Show Labor Peace and alId Banishment of Strikes Is Record of Toledo Industrial Board By fly LANSING CALLA CALLAWAY WAY Released RIneS by Wf Western item Newspaper r Union EDWARD A A. A McGRADY assistant secretary of labor Jabor was on his way to Toledo Toledo To To- ledo Jedo Ohio The time was 1935 and there was a strike in progress there To Mr McGrady it seemed that there was always a astrike astrike astrike strike in progress in Toledo and that he was spending the greater part of his career commuting back and forth between that city and Washington Wash Wash- ington To a great many people in Toledo the same things were beginning to be apparent The industrial wrangling had begun begun be be- gun in 1934 1034 labor and Industry had become almost literal armed camps and the name of the city was on the front pages from Boston to San Di Di- ego go Two men had been left dead In Inthe Inthe inthe the city's streets hundreds had been injured in fighting lighting and hatreds were being aroused that forecast trouble for years to come But this time after the immediate business at hand had been settled Mr McGrady wired his Washington office that he wouldn't be home right away He lie was staying over in Toledo Toledo To To- ledo in the hope of getting to the base of the recurrent trouble and obviate the necessity of his constant excursions to Toledo What Mr McGrady had In mind was that It seemed to be nobody's business or concern if It the city's city industrial In Industrial In- In life lite flowed smoothly or was threatened with disruption During I the days when hen a potential industrial I break was forming and might most I easily be adjusted no one did anything any thing about it The situation was allowed allowed allowed al al- al- al lowed to drift Even when some of the large and bitter strikes were in progress there was no agency at work to get the city's life lite back to normal Record Is Impressive Mr McGrady sought to change all this How well he succeeded Is shown In the figures released for this Labor day In the last five years the city of Toledo has assisted assisted assist assist- ed in averting potential strikes in which employees were in in- Included in this were 52 cases In which a strike definitely had been voted In addition the city government assisted in settling peacefully and quickly 47 strikes in which the comparatively com com- comparatively small number of employees em figured Some of these strikes were called without the knowledge of the city administration tion others in spite of efforts to avert them Also the city assisted in settling one lockout In which men were involved and it looked in on 42 other other other oth oth- er disputes representing 2874 employees employees employees em em- but for various reasons was not able to contribute toward a settlement settlement set set- Virtually all of the latter however eventually were settled bythe by bythe bythe the parties directly involved without outside intervention The grand graM total disputes handled employees employees employees em em- involved Riots None Savings in wages and potential losses to owners stockholders Mil Mil- lions 3 r Ir h. h r Cost to the city If It Toledo can do that why cant can't any other city Is a question sometimes sometimes some some- times asked and also Has Toledo Toledo Toledo To To- ledo discovered any secret technique in averting industrial disputes Model for Others The answers respectively are that any other community can do likewise and that Toledo has not discovered any method of passing miracles but rather has applied old-fashioned old variety garden-variety horse- horse sense to differences between men and management Briefly Mr McGrady set up on that final visit to Toledo back In 1935 what is known as the Toledo Industrial Industrial industrial indus Indus- trial peace board It includes five men from the ranks of management five from labor and one time full-time director These 10 since have added eight others to their ranks attorneys attorneys attorneys judges and clergymen to represent represent rep rep- resent the public The board Is an Integral part ot of the city government but it has no authority to crack down on any any- one It Issues no publicity re re- re- re leases It cannot vote on who is right or who is wrong It does not even express such opinions publicly I Mr McGrady McCrady set up the first board himself He lie went to the Chamber of Commerce and he thumped the table There was a great deal of reluctance There was a lot of honest hon est skepticism But he got a promise prom ise of opera co-opera co Then he went before the Toledo Central Labor union Strangely enough he met the same reaction You need not fear such a board said Mr McGrady McCrady It will not interfere interfere inter inter- interfere fere in any way with your right to strike operation Co by labor and management with such a board willbe will willbe