The Waterbury Democrat., 1945-06-08

endless pickering which goes on when labor dispute is in the air knows how these things upset whole community.
 When a new labor contract comes up for negotiation ill San Francisco today and the demands of the unions are presented to the en- ployer. they are first tossed into the research department of the Employ CTS Council. Here staff of exper- fenced labor economists takes the demands and analyses them. Argu- ments are developed on each point it's merits and demerits and the case is prepared for management.
 The Council does not attempt to dictate labor policy for any en- ployer-member, but it does advise the employer on what demands are fair and just, what may lead to trouble, what should be resisted even to the point of accepting a strike to force settlement, what company labor practices should be changed to improve employe rela- tions.
 When the demands have been analysed in this manner. there is meeting between negotiators for the unions and the management.
 FORMALITIES,
 THEN BRASS TACKS
 This first meeting is pure window dressing. The demands are formally nrnCnntnH a reply is made for management This satisfies the union members that their demands have been given con- sideration. Then the business agent for the union and the negotiator for the Employers Council get down to brass Jacks.
 Negotiation for management is not carried on by the employer but by one of half-dozen staff negoti- ators employed by the Council. These negotiators are not lawyers, because usually the unions don't trust lawyers. Negotiators are just smart fellows with good personali- ties who have the knack of estab- fishing confidence with the unions and consolidating differences between employer and employees.
 So experienced have the San Francisco Employers Council nego- tlators become in the last five years that many times new contracts have been agreed to at the second meet ing. Sometimes negotiation is re- duced to less delay than that. A union business agent in presenting new demands vii say in effect, On this sheet or paper is what were asking for, but on this other sheet is what we'll take" If the what we'll take is satisfactory to management, the contract is signed then and there.
 Meetings between union agents and the negotiators are now held in the Employers Council offices in the San Francisco financial dis trlct. At first the unions objected to this meeting on enemy" territory, put It Is now accepted Sometimes the Council will have half a dozen negotiations going on in as many different conference rooms.
 FULL NOTES OF
 PROCEEDINGS KEPT
 No stenographic records are kept on any meeting, but negotiators make full notes which are always referred to in determining intent whenever any controversy arises from a grievance after the contract is signed. Servicing these contracts settling the disputes that inevit- ably arise in all labor relations provides one of the most useful functions the Conucil performs. Of equal importance is the job which the Council does in representing employers before the WLB, WING, NLRB, wage and salary stabilization units, and state labor agencies.
 In all this collective action for employers there is no intent to break the unions. The San Fran cisco Employers Council got over that when it realized the Wagner Act IS here to stay. But in taking lot of the brief of labor relations oil the neck of individual manage ment and reducing labor negotia- ton to sound business methods, col lective bargaining has been dignified and It Is now accepted by the unions