The daily monitor leader. [volume] (Mount Clemens, Mich.) 1942-19??, 1944-04-07
. BEHIND THE SCENES
IN WASHINGTON .

eTS dSSu1ltu tlldl TIE II celuciiN
seven point sterilization pro-
gram of the previous April
would be carried out in full,
meaning that profits, prices, the
cost Of living and salaries would
be stabilized, as we'll as wages.
Also, they assumed that Con-
gress would enact a realistic tax
program.
II is the contention of the
Steelworkers that Congress did
not carry out its part of the sew
en- point program. II refused to
put a $4,000 limit on salaries.
1t did not provide rightly of
farm prices that would keep
down the cost of living. It's tax
program provided first for the
Ruml plan which gave a tax
windfall to the wealthy and sec
ond for a carryback return of
corporation taxes giving two
year guarantee Of profits when
ever operations OF the steel
companies should drop to a
break-even point or below.
AVERAGE Sl.14 AN HOUR
On Jan. l, l943, the policy
committee of the Steelworkers
union-the presidents of some
500 local unions-met in Pitts
burgh and determined to seek a
wage adjustment. Since the
start of the war, steelWorkerS
had had one wage increase OF
5l7 cents an hour, granted un-
der the Little Steel formula.
This brought their average
straight time rate to 81 ,06 an
hour, the average earnings, in
Guiding overtime, to Sll4 an
hour.
On Jan. 7, President Phil
Murray of the SteelWorkers re-
turned to Washington and in an
evening session at the home of
WLB Chairman William n.
Davis, Murray told Davis that
the Steelworkers intended to at
tack the Little Steel formula
without attacking the stabiliza-
ton law.
Davis told Murray that he
would welcome the presentation
Of the SteelWorkers argument
and expressed the wish that he
could resign MS Craftsmanship of
the board so as TO sit on a panel
which would hear the ease-Al-
so, that the only way that such
a case could be presented to the
War Labor Board was by regu-
lar proceSsing-that is, the UNI
ion would have to 60 through
collective bargaining with the
steel companies and have their
case certified to the Board in
case they were unable to reach
an agreement directly.
The SteelWorkers took months
in preparing their case, and in
cidentally, let the coal and rail
wage cases take precedence. On
Dec. they made demands for
II cents an hour increase and
gave 80 days notice Of cancella-
ton of existing and continuing
wage agreements.
AIM AT ANNUAL
WAGE GUARANTEE
Negotiations between the steel
companies and the union began
on Dec. Ia and ran for two
weeks. On Dec. % the union
demand for retroactive pay on
any agreement that might be
reached was denied by the War
Labor Board, but was reconsid-
cred two days later. On Dec. 81,
Murray disclosed that he, was al
so negotiating for an annual
wage guarantee.
One argument on the annual
wage guarantee is that since the
steel companies are guaranteed
income by cutbacks from cor
poration excess profits provi-
sions of the tax law, they can
afford to guarantee the income
of their employees.
When negotiations reached a
stalemate, the steel companies
requested certification of the
case to the War Labor Board on
Jan. II, and hearings before a
panel are now in progress, will
go on for weeks.