End of "Social Gains"

Labor faced the wartime loss of the most basic of all its economic rights--the right to quit a job and go to work elsewhere. The McNutt Manpower Mobilization Board put on its fright wig last week and announced that war workers were going to have to stay put. would have to quit changing jobs to get higher wages in other labor-short war plants. The Board's reason: pirating of workers by manufacturers who offer higher pay impedes production and upsets wage scales which the Government is trying to stabilize.

The Board's method would require all war industries to hire labor only through the U.S. Employment Service. The USES would not place men in new jobs solely because they want more pay. Actually the order would deprive no man of his right to quit, but if he did quit be must look for work in nonwar industries, thereby losing his deferred draft status. In short: work or fight--and work where you are.

Labor howled protests. Since Pearl Harbor, labor, like other elements of the community, has had one after another of its cherished rights taken away by a friendly Administration because of the necessities of war. After Pearl Harbor, labor surrendered the right to strike, and for the most part has kept its promise. Since then WLB has had a clear directive from Mr. Roosevelt to stabilize whatever wages are in dispute, to fix a firm ceiling over the upper brackets. Because some war industries are amiably disposed to grant wage boosts which they can pass along to the Government, an interdepartmental committee* will keep an eagle eye on the 95% of the wages not in dispute. Except in the rare cases where management is willing, it is quite useless for labor to bargain for a closed shop; WLB settles such fights with its formula of maintenance of membership. For most practical purposes the right of collective bargaining, guaranteed by the Wagner Act, is now useless for the duration.

But the McNutt announcement blocking labor's right to change jobs seemed a little too tough and too sudden to other Washington officials. By week's end there were some hasty assurances that it would not happen yet, that the announcement was premature. It would happen though, observers were certain, if the labor shortage became acute.

* Probably WLB's Davis, OPA's Henderson, Labor Department's Perkins, Manpower Commission's McNutt.

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