Evening star., 1947-02-16


oarlance, would at least have to
show remarkable improvement and
maybe 60 Solomon some better.
Somewhere among the scores of
for handling labor -man-
agement relations there may be the
answer to the industrial problem.
It is up to Congress to untangle the
maze and, taking an idea here and
there, piece together the right
formula. Certainly none of the bills
Or proposals from the outside is any
thing approaching a panacea. Most
of them, it seems would only aggra.
vate the situation.
1t is a rather amazing fact that
although months have passed since
prices spurted skyward during the
periods of relaxing and ending con-
trolls, nothing resembling a pattern
for big industry wage settlements
has been set. In the bitter battles Of
a year ago the basic and mass pro-
duction industries won their first
round of reconversion wage hikes.
The so-called second round increase
is long overdue, but none of the big
plants has settled. Only the UAW
of the CIO big three has made
known its wage demand-231s cents
an hour. In the electrical and steel
fields the unions have said only that.
they want substantial boosts.
Government Keeps Out.
A year ago President Truman
finally stepped in and set what
proved to be the pattern for SubSe-
quent settlements when his sugges-
ton of an 1874 -cent-per-hour in
crease was finally accepted in the
steel industry.
This year the Government has
remained entirely out of those wage
arguments that have taken place
and there is every indication it will
remain on the sidelines for the first
time since before the war. Secre-
tary of Labor Schwellenbach has in
structed his conciliators to steer
clear of the wage-fixing business.b
On the management side the Ma
tional Association of Manufacturers,
United States Chamber of Commerce
and Committee for Economic Devel-
opment all have voiced strong oppo-
sition to congressional proposals for
the national mediation board ap-
proach of settlement of labor dis
putes. Their opposition has CEN
tered around the fact that such
boards would have the tendency to
set wage rates. That also is the
administration position in the
matter.
Wage settlements made recently
shed little light on the eventual
outcome of the struggles to come in
the major industries either because
they involved too few workers or
took into account problems peculiar
to the particular industries. In the
latter category are the CIO workers
in meat packing and flat-glass in
dustries. Packinghouse workers won
an across-the-board increase of 7la
cents an hour. But they also sue
ceeded in eliminating geographical
pay differentials and won other
monetary concessions that boosted
their estimated wage hike to IL
cents an hour.
Both Sides Unyielding.
Workers of the f1at-glass industry
received a base pay increase of only
g cents an hour. However, after
years of battling, they won equal
pay for woman workers which in
some instances meant an additional
raise of 16 cents an hour. There
were additional monetary conces-
sions in the new agreement.
Naturally, much of the pre-
game" talk can be discounted, but
the attitudes of both big industry
and big union leaders seems more
unyielding this year. than last on
the subject of wages.
Automobile and steel management
insist that their employees "go to
work." saying there can be no fur
ther boost in pay until individual
output has been raised. Leaders Of
the unions, prodded by the rank and
file who have seen their pay raise
of year ago wiped out by soaring
living costs, can site numerous ex-
amples of hardship among their
members.
Both sides have been slowing away
facts and figures for months to sup
port their arguments-presaging q
statistician's war that will pale last
years battle of ability to pay" and
a "Iook at the books"
!, Likely to Release Mines.
AS would be expected, peace is
likely to prove most elusive in the
coal industry. The coal operators,
particularly those of the big South
ern fields, of all managements, have
placed most reliance on Congress. to
save" them from 1abor's demands.
Mr.. Lewis strike truce expires
March 81. It's as close to certainty
as anything that unless Congress
has finished with labor legislation
by that time there will be no agree
ment in the industry barring the
rather unlikely continuance Of the
truce by Mr.. Lewis.
If the Supreme Court rules that
the Government, top operator Of the
soft-coa1 mines since the seizure last
May, does not have the authority to
restrain a strike, a new stoppage is
apt to take place April /. Even
should the court side completely
with President Truman in his show
down" battle with Mr.. Lewis, the
Governments hold on the coal,
mines is tenuous at best. The War
Labor Disputes (Smith- -Connally) Act
under which the Government took