Evening star., 1946-11-14
Compromise Is Likely
In Mine Strike Threot
Lewis Believed Eager to Resume
Negotiations With Operators

Lewis Believed Eager to Resume
Negotiations With Operators
b. Dapid laurence
The John L. Lewis maneuver In the
| coal situation turns out to be q use OF
the strike threat against the Govern
ment as means Of forcing the admin y
istration to put pressure on the private
operators SO they win accept the return
Of the coal mines from the Goyern-
ment's possession under terms favorable &
to the miners union. aE
The union strategy appeared at one
time to be one Of pressure simply to &
force the Truman administration to re-s
open the miners contract lest the
miners vote be thrown TO the Repub-
lican side in the senatorial battles in
Kentucky and West Virginia and other
States.
But the administration stalled along
and didn't reopen the contracts, merely
promising to listen to argument as to
why they should be reopened. Also the
administration knew that the miners I
organization would not be willing to
risk violation Of the Smith, Connally !
law by permitting walkouts while the
coal properties are in the Governments
possession. ~
No Point In Showdown.
With the election over. however, there
was no point on either side in forcing O.
showdown on either the Smith-C Connallye
law or on governmental retention of the
| mines. So the initiative came from the
Government on plant take the mines
out Of Federal control and put them
back into the hands Of the private
operators.
This is about what the miners union ,
wants anyway. The union cannot bar
ment because Of the political embarrass-
ments that would fow from granting
further increases in wages to the miners.
Certainly Congress would not approve.
| Of such tactics. But If further increases
are approved by the private operators.
| this becomes matter as between the
| owners Of the mines and the union.
1t would not be surprising If the
whole negotiation turned out to be ~
compromise in which the chief OF the
| miners union makes concessions to the
| operators in ord9 that the mines may
be turned back to the latter and q
| start made on the functioning Of con-
tract for another year.
There's one thing John L. Lewis
knows about the use of the strike
weapon which isn't fully understood by.
some labor leaders and that's the timing
MIR. Lewis probably would never have
sanctioned strikes last autumn, but
would have preferred to wait till re-
conversion was further along.
In any event, the effort now is to get
new contract not as between the Gov
eminent and the miners union but as
between the coal operators and the
union, with the Government acting as
mediator. The leverage is on the side
of the operators, however, for If they
decline the terms offered, the mines re-
main in Governmental possession In
definitely under the law. II the union
starts strike, the demand viii come
for the prosecution of those who violate
the Smith -Connally law.
i Union Tires Of Control
\ The way out Is q contract between
i operators and unions to be achieved by
direct negotiations. It Is not believed
that the miners union relishes an in
definite prolongation Of Government
! control. especially since, with the COM
! ing Of new Congress, the emphasis
is likely to be on reducing rather than
increasing the power of labor unions
to tie up public Abilities or the sources
Of fuel.
The Truman administration no longer
has to fear political effects In an elec-
| tion, especially since the tide OF Repub-
lican victory is believed now to have
been based on a popular reaction
/ against labor union monopolies. The
coal miners union, for example, has
closed shop" throughout all the prin-
cipal mine fields. The agitation against
closed shops" is growing.
It will be noted that several States
either have adopted or are planning to
adopt amendments to their respective
constitutions barring CLOSED shops"
Also, in Great Britain recently the
closed shop" issue has aroused much
| controversy. The Trades Union Con-
gress Of Britain indorsed different
kind of CLOSED shop" from that
in the United States. Abroad the idea
is that all workers must belong to some
kind Of labor union, but no single labor
union is permitted monopoly in any
industry. The British concept makes
trade union afiliation for the individual
/ something on the order Of political af-
filiation, but does not grant monopolies.
| In fact, the British labor leaders
4 staunchly denied when they indorsed
their own report on the CLOSED shop"
that they entertained any notion Of
forcing on their country the American
brand Of CLOSED shop"
If the CLOSED shop" is broken down
In America, the Lewis hold on the coal
miners viii be broken, too. So with the
renewal Of agitation ON these matters.
it seems logical to assume that the
miners union would like to agree on
new contract and call . truce for
while, anyway.
1 (Reprcduction Rights Reserved)
No-Not LuteIy
From the Holyrood Gazette.
/ An artist was painting In the country.