Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1946-03-08
Bitter Coal Pact Fiqht
Seen in Recognition
OF Foremen S Union
By jones Y. Newton

Uy SUUC9 - NSWtUV
John L. Lewis today had won
his long fight for Government
recognition Of his union of coal
supervisory employees, although
: the decision promised to intensi-
fly the fight over the foremen's
issue when negotiations for q
new soft coal wage agreement
begin here next week.
The National Labor Relations
Board, in a 2-to-l decision, ruled
that Mr.. Lewis United Clerical
Technical and Supervisory Union is
appropriate for collective bargaining
purposes under the Wagner Act and
that mine supervisory employees are
, free to join it.
BY the decision, NLRB extended
full rights of the Wagner Act to all
p supervisory employees. In earlier
rulings the board had recognized
the bargaining rights of independ-
ent foremen's unions. The coal ruI-
ing was the first time the board had
extended recognition to a group of
supervisory employees affiliated with
a production union. The coal group
is part of the United Mine
Workers.
Operators to Fight Ruling.
Soft coal operators Immediately
indicated they would contest the
foremens issue in court. Mr.
Lewis already had stated clearly
that it would be a major issue in
Forthcoming contract negotiations.
Last fall several hundred mines
were closed for a month when the
operators refused recognition of the
supervisory employees.
Meanwhile, the Wage Sterilization
Board released a statement in
tended to clarity the new wage
price policy. In it the board steered
clear OF setting a national paw pat
tern, but outlined yardsticks de-
signed to be helpful to industry and
labor in the coal negotiations and
IN settling general uncertainty over
wage matters.
WSB put its policy Qualification in
eight points, providing that there
oshpll be neither a floor nor a ceiling
on wage adjustments, but that "spe-
cial circumstances" will be taken
into account, and that wage in
creases made by dominant" COM
=panies will be recognized as industry
patterns.
- Wage Patterns Established.
Seven of the eight points cover
board policy in establishing wage
patterns for industries or local labor
market. areas, on the basis of, in
creaseS made or recommended by
Government agencies last August II.
1945, and February IA, 1916.
The eighth point establishes a
standard of gross inequities, ;"
through which the board intends to
set the equivalent of patterns for
industries or areas where wage
questions developed after February
IA. That is the date the admins
tration's revised wage-price policy
was issued.
The guides established by the
WSB for employers and unions in
clude:
The board does not recognize a
single national wage pattern but,
instead, will consider various pat
terms developed in industries and
localities during the six-month post
VI period.
The amount of wage increase
made in this period will INDICATE
the boards probable decision On a
pattern. Rate level comparisons will
not be used.
Industry patterns established nor
mally will follow wage increases
made by dominant" companies in
an industry, area patterns will be
based on adjustments by "a sub
stantial or significant number of
companies in a local labor market
area"
OPA Applications Automatic.
Wage increases made under a
pattern may be submitted auto
matically to OPA as the basis for
price increase applications.
Previous wage-setting practices
will be considered in ruling on a
particular case.
The gross inequities" principle
the board said, will consider two
types of interindustry relationships,
which will be made a basis for wage
increases eliminating inequities be-
tween industries.
NLRB's ruling on mine super
visory workers was made in a case
involving four Western Pennsyl-
vania mines of the Jones & Laugh
lost