Evening star., 1950-02-16
Spirit Of Cancellation
Is Needed 10 Settle
Big Labor Disputes
Writer DepIores Efforts
Of Both Sides to Avoid
Making Concessions
By David Laurence

Americans look askance at the
Soviet governments behavior in
the world and say the Russians
do not yield to reason-and that
they are stubborn and obstinate
in refusing to make agreements
with the democracies.
But here in the National Capt.
tai this very week there's a test
of the power of reason, and there
are factors of obstlnacy and stub
born unWillingness to make con-
cessions as Americans themselves
sit down to discuss settlement
OF major labor disputes.
What is it that underlies the
stalemate between the parties to
the coal dispute? What is it that
makes it likely that the United
States will be confronted with a
serious interruption in telephone
service? Why are so many hun
dreds of thousands of people out
of work due to strikes and hun
dreds of thousands more in re-
lated industries injured, too?
So far as the public knows. it
Is just tug of war between op-
posing sides-each unwilling to
grant an economic concession
But, unfortunately, there are more
elements than mere dollars and
cents involved Every important
labor negotiation develops pride
OF position and fear of misinter-
probation if there is a concession.
Political Motive.
If the ending of every strike
could be heralded as a settle
ment" and not a victory" or de
feat" there would be more actual
progress made in negotiations
leading toward compromise agree
ments. Too often, however, the
purpose Of the strike is political
to strengthen the prestige of
leader on one side or the other
who, perhaps with mistaken judg-
ment, has permitted a strike to
happen and doesn't dare admit
that he has erred.
What is needed in the all i'm
portant negotiations that are TAX
ing place in the major industries
IS true spirit of Cancellation.
The efforts of the Federal medi-
ators are directed toward that
end, of course, but they are help
less if the parties adopt rigid po-
sitions and refuse to grant points
which they know are valid. The
spiritual sense of responsibility to
fellow citizens seems lacking.
Again and again, outside the
conference room in the privacy of
conversations that are relayed
back and forth to principals, it is
said that a settlement could have
been made much earlier but some
wrong move or some emotional
outburst brought prejudices that
hardened one side or the other.
More and more, as the major
strikes unfold. 1t Is becoming ap-
parent that collective bargaining
alone cannot bring a solution and
that the responsibility OF the ne
gotiators to the public interest
will have to be further defined. |
Unprecedented Action.
When David Cole, as the chair
man of the Presidents Fact Find
Ing Board, read a letter this week
to the coal negotiators outlining
the reasons why he and his COL
leagues and Cyrus Ching, Federal
mediator, would sit in on the con-
ferences, it was an unprecedented
action. While the Taft Hartley
Act calls for the appointment of
a fact-f1nding board to make a
preliminary report to the Presi-
dent, after which an Injunction
Is requested from a Federal court,
there has never as yet been
reconvening of that same board
for any purpose, though the law
obligates the board to keep the
President informed.
with that duty IN mind, the
Presidents board is sitting in and,
with the help of the Federal me-
diation service, will attempt to
guide the course of the negotia-
tions. 1t is a significant and novel
experiment. Also it may have a
fateful impact later on as the
President makes report to Con-
gress on why the negotiations
have failed-if they should con-
tinue deadlocked even after the
injunction has expired.
What is needed, of course Is
some new spirit of humbleness, a
deep = seated awareness of the
public interest and a readiness to
recognize that, if Americans can
not sit down together and use
processes of reason to settle their
economic wars, how can the world
expect nations to do it? Clearly
the responsibility of the parties at
interest in labor disputes needs
definition not merely on an eco
nomic basis but on a moral basis
as we'll.
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