Evening star., 1945-11-27
Fact-Finding Board
|WiII Seek 10 Settle
Oil Labor Dispute
By JAMES y. NEWTON.

SlHe government COQay prepared
to use fact-flnding in new attempt
to settle the long-standing oil in
dustry dispute while there were in
dications labor would turn thumbs
down on the proposal that the Ma
tional Labor Management Confer
ence indorse the public investigation
technique for handling important
industrial rows.
Secretary of Labor Schwellenbach
appointed three-man commission
to investigate the dispute between
major oil companies and the CIO
Oil Workers which led to strike and
Federal seizure last month of SO re-
fineries and pipe lines. The Navy
has operated the properties for the
past six weeks.
The fact-finding commission would
be composed of DR.. Frank p.
Graham, president of the University
of North Carolina; Otto Boyer, Ia
Dor relations adviser for the Mari
time Commission, IVA and other
agencies, and Paul De Liel, professor
of industrial relations at Stanford
University.
Oil Companies Not Happy.
The Labor Department said the
CIO union approved the fact-finding
idea, but the oil companies were not
happy over the suggestion. One big
company official said the idea was
forced on u.s. The strike resulted
from the workers demand for 30I
per cent higher pay. Some of the
companies offered Is per cent more
in basic pay to offset loss of over
time.
A top union leader said it was
unlikely there will be any accept
ance of fact-flnding" by the confer
ence's labor delegation. Manage
ment introduced an investigation
plan before the parley Executive
Committee yesterday and there will
be further discussions of it today.
Such Scheme was held to be the
only possible dispute-settling ma
chinery the conference could recon-
mend besides voluntary arbitration
for resolving differences over inter-
probation of contracts.
The management proposal called
for fact-finding boards to be set up
to investigate disputes that either a
Governor of a State or the Presi-
dent held to be threatening the
public interest. The President would
appoint the board where the COM
pany involved was engaged in inter-
state commerce.
Provides Cooling Off" Period.
The plan, proposed by M. w.
Clement, president OF Pennsylvania
Railroad and Endorsed by the entire
management delegation, provides
for a 50-day cooling of" period
without strike or lockout while the
investigation to bring out the facts
behind the dispute was taking place.
There would be To-day wait while
the board was being set up, 80 days
during the actual probe and another
10 days afterward.
Mr.. Clement in explaining the
plan reaff1rmed labor's ''inalienable |
right to strike The idea was re-
ferred to@the conference Big Six
Steering COMMITTEE for further
consideration. This group is COM
prised of the heads of the major |
labor and management organiza-
lions taking part in the conference
The labor official said the 50-day
waiting period would only be a help
to management and would weaken
labor's case by denial of the right
to strike, the only effective weapon
labor possesses.
Fears Little Response.
Fact-f1nding has worked out sue
cessfully for years In the railroad
industry, but the labor official said
general industry would not be as
responsive to the idea as the rail-
roads"
George M. Harrison, president of
the AFL Railway Clerks, has ad-
vanced an idea for a permanent
Government fact-finding agency toI
investigate all major disputes. But
management wants to keep the Gov
ernment out of it, and there was
small likelihood that other labor Of
ficials would approve such an ar
rangement.
Conference leaders continued their
efforts to close the meeting this
week. Secretary George w. Taylor
said plenary session would be held
by Thursday at the latest to consider
various proposals of working COM
mittees. Reports of some commit
tees, however, were slow in coming
to the Executive Committee.