Evening star., 1947-06-22
Labor Peace
Under Study
Peaceful Plants May
Furnish Remedy
for Strikes
By Jones Y. Newton

of research, the findings OF which,
II taken to heart by labor and man
sgement, would do more to promote
industrial peace than all the laws
ever passed.
The association wants to find and
set down for all industry to see "the
causes of industrial peace"-the
reasons why so many companies and
unions are able to live together
year after year with never a work
stoppage.
Lost In all the strike news since
the war ended is the fact that the
overwhelming number Of American
employers and unions were able to
see eye to eye on contract terms
without a shutdown. Last year,
when there were more strikes than
at any other time in history, about
5000 Of the $4,000 companies having
bargaining agreements with unions
were involved in the stoppages.
Positive Approach
Admittedly these figures do not
tell the full story since so many OF
the large and important companies
were shutdown by economic strikes
which rocked the economy. Even
allowing for the somewhat mislead-
ing statistics, there still was a huge
segment of industry which operated
In peace.
Clinton S. Golden, NPA officer
who will serve as general chairman
of the committee directing the
study, points out that every few
years since 1875 some congressional
committee or presidential board has
investigated the causes Of labor
strife. He thinks it is about time
the big problem is approached from
the positive side, that perhaps much
can be learned from those who work
In peace which will be of help to
those unions and managements who
annually are at each others throats.
The association now is receptive
to nominations for the group of
companies which will be investi-
gated. Mr.. Golden hopes to receive
a large number of nominations
from which to select about IS COM
panies whose labor relations will be
gone over with a fine-tooth comb.
To Cover Union Plants
NPA has set aside the funds and
experts will be hired to do the
actual investigating, which is ex-
pected to take about six months.
Directing the staff work will be
Charles r. Walker, director of re-
search in technology and industrial
relations at Yale, and Joseph Scan
lon of the industrial relations de-
partment of Massachusetts, Institute
of Technology.
Mr.. Walker gave some of the spe-
cif1cations of the companies whose
relations with employees will be
studied.
He said that only plants with
legitimate unions will be included
since the objective is to set down
the reasons for harmonious rela
tionships under collective bargain
ing. Mr.. Walker said this was not
intended to imply that company
could not operate efficiently without
union, pointing out that a num-
ber of concerns are doing just that.
The effort will be made to Sc
lect plants in all parts of the coun-
try and ones of importance to vari-
Gus segments of the Nations econ
omy. Only those who have enjoyed
labor peace for at least five years
will be chosen.
Many Angles
Mr.. Walker said he is most In
terested in companies where man
agements and workers were once
at war and had discovered ways of
working out their differences with
out strikes. In that way it is hoped
to arrive at formulas and tech
niques which can be used as guides
for other Industries.
The Importance of personalities
to peaceful interplant relations will
come in for close study.
The experts are interested in the
ways the employers and unions work
out such strike-inducing problems
as seniority among workers and
employe grievances. Another i'm
portant objective is to determine
how the companies handle the prob
lem created by increased produc-
tivity from chronological advances
improvements in machinery and
plant equipment. How increased
revenues caused by such advances
are divided, and what the firms do
when new machines take over the
work of men.
Plants which have wage-incentive
plans will be included in the study,
that is where a worker receives more
pay for producing more above a
certain standard Mr.. Walker said
that incentive or piece-work plans
which are poorly set up with faulty
standards are responsible for a siz-
able part of the labor troubles. On
the other hand. there are many
we'll established arrangements under
which workers live happily.
Advice Backhres
Mr.. Walker said a business can
suffer from too much expert" ad-
vice just as it can from giving toe
little attention to employe relations
He cited as an example the company
which called in a score of experts to
solve its difficulties. The plant be-
came so ensnarled in plans that op-
Grafton was next to impossible. In
centive plans were set up in such a
wsv that workers doinc the SinDlest