Arkansas State press., 1944-11-24
WNU Service, Union Trust Building
Washington, d. c.
The lid Is off!


Four days before election the
ticker, iammed with campaign
speeches, paused long enough to
announce the strike of the Mechan-
les Educational eiety in 20 Detroit
plants. There hadn't been much
strike news for some time and this
item stuck out like a sore thumb.
The reason there had not been
much strike news was not because
there were not plenty of strikes -
three weeks before election they
were bobbing up at the rate of 400
month; 10 a day were being re-
ported to conciliatars in the labor
department and that didn't include
the strikes against the decisions of
the national war labor board, itself
The reason why this bulge in the
walk-out record wasn't in front Of
the reading public's nose was be-
cause both parties were taking par
ticular care not to say anything
that might look as If it were criti-
cism of a kind that would ALLEVIATE
the labor vote
Now, as l remarked, the lid is Off.
But this is only a sample Of what
Is going to happen when Germany
callapses Washington expects when
that otherwise happy day comes, it
will have to face the job Of
dammiaB a veritable faod Of labor
problems. Ard that fioed, many Of
the insiders believe. viii iaundate
the labor board ana probably have
the effect Of sweeping it into the
discard.
Two things badly threaten the
boards future One Was the private
walkout Of the AL members who
simply announced they would not sit
In ON any decisions en- wage raises
until the board bad handed down
a decision on the Little Steel wage
formula. That was one blow Any
decision on Little Steel, itself, win
be another. .
The board knows it is facing
dilemma on that subject.
Although decision in favor Of
Little Steel Chat is, breaking the
wage ceiling and giving the steel
workers an increase to meet what
the unions declare is a rise in the
standard of living would satisfy the
steel workers it would start whole
series of demands for increases In
other fields.
II, on the other hand, the board
refused to adjust the Little Steel
formula upward, it would have to
face strike in the great steel in
dustry.
That dilemma is gruesame enough
but not too far away Is another
problem which will arise when Ger
many collapses and the govern
ment war contracts are sharply cut
back.
When this happens there are
number OF companies which are
called "fy-by-night" by some labor
officials because their only reason
for income Is from war orders and
their chief reason for existence is
the part they play in the war effort,
q part which will not have to be
played when Germany quits. In any
case, it is freely predicted that
there will be strikes in these plants,
encouraged, aided and abetted by
the employers in the hope that their
factories viii be seized by the gov
eminent. They may have no further
excuse for functioning but there is
a possibility that if the government
takes them over they can collect
something through damage suits
thereafter.
This creates a very difficult prob
lem. AS you know, when the war
labor board hands down decision
its function ends. There is no legal
means of enforcing this decision and
If it Is not complied with, the only
recourse of the board is to pass the
buck to the White House. If an APP
peal from that source proves futile,
the government has to take over the
plant,
Now already the caution has been
sounded to the board to be very cir
cumspect hereafter in passing the
buck to the White House in such
cases. This is the reason: II the
White House accepts all Of these
employer encouraged strikes and
the government takes them over
1t may find itself owning boards Of
useless businesses and facing years
Of litigation.
II, on the other hand. the White
House refuses to act, the board