Montana labor news., 1944-12-21
BY Federated Press

WAsHINGTON- (FP) Trough old Sc
well Avery chairman ofthe board Of
Ward & Co, wants to find
out whether he can flaunt his disregard
for the law and his personal hatred Of
unions in the face Of a nation at war
Avery got his first warming growls Dec
IA and is when the Natl war Labor
Board In swift and uncOmpromising
fashion demanded that Ward comply
fully with all provisions % the WIsB's
directives before Dec. Is.
WLB Chairman william H. Davis and
other members Of the board left no doubt
in anybody's mind that it viii promptly
recommend seizure OF the 2 ward
stores ana warehouses when the deadline
IS reached. There was no feeling that
Avery would change his position Of again
demanding federal seizure % his pro
perties.
The unions involved in the Ward
cases. 2 AFB affilates and Of the CIo
/ imternationals, appeared during the hear
iags and reported to the WLB that in no
/ instance has Ward complied with any
provision Of the directiges it issued.
/ with the Ward management deliber-
ately absenting itself from the hearing
after sending a telegram calling the WI.B
powerless to enforce its orders and
reiterating its position against granting
maintenance Of membership clauses the
full national WIB cracked down. It an
nounced there would be no further de-
lays after the deadline passed if Ward
failed to comply, although it viii permit
1 the company n report up to Dec ls on
the question Of compliance.
Thus Ayery's newest test Of power with
the U S. government came to a head
: This series started Dec. Q when Ward
workers in Detroit area stores walked
out in an effort to force compliance with
a Acc minimum wage order. The De-
throit workers are represented by the
United Retail Wholesale g. Dept. store
Employees CcrO).
AT the hearing Dec. is a total Of
lmore Ward cases Of Noncompliance were
/ heard These were the Denver and
Jamaica, N. " stores, where the workers
are also represented by the URW&DsE.
the San Rafael Cal store, in which the
Retail Clerks Natl Protective Assn. (AFL)
is the union involved. the ST. Paul, MINI
warehouse and mail order store, where
the workers have chosen the Intl Long
lshoremen's and Warehousemrn S Union
/ (CIO), and the Portland, Ore. store, with
the Inu. Bro. Of TeaInsters tAFI1 as the
bargaining agent, and Chicago, m, uRw
| &DsE.
The only strike thus far in the ward
picture is at Detroit, but Pres. Samuel
Wolchok OF the URW&DsE warned the
WLB repeatedly that he was prepared to
bring about am Economic shutdown of
the company if the union was not given
ireHef from Avery's continual ana de-
iberate sabotage Of It's directiyes
/ Atty. Douglas Hall Of the init. Long
Ishoremens g. warehousemen's union set
off a clash at the hearing when he told
the board that the workers in the st.
Paul store and warehouse were insisting
on compliance by Ward to every directive.
but there is no strike at st. Paul"
There Will be no strike, either, Hall
declared. we viii observe our no strike
pledge regardless OF provocation by the
company. We are looking to this Board
and the government to enforce the WLB
orders"
WIB Industry Member Walter T.
Margetts asked if there was any division
OF opinion between the unions WLB'
Labor Member Robert Watt OF the AL
replied that zone group here (HWU-
CIO) has said that no matter what hap
pens there will be no strike" Margetts
commented that Il think they ought to
be commended"
That brought Pres. WOlcllok TO his feet
saying: I'm sorry some people haven't
the backbone we have They change
their opinions every day They want
compliance, too, so in other words, they'G
like to ride on somebody else's back
This was an obvious slap at the MWU
for refusing to join the strike move
ment, and wolchok continued that I'VE
want compliance. If you (W1lB) let
Montgomery Ward get away with it, I'm
afraid you'll have your hands full"
After brief executive session. the
WIB reported it had adopted 2 resolu-
tions. The first reafiirmed its directiyes
to Montgomery Ward in the 6 cases and
the second ordered compliance by Dee.
1s. The orders apply TO all of the cases,
Continued on Page i6)