The Daily Alaska empire. [volume] (Juneau, Alaska) 1926-1964, 1944-01-14
Home-Front Retreat
washington POST

Avoidance of a railroad strike appears to be GER
tainty with two brotherhoods acceptance of the
Presidents offer to arbitrate the dispute. 1t may
be taken for granted that this procedure would not
have proved acceptable without some assurance that
the issues will be compromised Doubtless new
suberfuge is in the making For the deporable fact
about the railway wage disputes is that they have
reached stage where no settlement be brought
within the four Of existing sterilization policy
The President faced by the choice of making
concessions taking the railroads. And even
that choice more apparent than real for II the
railroads had been taken over, the issue of wage
increase for their employees would have been only
postponed and not solved.
Indications of a compromise were strong before
the unions accepted the Presidents offer arbtrate
the dispute. Indeed the carriers reported to
have offered the operating brotherhoods general
increase of cents hour at the suggestion Of the
President That is twice the sum recommended by
the emergency board which studied this dispute
twice the approved by Sterilization Director
Vinson. Settlement of the controversy on that basis
would be indirect violation of the Little Steel
formula But this generous proposal TO breach
the anti-nflaton line in behalf of railway workers
had been rejected by the brotherhoods. Having fresh
evidence that the President would yield to avoid a
strike they presented other excessive demands which
could not possibly be met without abandoning all
pretense of holding the line against initiation.
BY these negotiations with the operating brother
hoods. moreover the President virtually forced the
incorporating unions to order strike. OF the two
groups, the incorporating unions had been the more
patient and reasonable An emergency board had
recommended 8-cents- hour increase for them
and they gained the impression from conference
with the President that he approved of it. Even
when Judge Vnson dsapproved this settlement, they
went to Congress to have it validated instead of
striking But when the President took up the railway
crisis this week he began the of the operating
brotherhoods who had set their strike for December
30 These brotherhoods threatening to strike
against the recommendations of emergency board
When they given preference at the White House
in spite of these facts, the incorporating unions
forced to conclude that threats pay
The unacceptable fact is that this has been
bungled by the Government from the beginning
Instead of meeting the issue squarely through one
agency with full authority to act, the Administration
had given the unions the run-around One agency
record behind it, there not much left for the
Administration to do but to cut through the present
confusion and try to start again sounder basis
1t should certainly be evident by that no line
be held against initiation if the Government itself
does not act unit and if the President repeatedly
ntervenes to cloud or upset the decisions of officials
to whom the stabzation powers have been entrusted
So we hope the President will follow up arbitration
of these disputes by adopting a systematic
procedure for handling adjustments of this sort
they arise.