Evening star., 1946-07-18
Typos Pose Question:
Is Bargaining Farce?
Costly Demands Seen Blow to
Legitimate Trade Unionism
Bv David Layrence

By David Lascrence
Right under the nose of President
Truman and the Congress Of the United
States, a labor union-which, incident-
ally, claims to be the oldest in America,
having been founded in 18I5-has in
advertently posed the question Of
whether collective bargaining nova
days isn't really farce
This organization - the Columbia
Typographical Union No. 101-has just
presented to the employing commercial
printers of Washington set of de-
mands amounting to an increase Of
about 100 per cent in weekly wages.
These demands, which it is under
stood are to be duplicated in other
cities, were decided upon before the
Presidents OPA veto, so they can hare
ly be called an aftermath of the OPA
controversy. Nor can it be said that
the union lacks mature leadership or
experience in bargaining, for it has been
in existence l31 years.
Included in Demands.
The demands include the following:
/. Three weeks vacation at double
time rates of pay.
2. WorkWeek reduced to IS hours or
five days of hours each. Hourly rate
increased from $1.53 to So.
g. Overtime pay at the rate of S6
an hour-namely, at double pay
4. All holiday work to be paid for at
triple pay-nameiy, SO an hour.
). Weekly pay raised from $57 to
s105 for day shift and from $6322 to
S11550 for night shift.
g. Sick leave to be 80 working days
with pay.
Z. Contract to last for 80 days only
that is, it can be reopened as to wage
rates on 80 days notice, and if new
rate is not agreed on in 80 days the en-
tire agreement can be terminated by the
union.
"Foreseeable Costs?
This is hardly such an arrangement
as the Presidents director. of reconver-
sion referred to in his recent report
when he said management should be
able to operate with 'foreseeable costs"
Also, it is to be noted that under the
program advanced by the union in ques-
ton, fully one-fifth of the working time
in year is to be compensated for by
the employer even though he gets no
production in return.
Under the Wagner Act decisions
rendered by the National Labor Rela-
tions Board, the employer who has
recognized a union cannot discuss the
matter of pay with his own employees
during the course of a negotiation with
out being subjected to the risk Of hav-
ing an unfair labor practice" charge
leveled against him by the union.
Hence, if an employer finds the pro-
posals of union onerous and that
they mean he may be forced out of
business, he cannot say this to his en-
ployes without opening himself to liti-
cation under Wagner Act charge of
threat" or intimidation"
Thus, the employers who cannot meet
the conditions proposed must decide
for themselves whether to liquidate or
sell their businesses to larger opera
tors. This means that small businesses
can be readily swallowed up by big
businesses. 1t means, also that there is
no free competition as between union
members and citizens who wish to work
at lower scales and who do not care to
join unions. The unions, moreover, con-
troll the conditions under which ap-
prentices may be hired and the length
of time they must work before they can
do the work of regular printers. In the
case of this union the apprentice period
Is six years.
Monopoly Control.
No more conspicuous example of mo-
nopoly control can be found among
labor unions than that which IS now
being exercised in the contracts of some
of these typographical unions.
The trend is toward putting many
employers out of business and increasing
the cost of printing so that publications
and printed matter will be much too ex-
pensive for vast number of organiza-
tions which themselves are not engaged
in profit making. Church publications,
fraternal magazines, welfare books and
even labor union periodicals will have to
pay the hipher costs or diminish their
scope of operation.
President Truman had an opportunity
to secure fair play for the American
consumers when he vetoed the Case bill.
The situation produced by the Washing
ton printers means that the employer
must discuss preposterous demands and
be kept in a protracted period Of uncer-
tainty lest he be accused under the
Wagner Act of refusing to bargain in
good faith.
The collective bargaining privilege is
thus being abused. Many persons who
hitherto have thought labor unions
would see the handwriting on the wall
and consent to adoption of workable
amendments to the law insuring fair
play. now are coming to believe that the
drive must be to repeal and rewrite
the Wagner Act altogether. This senti-
ment is being provoked by extremists in
labor circles, and the International
Typographical Union, which undoubted-
ly is behind the National Capital unions
drive, is plainly forgetting that it may be
doing a serious disservice to collective
bargaining and the cause of legitimate
trade unionism.
Reproduction Rights Reserved)
And Many Lesser Crimes
From the St. Lous-Post Dispatch
FBI Chief J. Edgar Hoover saws the