Evening star., 1945-11-17
ParIey Takes First
Constructive Step
Toward Labor Peace
BY JAMES Y. NEWTON.

The National Labor Manage
ment Conference took its first
constructive step today toward
the objective of charting way
to- industrial peace with the fl
ing of report calling for con-
citation and voluntary arbitra-
ton when employers and their
workers disagree over terms of
initial contracts.
The report, submitted to the par
ley Executive Committee, was made
by one of the six committees ex-
ploring ways of minimizing strikes
and. lockouts. 1t must be approved
by the Executive Committee and
then by the full conference before
1t becomes final.
Meantime, the issue of higher
wages continued to haunt the con-
ference. 1t appeared for while
late yesterday the controversial sub
ject might break up the parley. CIO
President Philip Murray, who con-
tends there can be no domestic
peace until the wage question has
been met squarely, accused manage
ment, the AFL and John L. Lewis
with attempting to dodge the issue.
Hot Three Hour Debate.
The whole question of interjec-
ton of wages into conference agenda
appeared worse Snarled than ever
before, following a hot three hour
debate in the Executive Committee.
Three separate resolutions were be-
fore the committee and these finally
were turned over to special COM
mittee to work out a compromise.
Mr. Murray refused to serve on the
new committee.
Mr.. Murray's resolution asking in
dorsement of higher pay within the
framework of President Truman's
policy of holding down prices has
been before the conference for some
time.
Management delegates introduced
? a new one proposing that the con-
ference mot consider national wage
policy" nor seek formulas to i'm
plement the wage policy announced
by the President reference to the
Truman statement that many in
dustries could raise wages without
price relief.
Management contended ability to
pay higher wages varied from COM
pany to company.
Utilize Collective Bargaining.
Collective bargaining should be
utilized, the industry document
stated, with full understanding
that when the facts necessitate de-
nial, genuine collective bargaining
does not require concessions which
either party may consider econom-
ically impossible or unsound.'
A management official said this
passage was applicable to situations
like that of the United States Steel
Corp, which has declined further
wage talks with the CIO until OPA
acts to give the steel industry higher
prices.
AFL President William Green OBJ
jected to the management resolu-
HACi1 o4tC1 44l N1u4 dy OllCIC Gu W
amend his suggestion, dropping ref
erence to the Truman wage policy
and substitute recommendation for
substantial wage boosts
Mr.. Lewis then submitted a COM
promise which said that scientific
advances and volume production will
lower retail costs and permit shorter
work weeks and higher pay.
Urges Six-Man Committee.
It was then that David Sarnoff
president of the Radio Corp. of
America, proposed that the issue be
resolved by special six-man COM
mittee, three members each from
management and labor This motion
carried, II to 3, with only the CIO
opposing. The committee will meet
this afternoon, presumably without
the CIO.
The Labor Departments Concilia- |
ton Service announced settlement /
in the past week of 62 strikes in
volving 26,600 workers During the
same period so new strikes involving
$4,000 employees were assigned to
conciliators, IL of which were settled
before the week ended.