NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS BOARD
NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS BOARD
NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS BOARD
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I. A SUMMARY 3<br />
In dealing with disputes in defense industries the Board has cooperated<br />
fully with other Government agencies. Problems involving<br />
the rights of employees to self-organization and to bargain collectively<br />
have cut across many disputes threatening or actually tying<br />
up defense production which have engaged the attention of the Conciliation<br />
Service of the Department of Labor, the Labor Division of<br />
the Office of Production Management, and the National Defense<br />
Mediation Board. Since these agencies operate to mediate disputes<br />
and not to adjudicate statutory rights, the existence of claims under<br />
the National Labor Relations Act has been recognized as calling for<br />
close collaboration with the Board in its handling of such disputes.<br />
Thus there are many cases where mediation of a dispute over working<br />
conditions must await an investigation by the National Labor<br />
Relations Board under section 9, or where the investigation to determine<br />
whether the union claiming to represent the workers really<br />
does so in the contemplation of the Act, must await adjudication of<br />
unfair labor practice charges. In cases where the statutory rights<br />
of the workers are involved, the mediation agencies cooperate with<br />
and assist the Board to arrive at prompt decisions or satisfactory<br />
settlements. Mediation of statutory rights has not been resorted to.<br />
The tension which has pervaded the field of labor relations during<br />
the last year has been apparent to the Board since the middle of the<br />
fiscal year. Over 50 percent of the cases on its docket involve defense<br />
industries. Practically all the representation cases handled<br />
either formally or informally represent issues which demand the<br />
most expeditious handling because of threatened stoppages in defense<br />
production. This is true also of a substantial number of the<br />
complaint cases where it has not been possible for any of the .mediation<br />
or conciliation agencies of the Government or of the Board's<br />
field staff to secure an ,amicable and satisfactory adjustment despite<br />
the fact that such cases result in stoppages or prevent collective bargaining.<br />
To achieve the closest cooperation with the mediation and conciliation<br />
agencies of the Government, the Board has directed its Field<br />
Division in Washington and its field employees throughout the<br />
country to work with the mediation and conciliation agencies of the<br />
Government and with the War and Navy Departments in bringing<br />
to a prompt and appropriate conclusion cases which threaten the<br />
national defense and involve issues under the Act which prevent<br />
mediation until they are disposed of. Constant cooperation exists<br />
between these agencies and Board representatives both in Washington<br />
and in the field. The cooperation received from the other agencies<br />
of the Government has been most gratifying to the Board, which<br />
has endeavored to reciprocate by selectively disposing of emergency<br />
cases as against others which have been longer on the dockets but<br />
are not so pressing from the defense angle.<br />
During the fiscal year a substantial reorganization has been undertaken<br />
and some changes in procedures inaugurated. 2 They were<br />
designed to perfect administration and to make possible a more complete<br />
delegation of administrative responsibility to staff members on<br />
the one hand, and to expedite disposition of cases requiring decision<br />
See ch. II.