Evening star., 1959-12-01
HEADLINE PERSONALITY
Mediator Finnegon
Like Model Irishmon'

To those who have seen him
in action, Joseph Francis Fin
negan seems the very model of
what an Irishman should be.
Red-faced, jovial. with gray eyes
and gray hair, the Govern
ment's top mediator is always
ready with a smile or witty re-
mark.
He is the kind of man one
instinctively calls Joe.
AS the man in the middle of
often acrimonious labor-man-
agement disputes, Joe Finne-
gan remains well-liked and re-
spected. His knack of making
people liking him once brought
him a rather left-handed COM
pliment from the late Senator
Neely, Democrat Of West Vir-
ginia.
The Senate Labor Committee
was discussing Mr.. Finnegan's
nomination nearly five years
ago as director Of the Federal
Mediation and Cancellation
Service.
The harmonious session Of
the som etimes politically
charged committee caused Sem
ator Neely to say to Mr.. Finne-
gan:
There is only one disturbing
factor about you. The Bible
says beware Of any man Of
whom all the world speaks well
and none speaks ILL.,"
But the Senator hastened to
add that he had no objection
at all to Mr.. Finnegan's ap-
pointment. The committee ap-
proved him unanimously.
A Good Listener
Mr.. Finnegan has found that
you have to be a good listener
while trying to resolve labor
disputes.
There are times when a
man will come to the bargain
ing table full of bluster and
steam, ready to pop off," he
says. II usually let him 60
through with it. But if he tries
1t again you've got to tell him
it's time to get down o.. the !
ceiling and back to work"
Today, he is back at work
again as union and company
officials were callec - to new
talks here on the steel strike.
In his long experience as a
mediator, Mr.. Finnegan says
the current steel strike takes
the cake"
The Westinghouse Electric |
Corp. strike Of 1855 and a New
York dock strike in 1856 were
dificult cases, he recalls, but
the present steel impaSse has
been the hardest.
Typically, though, he says he
is hopeful that agreement will
be reached before the Taft
Hartley injunction expires jan
uary 26.
20 Years in Labor Law
When Mr.. Finnegan was
appointed Federal Mediation
Service director, he brought to
his new job a background of 20
years Of experience in labor
law. He was admitted to the
bar in New York in 1891 after
graduation from Fordham Uni
versity Law School at night. He
haG helped pay his way through
Fordham and Columbia College
by working days as q telephone
lineman and cargo checker on
Brooklyn piers. He also wrote q
column for investors in the
Wall Street Journal.
After three years as an
assistant United States Attorney
under Thomas E. Dewey, Mr..
Finnegan in 1884 Joined the law
firm Of Lauterstein & Conroy.
Later he became a partner in
the successor firm of Lauter-
stein, Spiller, Bergerman &
Dannett. In 1948 he founded |
his own New York law firm.
His labor law experience
began when clients - among |
them r. H. Macy & Co. and the
Metropolitan Opera Association |
needed legal advice on labor
relations.
II became an expert awfully |
fast" he has said.
Major in Army Air Forces
During World War II, he
entered the Air Transport |
Command of the Army Air
Forces, rising to major. AS as
sistant chief Of the commands |
military personnel division, he
was assigned to persuade un-
satisfactory high-ranking OFF,
GERS to retire.
After the war he resumed
his law practice. It was during |
that period that he met James
P. Mitchell, who then was
handling personnel matters for |