they get
from the government the attention
they were entitled to In the first
place.
A STRIKE e
GOVERNMENT AGENCIES
Furthermore, the foremen had
been trying for much more than two
months to get their case heard by
their employers. Top management
refused to talk with them in every
plant except Ford, and top manege-
ment still refuses to talk with them.
Why, therefore, isn't this as much
of a strike by responsible govern
ment agencies and by management
as 1t is a strike by the foremen?
And If the government can order
the foremen back to work before
their case is settled, why shouldn't
government also order management
| to deal with the foremen? Maybe
there Is as much bad management
and bad government in this as there
is bad unionism.
Take the Big Steel case, now be-
fore special panel of the War
Labor Board. The case was certified
for board action over four months
ago. The Steelworkers' union rep
resentatives have presented their
argument on only one Of the IA de-
mands Of the union. 1t will be
months before the argument is set
tied.
While the hearings drag on, there
is supposed 20 be in effect an agree
ment by the unions not to strike.
This no-strike pledge was reaffirm-
ed by the Steelworkers at their an
nual convention in Cleveland a few
days ago.
MORE THAN ONE A DAY
AT U. S. STEEL
Yet look at the strike records Of
the United States Steel Corporation
alone for the first four months Of
the year. 1t shows an amazing total
of 1873 work stoppage on account Of
labor disturbances in 12l calendar
days-more than one labor disturb
ance every day! Total man-hours Of
productive labor lost by these dis
turbances was 549,336, total steel
tonnage production lost was 223 ,622.
J This is a greater number Of work
stoppage than the corporation had
for the full years of either 1912 or
1913. Causes of the stoppage since
Jan. l were 80 disputes over wages,
five over hours, 81 over working
conditions and 10 over mScellan-
eous grievances.
That record is bad unionism and
irresponsible unionism and there
isn't anything else you can call It,.
Management can't do its job If every
day somebody has to stop strike.
The goat in all this turmoil,
whether caused by bad government,
bad management or bad labor, is
the long-suffering public interest.
Returning to the original premise,
an administration labor program
that results in these ends isn't do
ing Its job.