Evening star., 1946-11-13
Report Urges
D. {. 10 Set Up
Bureau !.
; Steps Requested
In Survey by Council
Of Social Agencies

Labor In the District Government is
recommended In q social survey re.
port by the Council Of Social Agen.
cies made public today.
The social survey Is sponsored by
the Council of Social Agencies
financed by an appropriation from
the Community War Fund.
The survey charged the adminis-
tration Of labor legislation In the
District lis scattered and unco-or-
dinated;- that there Is widespread
duplication Of service leading to con-
fusion and to unnecessary costs; that
management, labor and the COM
muntty in general are deprived of
the services a well-administered
and centralized department would
provide.
It recommended that legislation be
drafted and introduced in Congress
to consolidate and centralize the ad-
ministration of all labor agencies
now under the District government.
Full-Time Director.
The Department should be admin.
issered by q full-time director an.
pointed by the President and re.
sponsible to the Commissioners, the
report said. The director would be
responsible for the enforcement of
all labor laws. and provisions should
be made for legal division and q
division Of research and statistics
which would serve the business and
labor groups Of the community, 1t
added.
The report made by the Labor.
Management Committee said the alb.
sence OF an organization in the Dis.
trict representing both labor and
management, to consider labor IMAM.
agement problems has been a factor
preventing both sides from coming
together to consider their mutual
problems and promoting the welfare
Of the community.
The time to start establishing a
cooperative approach to the solu-
ton OF labor-management problems
Is now, the report said, and warned
that efforts to weaken labor organi-
zationS only make them more mill.
tant.
Steps Recommended.
As a step In this direction the
committee recommended:
!. That permanent labor man.
agement committee be established
by mutual agreement of represent
atives OF employees and organized
labor in the District.
2. That the Commissioners of the
District be asked to invite the lead
ing organizations of industry and
labor to send Representatives to a
conference to work out plans for
such o Acknowledgment commits
tee and that the Commissioners in
vite a public representative, prefer
ably member of the courts. to
serve as chairman Of the confer
ence. as8
8. That the conference formu-
late a constitution or charter for
the labor-rnanagement committee.
defining its functions, duties, objec-
tives and structure, including the
number Of representatives on the
committee, method Of selecting an
impartial chairman, the manner
and method for participating in
labor-management difficulties and
disputes and financing the work Of
the committee.
The survey said it was convinced
that peace and order In labor reIa-
tions cannot be achieved or MAIN
tanned by drifting as has been the
situation In the past.
Tells Of Survey Difficulties.
In making the survey Mrs. Mary
g. Kovner, the technician, said she
started working in an atmosphere
OF suspicion and mistrust. AS the
survey progressed, however, she said
she found representatives of man.
agement and labor more willing to
discuss their problems and admit
some new approach was needed in
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT reaction. She
said the topics upon which labor
and management agreed vastly out.
numbered their differences.
The report points out that WASH
ington Is not an industrial CITY and
Is not strongly unionized commu.
nifty. The Board Of Trade survey
made last year was quoted as say
ing there are 489 manufacturing
firms employing more than $4,000
workers in Metropolitan Washing
ton, showing that washington is
primarily a city of service trades and
small business.
The ratio of Federal workers to
other workers moved from one to
four In 1900 to approximately one
TO one during the war period. The
best available estimate, the report
states, is that the ratio In the near
postwar period will be one Federal
worker to two other workers.
The dominant Federal force the
report says, also means that the bulk
Of Washington industry is satellite
TO Government employees and take
the form Of service trades. Outside
Of the broad category of service in
the only other large en-
pioying groups are construction and
manufacturing (printing and pub-
fishing comprises more than one
third OF the latter), it is pointed out.
Strikes Local In Origin.
Despite this condition the report
says, Washington has not been free
from strikes. The strike facts dis
close that the overt tensions which
arise in labor management relations
here are limited to local solution
within the community, the report
said. The strikes are local in origin
and most frequently from disputes
involving renewal Of contract, 1t
added. Therefore, 1t Is pointed out
that local solution Is possible, but
at present there are no established
techniques or institutions for dis.
charging this community RESPONSE
bility.
washington has no labor de-
partment as do 81 States the survey
said. Neither do the District Com
have the assistance of q
labor relations advisor as do the
Mayors Of many large cities. There
are several laws on the statute books
regulating employer r-employe rela-
tions, but their administration Is
decentralized. = The survey says
there Is no place in the city where
one can 60 for information concern