Show Bru charts washington digest time for showdown in labor situation Is not far di distant stant I 1 serious reaction follows attitude of NLRB public also resentful of conditions caused by union leaders inquiry may alay bare startling facts by WILLIAM BRUCKART service national press washington D C washington there Is every indication that the labor situation in this country government policies labor union policies employer attitude is fast approaching a new tangle A reaction has set in on the part of the public to certain phases of the roosevelt administrations earlier but not necessarily the current likewise labor union leadership has produced certain conditions that are not finding public support and there are still some employers who continue c to make fools of themselves by following eighteenth century methods 1 I have suggested in these columns previously that the national labor relations board was riding tor for a fall it was riding too high there was bound to be a serious reaction the boards arrogance unfairness overbearing attitude its general contempt for anyone disagreeing with its conclusions were elements certain to lead to an eventual showdown the time of that showdown seems not far distant it Is likely that the board and its staff of ism controlled theorists will pay a heavy price for failure to use common sense and adopt a judicial viewpoint the same type of ment mentality allty as that which jeopardizes the principles of the national labor relations act also has caused a blowup in the wages and hours division of the labor department the division which administers the year old law limiting hours of work and prescribing minimum wages administrator el mer F andrews was the goat and he had to resign no one probably ever will know whether it was foolhardiness tool hardiness on the part of mr andrews or the treachery of his subordinates that brought about the explosion pl oslon but explode it did and as a result col phillip fleming Is in the job of wage and hour administrator without benefit of senate senat e confirmation fir ft of his appointment although the senate is in session lewis and green warfare shows no signs of letup let lef up no cessation odthe of the warfare between john L lewis C 1 L 0 and william greens A F of L Is foreseen the lewis faction of organized labor continues to do a lot of things that do not fit into the picture of americanism despite a strong denial byar by mr lewis that communists fists are in key positions mr greens organization is building up a magnificent record of fighting within itself one craft is pitted against another here there and everywhere ery where with the result that people generally are getting pretty tired of having to wait to get work done because carpenters and bricklayers for example both go on strike over the question of which one shall do particular work the unhappy labor board has few defenders any more for a long time the board its attorneys and investigators were commonly re carded as an adjunct of the lewis labor union surely there was ground tor for such belief by the admissions that came from ume time to time coupled with consistent and concerted attacks by leaders of the A F of L wherever it was necessary to make a choice between lewis followers and green supporters it was an odds on bet that the lewis groups contention would be sustained all of this was followed ultimately by an attack from the C 1 I 0 on the functions of the board th that at happened at the annual C 1 I 0 con gentl bention on and came from mr lewis no one seems to know the real rea I 1 and now the labor board is confronted with an investigation by a special committee of the house of representatives it Is by tar far the most serious effort to bring to light i the processes that the board las has used the influences that have been active within its personnel or that have operated upon its personnel it if one m may ay judge in advance of any congressional inquiry the current inquiry is likely to produce reasonable conclusions expected to examae facts and then propose aRc medy the house committee Is headed by rep howard hdward smith a virginin democrat who long has been noted tor for fairness As far as his record goes I 1 believe it can be said that mr smith has seldom been anti or pro on any question without first having facts with him on the committee are representatives hea flea ley of massachusetts and murdock of arizona democrats and II li alleck of indiana and of ohio republicans air healey is about the only member of the group who can be suspected of leaning violently one way or the other mr healeyy He aleys record marks him as a new dealer on nearly all occasions sometimes without too much reason I 1 have heard mr Il alleck praised tor for his fairness any number of times in I 1 house debate and the commendation has come as much from democrats as from the republicans so there is every indication that the investigation will be of the type that examines the facts and then proposes a remedy much evidence has been gathered and will serve as the basis for further inquiry some of it is reported to be of a sensational character but it is not mr smiths idea that the committee is operating solely to make newspaper headlines among other things the house committee has sent out questionnaires to hundreds of employers hundreds of labor leaders of both factions of unionism and local officials such as police chiefs and ot others h charged with law enforcement the purposes of the questions are rather obvious with the statements from all of these sources the committee believes it can sift out much chaff from rumors complaints counter charges and propaganda further the committee wants to ascertain whether there is evidence that the board itself had any connection with labor disturbances and if so which of its personnel was involved may uncover facts that will startle legislators copies of records in nearly all of the boards hearings are being examined by the committee staff board decisions have been under fire many many times it seems to have been the rule rather than an exception that the board was willing always to listen to C 1 I 0 attorneys and almost never pay attention tent lorr to alleged facts which employers of or others tried to submit from this source alone there is every reason to believe the committee will uncover enough abuse of power to stun the legislators who fought tor for passage of a law which the administration described as perfect fact in any event if the principle of the labor relations act is to survive and become a workable part of gov governmental interference in rela lions between worker and employer it seems that the smith comit tee must produce the proper basis concerning the wages and hours bureaucracy however there is less optimism that a sound solution can be found colonel fleming is taking ov over r the job with feeling among all types of partisans at fever heat that is a handicap mr andrews went in with wishes of good luck but he had to administer and enforce a law that was loosely drawn a principle untried As in the case of labor board personnel either through his own mistakes or because nutty individuals were forced upon him 1 mr andrews immediately was s surrounded rounded ur by a sour group of subordinates it seemed almost that it a wrong way to solve the problem was available the wage and hour division folks would find it il As far as I 1 can ascertain colonel fleming has had only the minimum of experience in dealing with such principles and problems as now face him his status is rather indefinite because the law requires that the appointment of a wages and hours administrator shall be confirmed by the senate as a policy making official but mr roosevelt had asked congress to consider only the so called neutrality legislation at the extra session and hence he did not submit colonel flemings name another army officer takes job outside military work colonel fleming is the third army officer to take over a job outside of the military service lately first there was col P F C harrington who was made head of the secondly brigadier general watson was made mr Roosevel ts secretary and lastly there come came the appointment of colonel fleming it ts Is rather hard to forecast how an army officer is going to deal with one particular part of the job now undertaken by colonel fleming application of the law lava to certain types of farm labor and to businesses directly connected with farming A number of organizations affiliated filia ted directly or indirectly with farm operations have been engaged in a do or die struggle here in washington with mr andrews I 1 think the mere change in headship of the wage and hour division is not likely to quiet those people because the increase in wages that became effective october 24 represents the dif ference between profit and loss in most instances probably the seers who invented the idea oi of federal control of wages and hours never milked a cow after dark or husked corn on a frosty morning these conditions were not of the making of colonel fleming but his is the task of attempting to reconcile an inflect lext ble law with conditions that vary in every county in the united states it if he can succeed some political i party ought to nominate him as its presidential candidate next year |