willbe be entirely voluntary What have bave you to lose by trying The answer was that no one had anything to lose by trying The two critical disputes involving thousands and thousands of men Chevrolet Chevrolet- Toledo division General Motors Scenes Scene o 01 strike s violence dolence like tike that houn hOln above abate are thin things IMn ft of the pail in Toledo Toldo 0 O since tince the Toledo Toldo Ind Industrial rial Peace Pace Board began to 0 junction function Iii fit file e in sense horse adjust adjust ad ad- years yean ago using to 10 just difficulties between labor and em m Thousands of dollars dolla have h been een saved sated to 10 workers employers and the fhe city as al a result Edward Eduard A. A McGrady McGrady Mc Mc- McGrady Grady left If former assistant secretary f fl f labor hl helped Toledo businessmen business men and labor representatives form the board in 1935 1933 March 1935 and Toledo Edison company June 1935 had left the city exhausted emotionally and in In- Solid Support Toledos Toledo's three newspapers gave solid support to the plan Cautiously Cautious Cautious- ly each side watching the other from the sides of their eyes the first meeting was held McGrady presided and did most of the speak speak- ing He III promised to assign to the board as its time full-time director Lee S. S Harding a federal mediator The functions of the board were outlined and It was decided to go ahead although every everyone one of the themen themen themen men at that first meeting since has confessed that he agreed with a great deal of suspicion But during the following six months the board assisted in settling set seven disputes without loss of ofa a single day of work Five strikes that already were showing signs of being long drawn out struggles were settled There was no street fighting No Noone Noone Noone one was hurt The vast Toledo industrial In Industrial Industrial In- In area was working full blast Payrolls and production were on schedule Workers had money to spend Merchants were pleased The people of Toledo also began to sit up liP and realize that something something something some some- thing new n new w had arrived on the scene Much to to the surprise even of the board members they too were findIng find find- finding Ing their suspicions of each other allayed confidence and reason were taking the place of animosity If It a labor situation became menacing men men- acing the director of the Toledo Industrial Peace board offered his services to both sides He sought a fair compromise and offered it for consideration But he never ordered any side to do anything If It the situation reached such a aspot aspot aspot spot where the director felt he was not making progress the entire board was called into session The board offered its services at times it even offered suggestions While Tile it never voted on whether a question was right or wrong the important element was that within the city at least there was an agency charged with the task of keeping industry running and dissipating disputes before before before be be- fore they reached the troublesome stage Public Prestige In March 1936 1930 Harding was recalled recalled re reo re- re called to Washington but the Toledo city council decided the board was desirable and decided to continue it as a regular part of municipal government with a paid director On the recommendation of McGrady Mc Grady board members engaged a newspaper man Edmund Ruffin as director Ruffin had covered all of ot the previous strikes After being director for more than four years Ruffin says he has no cut and dried procedure in approaching approaching ap ap- ap or working out disputes I 1 know many industrialists and labor officials and I try to keep informed informed in in- formed as to what is going on Inthe in inthe inthe the way of organization programs negotiating of new and succeeding agreements Ruffin explained It If ItI I hear of a deadlock I may offer otTe r my services to both parties or one or the other may call caU me After I get into a dispute I Usten Us lis listen ten to an outline of viewpoint by each group usually in a joint meet meet- ing After that I throw in general suggestions as may come to mind or may some specific procedure procedure dure to which all aU may agree Various offices in Toledo have r received received re re- e hundreds of inquiries as t to 0 how the Toledo board was established how it operates and what it has accomplished These offices Include the Toledo Chamber of Commerce which has s given quiet support to the board th the e headquarters headquarter of ot the various labor labs organizations which from the star start have indicated their endorsement b by y co operating and also a group grou p known as Toledo Associates an organization or of men whose chief purpose pur pose poe is to publicize Toledos Toledo's true Industrial industrial In picture |