Evening star., 1946-02-21
Motors Bargaining
Seen as Poker Come
Both Sides Are Still Bluffing on
Demands, Writer Believes
By David Laurence

By David Laurence
The public is left to guess just why
the negotiations between the represent
atives of the auto workers unions and
OF the General Motors Corp. are pro-
ceeding so slowly that Federal Mediator
James F. Dewey is urging-though un-
successfully - both sides to speed
them UP.
Motivating both sides doubtless is the
same sparring for position or jockeying
for advantage which makes the word
bargaining" more than a mere ex-
change of views when the present-day
process OF collective bargaining is being
carried on. 1t is game of trading.
1t used to be that the unions would
insist on injecting all sorts of demands
which they knew were unpalatable to
employers, and they would discuss these
first. Finally, when the wage demands
were taken up, it was possible to trade
OH the unpalatable demands for some
compromise on wages. Almost invariably
management found itself caught in the
dilemma of trying to end work stop
In the end many of the demands made
Tor bargaining or trading purposes were
Withdrawn by the unions or had to be
accepted as the price of a settlement
the moment wage scales were out of
the way
Situation Reversed.
Management, on the other hand. all
most never had anything to propose
except wage scales and a negative an
swer to other demands. Today the situ-
alton has changed. 1t begins to look as
II General Motors and the auto workers
could agree very quickly on wage scales
only a cent an hour separates the two
positions-but the automobile company
is apparently not too anxious, or maybs
does not want to appear too anxious, to
settle the negotiation by Withdrawing
some OF its other demands.
Hence the situation is somewhat ths
reverse OF what used to happen 1t is
the management side which has at last
discovered that it can make demands
and even request the elimination of con-
cessions it has granted in previous con-
tracts.
Apparently most of the employers In
the auto industry in Detroit feel that
unauthorized strikes" and encroach-
ments on the management function by
means of "slowdowns" and other inter-
ferences with production present so Sc
rious a situation as to require explicit
treatment in union contract.
Maintenance of membership Is an
other type Of concession made in previ-
Gus contracts as result of the orders
Of the National War Labor Board and
not as a consequence of collective bar
gaining. 1t appears that the employers
who granted the maintenance OF mem
bership clauses have learned not to
regard this issue as settled any more
than the unions consider any part of
working rules or working conditions
permanently settled, but subject to re-
view whenever a contract is up for
renewal.
Will Prolong Stoppages.
This tendency to trade off and bar
gain on the rules governing working
conditions will not accelerate settle
mentS, but will prolong work stoppages,
1t Is an inevitable development, how
ever. until each side begins to have full
respect for the viewpoint of the other.
The temptation of some labor leaders
is to assume that management will
succumb to anything in order to get
production resumed. Likewise, there
are some employers who underestimate
the staying powers of unions which have
already suffered losses in a prolonged
work stoppage.
The task of the media tor under such
circumstances is doubly difficult. Mr..
Dewey, who has had long experience
in endeavoring to bring labor and man.
agement together, is patient person.
His demand that each side bring to the
meetings a written statement of their
positions is due to a recognition of the
sparring technique in which both sides
are indulging.
Meanwhile. the public interest suffers
as the auto strike drags on. 1t may well
be, however, that the full story of what
has been happening behind the scenes
will some day be told, and 1t will be
apparent then that collective bargain
ing has educated both labor and man.
agement more than ever in the bluffing
techniques of poker playing.
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