Show Labor Moving Toward More Negotiations recent years labor have become costly for all the and often AS A there has been a growing trend toward the kind of negotiations that take up issues as they arise and hence avoid crisis bargaining that often leads to prolonged plant financial embarrassment for the workers In the old days when wages were relatively small and worker benefits usually the it was often worthwhile for both unions and workers to suffer through an extended strike to gain higher basic pay rales and fringe concessions throughout an entire THERE are great differences with working at far higher levels and most companies observing a fair coverage of Even a brief stoppage can put in a severe particularly with so many families living up to their If a bread-winner's salary is it does not take very long for bank accounts to dwindle and bills to pile Mortgage charge time payments on cars and they all make extremely heavy SUCH huge problems are raised by strikes that the the the and the public are turning against the whole concept of work Neither unions nor workers look with favor on compulsory and most Administrative and Legislative representatives have managed to avoid calling for strictures on the right to But there has been plenty of work done behind the scenes in an effort to make expensive walkouts a thing of the and some of the results are beginning to IN MID-March the railroad industry-long plagued by ineffectual bargaining procedures and constantly recurring crises-suddenly announced contract agreements concluded nearly three months with unprecedented negotiation by all the rail unions at the same Of the critical situation existing in so many railroad systems and sure for antistrike legislation in Congress helped bring the agreement into being at that early ABOUT 10 days after the surprise move in the rail a novel and historic agreement was drawn up by the United Steelworkers and top steel industry negotiators including a no-strike clause on national issues and a promise to submit unsolved issues to The most significant feature of the arrangement is that it has already been and accepted by the steel rank and file although the present contract does not expire until next Company representatives expressed citing the understanding as a great boom far and THE AGREEMENT provides guaranteed subject to traditional upward renegotiation via the regular in return for the no-strike Called for are early talks next guaranteed pay hikes of three percent a bonus in September and living-cost adjustments for each of the three years following tion of the current pact on August A LIMITED right to strike over local issues can be used only if given specific approval I by the Steelworkers I Major employers in all will be watching the results of the early ing agreements in both rails i and A General Motors spokesman has hailed the i steel saying it will remove the need to stockpile I as a strike hedge if the plan works |