United Automobile Worker

CIO Board Demands Action to Avert Crisis

Employment,
Wage Raises
In Forefront
of Program

WASHINGTON - The following statement has been adopted by a special meeting of the executive officers and vice-presidents of the Congress of Industrial Organizations at CIO Headquarters in Washington. Signers included Philip Murray, CIO president, and R. J. Thomas, president of the UAW-CIO.

Since V-E Day and for the immediate future, with increasing severity, there will be accelerated cancellation and cutbacks of war orders. This has resulted in some unemployment and with every prospect of increasing. In addition, our economy is now witnessing a marked decline in overtime wage payments, a tendency of present wage rate structures to be lowered in the course of reconversion to the production of civilian goods - all of which result in a loss of weekly wages and purchasing power so essential to maintain an expanding postwar economy of full production and full employment.

The cost of living continues to increase and industrial profits to soar.

This is the condition which now confronts American workers.

Unemployment, increasing job insecurity and decreasing weekly wages to meet a rapidly rising cost of living are the plain ugly facts.

It would be foolhardy to deny the seriousness of the situation.

NO PROGRAM TO MEET
DEVELOPING CRISIS

Full war production for the war against Japan is still of the utmost importance for our fighting forces. Yet we tolerate a situation which threatens to impair the morale and productive efficiency of the workers. At the same time, we ignore the basic need of maintaining the purchasing power of wage earners to assure an expanding postwar economy of full production and full employment.

With an abysmal absence of policy, no concrete steps are being taken to meet these needs.

The CIO calls upon President Truman, Director of War Mobilization Vinson, Director of Economic Stabilization Davis, the War Production Board, the National War Labor Board, and Congress to take immediate steps to accomplish the following necessary program of action:

TRUMAN RECOMMENDATION
REQUIRES IMMEDIATE ACTION

1) Congress should immediately enact the necessary emergency legislation, requested by President Truman, to provide Federal supplementary unemployment compensation payments to war workers rendered unemployed during the reconversion period so that a minimum of $25 per week for 26 weeks be provided. In addition, unemployment compensation should be made available to all Federal employees, members of the merchant marine, and all other groups not now covered by existing law.

2) The President should immediately revise the national wage policy and confer the necessary authority upon the National War Labor Board to make such wage adjustments as may be necessary and which will not substantially affect the cost of living:

(a) To aid in the effective prosecution of the war;

(b) To eliminate substandard wages; and

(c) To assure a continued high level of purchasing power for the maintenance of full production and full employment.

3) Consistent with maximum war production, the War Production Board should take all necessary steps to assure resumption of production of civilian goods in those plants where cancellations and cutbacks of war contracts have occurred.

EMPLOYERS CALLED UPON
TO SHOULDER RESPONSIBILITY

Security of employment on an annual basis is a burning aspiration of wage earners. At the same time, its attainment would be the fullest assurance of a peaceful and expanding economy. No more important issue is before the American people today because the successful achievement of this objective would effectively establish Freedom from Fear and Freedom from Want - the essence of Franklin D. Roosevelt's historic Economic Bill of Rights.

Employers should therefore recognize their responsibility to their employees and to the nation and in good faith enter into collective bargaining with the unions representing such employees for the purpose of assuring security of employment on an annual basis.

This realistic and necessary program presents the minimum requirements for an orderly transition during reconversion and a peaceful and expanding postwar economy. For this reason, we are confident that it will command the wholesome support of all progressive groups. We shall not desist in our intensive national campaign until it has been accomplished.