The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1949-02-24
Labor View Point Gdininq
Respect In ECA Offices !
By WILLIAM GAUSMANN

By WILLIAM GAUSMANN
| Paris (LPA) - The Marshall
plan could never even have beer
/ launched had not the democratic
trade union movement favored the
idea, Ambassador William G.. Fost-
er told three American trade union
reporters last week.
Foster is Economic Cooperation
Administration deputy chief for
all Of Europe. This month, in the
absence Of Ambassador w. Averill
Hartman he's in charge of all
Marshall plan activities in Europe
American trade unionists on
duty in ECA's labor division and
labor information division in Paris
told US that during the past few
months Foster and other top ECA
officials are coming more and
more to understand that the sup
port of Europe's workers is essen
tial to success of the recovery eff
fort.
At first the non-labor people in
ECA thought mostly in terms of
balance of trade, budgets, and
other important economic pro-
blems. While not denying the sig
lnificance of these issues the corps
of alert US labor spokesmen here
have insisted that ECA itself must
give more attention to the we'll
being of European workers.
They point out that in countries
where the Communists have sub
stantial influence in the unions
they have tremendous negative
strength. Altho they cannot contri-
butte to bettering working class
living standards they can, by poll
tical strikes and refusal to cooper
ate with the international recovery
effort, seriously impede its pro-
gress.
Unless ERP planning includes
not only long-range economic inn
provements, but immediate assist
ance to the workers, democratic
labor in countries like France and
Italy where the Communists are
strong, will be unable to success
fully challenge CP control of most
of the unions.
The US union men do not ques-
tion the long-term plans of their
ECA colleagues. These add up to
a large measure of permanent inn
provement of Europe's productive
facilities " they agree. But ECA
won't win the battle for democracy
in France and Italy unless the real
wages of ordinary people improve
even before the plans completion.
A feeling is growing among the
AFL and CIO designees here that
additional US labor men and
women are needed in the ECA op-
Grafton. While expressing real CON
fidence in Hartman, Foster, and
ECA country mission heads like
David Bruce in France and Thomas
Finletter in England, they explain
that in subordinate, but key spots
in the set-up, labor is represented
only in its own two specialized
US unionists are compet-
ent to hold important jobs in in
dustry and economic divisions as
we'll as capital l." labor sections
they say. There seems no limit to
the jobs business men are consid-
cred qualified for.
Neither Hartman nor anyone
else in Europe has much to say
about ECA personnel policies.
These appointments are made in
w a s h ngton by Administrator
Paul Hoffman and his deputy,
Howard Bruce. US
labor men, and the good group of
former civil servants in ECA here
who sympathize with them, hope
that American labor will take more
of an interest in the actual admin
lstration of the Marshall plan, and
make its voice heard more in
Washington about both overall
policies and personnel.
The top men here, like Harri-
man, Foster, David Bruce and Fin
letter, are willing to listen to labor
and liberal advisors. But there's
a need for more of this in the un-
dramatic sounding jobs that really
count if the Marshall plan is to
succeed.
Our US union men here are
working hard. They have the full
respect of the rest of the ECA
staff. There's no doubt in their