The sub., 1945-03-03

differ as to the value of some pro- posed change, or reorganization in any phase of that relationship. Much of the fact-fnding ground work for the better elimination of those differences could be done by good Labor Management Com mittee sitting round the conference table. We have been able to ob- serve the actual effect of war time closer Labor Management relations, and its influence on production to the mutual advantage of both sides. and trusted by both sideS-Man- agement and Labor.
 A committee that will find out facts, weigh them, and make rec concentrations to both Management ,, and Labor with concise reasons given for their recommendations, with obligation on the part of neither Labor nor Management to accept such recommendations Your committee at the FEB tries to be completely impersonal, and also non-partisan. How successful it is | in performing these two difficult tricks depends on the personnel of the committee, and you must take the responsibility for the Labor members on that committee. The value of the work done will be in ratio to the amount of confidence and trust you have in your LM committee. In passing I would like l to suggest that one of the bargain ing group from Management, and also one from the Labor baraining group be on your LM Committee, so that they, the committee, does not infringe on the problems ac- tually up for bargaining; to prevent this it would seem to be necessary l to have some contact with the bargaining group. Let me try be- ing specific on this question of La- bor-M Management Committee work. hope I get wrong enough for someone to snipe at me; some one preferably who feels I am all wet. i. !. Here is typical case. l. Management decides on a lay-off policy to suit the submarine cut back. Part of this policy was the merit cards handed out to work CTS. do not believe that enough study was given to this, nor was the plan in conformity with some of the "musts" of the Safety Dept. If justice had to be done for all. For instance the people who played safe with minor injuries, by going to the first aid room, lost points, as against those who tinkered with such injuries themselves. Again, when the lay~off actually did take place, a cross section of all classes were laid off. This was also an injustice, and injustice always has effects that are very hard to meas ure.
 Assuming that the continual pro- gressive advances given workers during the past four years were just and fair, and that reliable rec ords were kept, we cannot blame the people in the yards for being suspicious of the card classification when 1t all seemed so completely unnecessary Some of the most skilled, because such are more in- dependent, pulled up stakes and got out. Then again, the. discard ing of seniority as the best yard stick to measure value in lay- off plan, had an additional morale destroying effect on the workers at the Electric Boat, besides low ering the rehiring status on the labor market of the Boat Co.,, in the event that this should be nec- essary for new work anticipated.
 Besides the question of justice, believe that good case can be made for returning. to something like the prewar ratio of skilled semi-skilled and unskilled person. nel so as to balance production with a reduced schedule of work
 where variety on the part of the worker is necessary. That prewa1 ratio did not just happen; it fitted the production schedules.
 I hope that raising this particu- lar case as an example will moi
 be construed as any desire on my part to differentiate between skilled and unSkilled. because nOth-