Evening star., 1945-08-05

the way to industrial peace, but persons
close to him say he no longer has real
expectation that it can be put to work
And yet it was only when the AFL
and the CIO sat down together recently
that the most troublesome and largest
strikes of the recent epidemic were
solved. The conflict there was a juriS-
dictional dispute between the Detroit
AFL building trades and the CIO auto
mobile workers over who should be
employed in maintenance work and
installation of machinery in automobile
plants converting to civilian production.
After three weeks Assistant Secretary
of Labor Daniel w. Tracy got interna-
tional officers of the unions around a
table here and worked out the plan of
settlement. The strikers went back to
work under the status quo as it existed
when the strike began. A committee
of six was formed in Detroit-three
members from each of the contending
union groups-to adjust jurisdictional
controversies as they arose. In the
event of failure of the Detroit commit
tee to agree, future disputes are to be
referred to a similar committee of in
national union officers sitting in
Washington, with Tracy serving, tenn
porarily at least, as the seventh and
impartial member.
Tracy is hopeful that similar COM
mittees can be set up to deal with
the problem in other cities, but so far
Detroit stands alone. The program
cannot be extended until the arrange
ment there has been ratified by the
international executive boards of the
unions concerned
Explosive Possibilities.
In the transitional process there has
been not only the intensified rivalry be-
tween the CIO and AFL unions but the
stimulus given to leaders of both un-
ions, within their own groups, to justify
the union to its members, to show what
the union can do to help him solve the
problems that confront him. This has
led to more militant action by union
leaders than they would otherwise have
adopted, and has encouraged a more
intransigent attitude on the part of
employers. Labor leaders do not doubt,
also, that some employers have taken
advantage of layoffs and cutbacks to
rid themselves of their more aggressive
union workers. Labor calls this union
busting" Management's term is
tightening up plant discipline"
1t all adds up to a nasty situation
with explosive possibilities. The danger
is recognized by Government, by in
dustry, by labor Each has put forward
proposals to deal with the problem.
Secretary Schwellenbach, whom busi-
ness men recognize as not only pro-
labor" but "pro-public," told the writer
he thought the first immediate steps
should be revision of the Governments
wage policy to maintain the purchas-
ing power of the worker, and strength
ening the United States Employment
Service so that displaced war workers
can be shifted with as little friction as
possible to the job opportunities which
await them.
He wants to reshape the Labor De-
partment. integrating the various
bureaus which operate within it Ito
make it real department" and then
to bring into the department the multi
plicity of agencies dealing with labor
problems which function now outside
the department.
MY only hope he said, lis that I
can get the department strong enough
soon enough so that it can WELD real
influence in maintaining industrial
peace. That's vital. I don't care who
you are, conservative or liberal, work.
er or employer, you have just got to
have industrial peace in this country.
Industrial strife is no good to any
body"
Lukewarm to Benefits.
Congress now has before it Presi-
dent Truman's proposal to liberalize un-
employment compensation benefits dur
ing the reconversion period, providing
S25 week for 26 weeks for those en-
titled to the maximum set by present
State laws.
Pending also are the Murray full en-
ployment bill, the Wagner Murray
Dingell bill to expand social security
benefits, and the Ball-Burton-H Hatch
bill to rewrite the basic industrial rela-
tions law, but these are long range
programs on which there will be ex-
tensive hearings and debate. None of
them could be passed in time to deal
with the current problem.
1t is generally accepted that there
will be, before long, revision of the
Little Steel formula, which sought to
restrict wartime wage increases to the
IS per cent cost-of-living increase be-
tween January, 1941, and May, 1912.
Director of War Mobilization and Re-
conversion Fred M. Vinson, soon to be-
come Secretary of the Treasury, has
recommended upward adjustments in
wage rates to compensate for decreases
in take-home pay caused by shorter
hours. The prospect is that these ad-
justments will tend to approach, but
will not attain the level of take-home
pay achieved in the lower work week.
If the National Association of Man.
ufacturers is to be taken as the spokes-
man for business, its program is that
the country's productive machinery
should be able to keep everybody at
work if it is freed from restraints which
NAM President Mosher expressed in
these words:
"You canot snare 1t with time-waSt-
ing red tape and er-governmental
edict.
"You cannot load 1t with taxes and
financial brakes beyond a certain point