Milford chronicle., 1946-02-08
Rotarians Get Low
Down On GM Strike
Continued from First Pager

al =
Finding Board. created witbont loo
lSIailNr authority by the President.
ms Board was appointed to in
qulfe INTO the circumstances inyoI-
yea IN the UAW-CIO demands
against General Motors and n
make recommendations related
thereto. u
ne President instructed the
fdct-Finding Board:
it is essential IN ., fuIGu
men OF us duty that the Board have
the authority, whenever it deems
II necessary, to examine the hooks
ol the employer.
Ability to pay is ALWAYS ono of
til' iarts relevant to the issue of an
increase in wages"
such action by the Board wouId
result IN political determination of
wage levels a vital business ouos-
lIoh 'lat is inter-related with costs.
prices profits. schedules and in
NeStmCntS.
oIl'lcal determination of wages
would involve a political dctcrmi-
/ Ha'lon OF the other factors and that
Wo'lId mean RECOMMENDATION. Thus.
/ me problem between GN and tho
! AN-ClO has been removed from
/ IN" area of collective BARGAINING II
mas been made Il national issue in
Noi'lh& government policy.
Htnefal Motors believes that only
'ne people Of the United States
SHouId decide what that policy is TO
/ be in the future.
oIhcial IAW-CIO Policy
In the October /. 1915. iseue of
the nlted Automobile Worker Of
HCla publication OF the Internation-
al mon. UAW-CIO, there was a
story reporting the official actions
vi lhe international Executive
h"dId al It's meeting in Flint. Mich.
on September 13. 1945. This story
contained the following two para
EfaphS' reproduced here verbatum:
Paragraph No. /
As has already happened with
N'udebaker. undoubtedly some cor
poFatlonS or plants will offer less
IMAM 80 per cent increases. for il is
S"hefalIy known that the industry
as Whole is prepared to give some
'hlhS. However. while such offers
can ne accepted (Outside of the test
cofporatlOnD. this can be ONLY done
win the stipulation that wages
shall be reOpened immpdiatnlv
based upon the results obtained in
IN" test. On no other basis than
TINS Will the International Union
permit less than 30 per cent to be
accepted"
Ihat paragraph states bluntlv
ana It requires no Interpretation TO
conclude that. by explicit order Of
tn" International Unions Execu-
tlV" Board the JAW:
Was officially committed to a pol-
Icy before negotiations with Cen
efal Motors even started that abso-
Iuteily prohibited its representa-
tlVeS from bargaining collectively
4 in good faith.
Paragraph No. :.
If the industry refuses to grant
this demand, one Of the Big Three
automobile manufacturing corpor-
dtlons will be chosen for test nego-
tlatlons by the International Union.
II that corporation refuses TO grant
our demands. the entire economic
strength of the milliOn-mcmhcr
AW-ClO will be pittcd against it,
This Will be done by applying ev-
cry form of pressure. All of our
members will work without stop
pages of any kind to enable the
other automobile manufacturers to
go as far as they can in capturing
the market from the struck cor
pOration"
Not only was the JAW officially
unable to participate in the col
Iective bargaining with good faith.
but its arbitrary position was
backed up
by the studied. planned and do
clarcd intention to invoke the mon
opOlistic powers of the UAW-CIO
to onforG an economic blockade
that would. if necessary. force the
corporation out of business.
1t has been in an atmosphere in
fluenccd by the existence of such
un-American policies that GM has
attempted to reach mutual accord
with the union representatives.
1t has become obvious to us that
wages are but a pawn in what the
CAW-ClO admits and boasts is a
test case a test case in mono
pGilStlc grab for power. the first
move to get its finger into the whole
tcld OF business management.
At The Crossroads
America is at the crossroads.
The issues involved are far
broader than those concerning Gen
rral Motors alone" These issues
might we'll he the Signal for the
beginning of the end OF the man
a2"mcnt Of private business by its
owners and the passing of such re-
sponsibility to ii political bureau
craCy.
That is what General Motors
faces.
It would begin with the larger
units of industry and eventually
pass down to embrace all in a regi-
.nentcd system.
1hat is what business, as whole.
faces.
The principal issues are:
|. Paying excessive wages ON a
Dasls or ability to pay. This is both
discriminatory and prejudicial to
one business unit as against an
o'hcr' ana to all business as 1t
whole.
:. Determination Of ability to
pay. This involves an appraisal of
an factors of a business as applied
10 ,he future. 1t has little to do
WIN the facts of the past.
.. Determination of wage rates
ny a political bureaucracy. This
would mean authority without re-
SpOnSibilitY.