The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1951-03-01
WILSON STILL BALKS AT LABOR'S
DEMAND FOR FULL PARTNERSHIP

Washington (LPA)-As of Feb.
21, mobilization czar Charles f.
Wilson was still resisting labor's
efforts to attain full partnership
in the mobilization program.
In a blunt note which the United
Labor Policy Committee received
on that date, Wilson flatly refused
to defer to labor's desire that res
possibility for the nations man
power be retained by Secretary of
Labor Maurice Tobin. Responsible
ity for manpower, Wilson said,
would rest with the manpower po-
licy committee of his own Office Of
Defense Mobilization. Tobin is
merely represented" on this COM
mittee which has White House APP
proval.
However, the mobilization chief
again conceded that he would zap
point mutually acceptable repre-
sentative of labor" to the top staff
of the Office of Defense Mobiliza-
ton. His failure to include labor
spokesman among his top deputies
was one of the chief sources of
labor's dissatisfaction with the mo-
bilization establishment w h h
union leaders maintained was dom
mated by big business to the ex-
clusion Of any consideration for the
plain people"
Wilson in his letter observed that
labor had not nominated man to
be his deputy. However, it was be-
lieved that the United Labor Policy
Committee, representing 10 mill
ion members of the AFL, ClO and
Rail Brotherhoods, would submit a
name on or before Feb. 23. In fact,
capital observers had a pretty good
idea whose name it would be-
Meanwhile, there was more to
labor's bill of particulars than in
sistance on a man in Wilson's Of
flee.
Still to be found was a wage
stabilization formula acceptable to
labor. On Feb. 20 and again on
Feb. 21, spokesmen for labor were
closeted with Eric Johnston, adj
of the Economic Stab
ilization Agency, to protest against
the 10-percent "catch up" formula
approved by the six industry and
public members of the Wage Stab
ilzation Board, but rejected by the
three labor members.
This formula, which could not be
issued as an order until approved
by Johnston, would allow wage in
creases to rise 10 percent above
the level of Jan. Is, 1850. Fringe
- payments for pensions
and the like-would be included I'M
the 10 percent unless obtained be
fore Jan. 25, 1851. The labor mem
bers wanted II percent eXclusiye|
of fringe payments. (The 10 per-
cent was we'll below the two raises
obtained by coal miners since Jan.
15, 1860
The labor members resigned
from the Wage Sterilization Board
Feb. Is, a Friday. After turbu
lent weekend, the four chairmen of
the United Labor Policy Commit
tee visited President Truman the
afternoon of Feb. 10. They said
Truman was sympathetic The
chairmen are President William
Green of the AFL, President Al
Hayes of the AFL Machinists,
President George c. Leighty of the
Railway Labor Executive Associa
tion and President Emile Rieve of
the CIO Textile Workers (actingI
for President Philip Murray of the
CIO).
The chairmen saw Eric Johnston
briefly on Feb. 20 and were Sched-
uled TO confer with him on Wash
ington's Birthday after the stabil-
ization administrator completed
two meetings with labor's tech
nical" spokesmen. These latter in
cluded George Harrison, president
of the AFL Railway Clerks, who is
Johnston's labor adviser; Albert S.
Epstein of the Machinists, and
Arthur Goldberg, ClO general
counsel. Also present were Cyrus
S. Ching, chairman Of the Wage
Sterilization Board; w. Willard
Wirtz, who is expected to succeed
Ching in a reorganized board; John
T. Dunlop and Clark Kerr, public
members Of the wage board; and
William II. Davis of New York,
4