Detroit evening times. (Detroit, Mich) 1921-1958, 1944-02-24
NEWS
BEHIND
The NEWS
ByPauI.
Mallon

Ed ORS NOT J. -- Some
.o1Ar. Nation ToutstaHdTug
columns are being reprinted !
during his brief rest.
IF ANYTHING could have been
Il worse than the coal strike SET
Element. il was the railroad
settlement, but worse than both
together, is the steel strike
trouble coming up.
Steel unionlSt Phil Murray
already IS preSSurlng the War
Labor Board and the White
House FOR another wage in
crease.
This is a campaign year and
he knows A. Unless he gets
something. he practically says
he viii lose the Go 10 John
Lewis. anti the White House
would sooner lose the building
and fixtures to Dewey than TO
allow that
But how TO do il? Up to now
old doctor "Win-the-War' twho
has replaced doctor New DeaD
has been getting around his own
Little StectwagC prescription
increasing wages more than II
allows by especially concocted
devices such rs more overtime
allowances. vacations with pay,
but chiefly by rcclaSsifications.
DRESSURING behind Murray
Il are a national array Of
unions ShipbuilderS. textiles,
automobiles, aircraft, aluminium,
radio. shoes and a half dozen
others with similar wage in
crease demands b eyeR q the
Little Steel formula.
On an average. / think these
unions have received from > 10
10 per cent above the formula,
chiefly by upgradlng.
But this. of course. is never
discussed aloud. Only the base
pay rate is used in arguments
and official papers. The reclaSSl-
ficationS being mentioned OBJ
scurely, if at all, and never IN
such way Thai nX=nne lex
Cept the particular union-lnduS-
trial wage experts involved can
figure how much actual increase
these amount 10.
WHAT is likely TO make the
w trouble is that the unions
have discovered the more recall
citrant and troublesome they
arr, the more they are apt TO
get
The zeal miners got Sits a
day increase from the govern
ment, few hectic months after
they would have taken 81 %
from the operators
The operating railroaders won
II cents an hour increase. a few
Troublesome weeks after eco
nomic SiabiliZer VinSon decreed
s cents would be inflationary.
They also have discovered
they can get more by needing
their way straight up 10 Mr..
RooseveltS desk. rather than
playing along with Vinson or
the War Labor Board.
My guess is the way Nh.
Roosevelt will get around it this
time is 10 let his Davis commit
tee concoCt some new devices
allowing steel al least 10 get an
other hike, probably less than 10
cents.
This is the committee APP
pointed 10 look into the official
labor buerau statistics on the
cost OF living
MY INFORMATION is il has
AN not been meeting frequently
OF late, although members run
into each other in government
corridors and some times iok-
ingly ask if any Instructions
have been received as to what
they are to do.
Statistics, of course. can be
adjusted to fit practically any
needs, political or economic.
All YOU have 10 do is 10 weigh
your figures with more Of some
food items and less of others
(giVe them more consideration
in your calculations and VOLTA,
a Is per cent increase in cost
of living can become 20 per
cent-legitimately and provably.
From the way tn ings are
going. the unions and the gov
eminent will play around on the
front pages with strife and fan
fare a while Yet until il becomes
apparent upon what basis a set
Element is possible. h en- the
Davis committee would com o
long and say the statistics
show the settlement should be
made on that basis. How else7
In fact. how can such con-
Stantly whirling confusion be
avoided with a p,olitic'al | V
minded pro-union government
trying 10 fix every detail Of
wage rates IN campaign year?
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