Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1944-06-13
FAIR
ENOUGH
BY Westbrook
PeeIer'

MEME Is a proposal In Com
= gress to pay $50 a week to-
production workers during lay.1
offs. or reconversion period.
and additional grants for their
dependents. Aside from the fact
that a great many of these peo-
pie have been receiving the
highest pay of their lives with
multiple pay in many families,
and were presumed to be saving
a portion of it in war bonds for
the very purpose OF tiding them
over the slack period when pro-
duction tapers off, there is an
other important issue to con-
slider.
Probably the ma jority OF these
workers have done as well a.
they could under the conditions
governing their effort. Lack OF
material has, at times. retarded
production and incompetent and
even bad management have
been a drag. But there is abso-
lutely no doubt that many who
would qualify for recognition
and reward out of the public
treasury and at the future ex-
pense OF good citizens, including
returned fighting men. have
earned nothing but the con-
tempt of the rest of the people.
THE recent sit-in strike OF the
Il Brewster airplane factory
workers when the plant was
about to close. emphasizes
particularly mean case. The
navy, itself, made a mess Of the
Brewster project and the man
agement was bad from the
beginning. But, by some psyche
logical freak, this project at
tracted a large aggregation OF
ostensible workers bitterly de-
scribed by an officer OF one Of
the armed services in highly
uncomplimentary terms.
When there was work to bel
done they wouldn't work. When|
navy fliers needed planes they
stalled their days away, loafing.
gossiping. smoking in the rest
rooms, whistling out the win
dows, sleeping on the job and
striking over trivialities. The
boss of their union, calling him.
self De Lorenzo and various
other names. defied the army
TO draft the bucks among the
sordid buns of his loyal, per-
sonal following and got away
with it because he was making
up the recommendations for de-
ferments and presenting them
to selective service through the
company's office. He told the
army and navy to 60 to hell and
when one Of the armed guards
in one Of the plants. who, him.
self. had 10 belong TO De Lor-
enzo's union. reported a bum for
spending seven hours in the
gents room in two days. the
union suspended him for con-
duct unbecoming a union man
and kept him idle indefinitely
by the device OF refusing to
hold a trial OF the charges.
T>HE evil disposition, persona
l. fled by De Lorenzo himself,
infected others who were ex-
tremely sensitive TO infection
and the spirit spread through
out the job. employing as many
as 10000 men and women at
high wages. Those who might
have wanted 10 do a decent
days work for reasons of per-
sonal decency. were stopped.
This was a rotten plant and the
record of the staff as a whole
is disgrace. deserving not re-
ward but reproach. The loaferr
even developed a grapevine to
pass the word from unit to unit,
when inspectors dropped in Sd
that the sleepers could be-
reused and the loafers lolling on
the window stills and on the
floors against the walls could
have time TO drag their weary
frames erect and make a pre-
tense OF backing UP those brave
fighting lads TO whom some OF
their leaders talked so senti-
mentally in their hooking repe.
tition OF the celebrated mo
strike" pledge of William Green
and Phillip Murray.
THERE is a large printed
i record of all the evidence
in this particular case for the
guidance of Congress in de.
Gliding on any plan for recon-
version pay. Such a plan would
call for selection and discrim-
nation lest the Stacker be re-
warded like the best but justice
demands that the effort be made
in all cases. If selection has
been fair and feasible in picking
men to fight under the draft
law. the same system should be
used in this new process lest the
sentimental word. equality" be
invoked to establish a rule by
which the worst share alike
with the best.
Brewster is a conspicuous
and outrageous case hut IL il