The Waterbury Democrat., 1944-05-23

past four years. Packard production of Rolls Royce aircraft engines for the P-51 Mustagn planes, which have the longest range of all U. s. fighters, which fly to Berlin to protect the bon1bers, and the type of plane which recently broke the trans continental speed record, stopped completely. Also stopped were production of parts for Flying Fortresses and Superfortress bomb- CTS at Briggs, Murray, Hudson and Gar Woods plants. That is serious monkey business.
 But this strike didn't just hap- pen overnight and when you dig in- to its background and causes you find that the grievances have been kicked around by the War Labor Board and the National Labor Rela- tions Board which up to now have spent most of their time worrying about their precious procedure.
 IT'S A SPREADING POISON
 This type of procrastination is becoming too much of pattern for comfort. You can let a boil alone for just so long. Before 1t reaches the stage of fostering and spreading poi son over your whole body you have to do something about 1t or suffer the consequences.
 Tn this Foremen,s Association case the two doctors-WLB and NLRB- are again getting in each others way NLRB ruled yes, foremen have a right to organize and cannot be discharged for union activity, but, no, unions of foremen cannot bar gain collectively because foremen are part of management. This con- tradiction in decisions is about as clear as If old King Solomon had actually cut that baby in two and given half to each mother. Confronted by this dilemma, the forenlen struck and War Labor Board, following its custom, refused to consider the case as long as the men were not working.
 The only issue before the War Labor Board is one of union recog- milton, but that is an over-simpli- fication. The only reason the Fore mems Association wants recognition is SO that 1t can bargain collective ly later for better wages and work ing conditions.
 GET LESS THAN SUB-
 ORIGINATES, THEY COMPLAIN
 The complaint of the foremen is that in many of the plants they get less pay than the men working under them. Such foremen are paid straight salaries while workmen get fancy overtime. The foremen deny that they are part of management in that they do not have the right to hire and fire. The position of such foremen is that they are real- ly white collar workers" in factor ies, caught in the freeze of wage stabilization.
 If these conditions were generally true, the case of the foremen might be easy to settle. but there do not i appear to be established rules for employment of foremen.
 Ford, which signed a contract with the Foremen's Association over a year ago and renewed it recently for another year, pays its foremen on an hourly basis, plus overtime. General Motors, as yet unaffected by the present disturbance, has a rule that foremen shall average at at least 25 per cent more than the average of the five highest paid men under their direction. Condi- tions in other plants vary but the range of pay is put at from $3,500 to $500 a year.
 What really complicates the sit- uation is the position taken by the auto industry through its Automo- tive Council for War Production: that foremen are a part of manage ment and that management cannot bargain with itself.
 By inference it is charged that the present organizing effort of the Foremen's Association of America Is an effort to put labor in control Of management. Management is prepared to fight to the finish.