Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-01-09
Guurunteed -Woge Plan
Might Result in Strike
Writer c0IIs Reuther Drive
Dangerous to Workers
d. EEank r Kent

As tUe ueW ye0E UGIkiiB IL - UnR9A VII
that one at the fercest and most linz
portant Of our national struggles win
take place outside Of Congress and not
inside. This does not mean there win
not be Q lot Of hard battling over some
pretty vital issues Ia both House and
Senate. But at this time there seems
70 be nothing fraueht with quite 90
much meaning for the future e this
fght between organized labor and
management over the big question Of
guaranteed wage.
Q long time ago. Several skirmishes
have been fought and few experi-
uaents. mostly to small concerns. made.
Now for the first time 1 full-dress IT.
tack Is planned Nearly all the labor
bosses, both Clio and AL, are IN full
sympathy. but not al Of them are
ready to 60 into action at the same
time. The attitude 81 most Of them
u 10 let the belligerent Walter Reuther,
president Of the United Automobile
Workers Union and also Of the Clio.
carry the ball. II he Is SUCCESSFUL with
the big automobile companies they win
at once iaaugurate drives In the steel,
electrical and other industries. sue.
cess by Mr.. Reuther with the auto
mobile giants win make success In steel
and the other big industries much more
likely.
Neither the recent announcement Of
President Eisenhower's intention to ask
Congress to increase the minimum wage
rate from rs to 80 cents an hour nor
the large extension and increase in the
social security coyerage is going to
affect the determination of labor bosses
to drive for the guaranteed wage. The
attainment Of this objective Is their
main goal for 1e55---and nothing less
than this will satisfy them. At least
that Is the CLIO view. Mr.. Reuther has
proclaimed that the guaranteed wage
proposal Is ''in the bag" It win, he
asserts, either be- conceded over the con.
ference table 'sor else" That ''or else
Of course. Is the threat Of a strike that
win cripple all the bic auto-manu.
featuring companies and put out Of
work many thousands Of men for an
indefinite time,
A strike such as this unquestionably
would have an adverse effect upon the
national economy, and it is difficult to
see, no matter what the outcome, how
It's ultimate end would benefit any class
Of our citizens. The attitude Of man.
agement Is one Of watchful waiting.
They are utterly opposed to the guar
arlteed wage proposal. They believe
that 1t not only viii mean more unem.
ployment than less, but that 1t will
make 1t more profitable for men and
women not TO work than to work. What
with State unemployment coKnpensa-
ton plus the guaranteed wage, there
would be no incentive for q man to
stay on the job. every inducement either
to strike. get sick or so on on q holiday.
In brief, the workman would make
money by being idle.
This il denied by the labor propa.
ganda, but not convincingly. In fact.
nothing that Mr.. Reuther has to say
has been taken seriously since the last
JAW strike which he led. In the mid
die Of that strike he made an outra-
geous charge against the companies.
When the facts showed no foundation
for this charge, he merely laughed and
said, "Well, thought II might put
them over the barrel" The manufac.
turers do not underrate Mr.. Reuther.
but they know the type Of man he Is,
and they are determined not, to let
him get away with the guaranteed wage
proposal, which they are convinced not
only would remove from them all con.
troll over the costs Of their products.
but would bring about economic chaos
and ultimately knock the props from
under the fiscal stability Of the cour-
try.
However, one thing Is sure about
this fight (scheduled for June), the
union win not have the President alb
solutely on its side, as was the case
In every important strike during the
seven years of the Truman adminis-
traticn. In all these the labor bosses
were running In and out Of the White
House and its weight was always be-
hind them. Gen. Ike Is not hostile
to organized labor. as he has shown
in many ways--the most recent being
his decision to urge an increase In the
minimum wage rate. But neither Is
he anti-management. The odds all are
that with q neutral, fair-minded Presi-
dent (which until 1852 We had not had
for 20 years. the Reuthers. despite their
control over the Democratic Party. viii
not be able to prevail this time. They
win get some concessions and some in
creases- but not the guaranteed wage.
That win have to walt until they get
another tool In the top place.
Is not yet known, but dispatches from
Tokyo indicate that they win be OF the