REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF THE NATIONAL WAR LABOR BOARD FOR THE 12 MONTHS ENDED MAY 31, 1919. The National War Labor Board was created as part of the war machinery of the country and it is passing out of existence as the need for war machinery is passing. Its existence has covered a term of barely 13 months, only one-half of which was a period of active hostilities. The War Labor Board served as a means of adjusting labor disputes without stopping production of things essential to the conduct of the war, as a condition under which the board accepted cases was that work should continue without interruption while the case was being considered by the board. DISPOSITION OF CASES. From April 30, 1918, to May 31, 1919, the date of this report, the board has received 1,270 cases, 25 of which were consolidated with other cases, leaving 1,245 separate controversies which had to be passed upon by the board. Of these 1,245 cases, 706 (57 per cent) have been referred to other agencies having primary jurisdiction or have been dismissed because of voluntary settlement, lack of jurisdiction, or for other reasons; 77 (6 per cent) are pending or remain on the docket as undisposed of because of divided vote or suspension; while in the remaining 462 cases (37 per cent) awards or findings have been handed down. In addition the board made 58 supplementary decisions in cases where action had already been taken, making a total of 520 formal awards or findings. This record within a period of less than 13 months is one which unquestionably has never been approached by any similar agency in the history of industry. An analysis of the disposition of the 1,245 cases referred to is given in the following table: Statement showing disposition of cases before the National War Labor Board to May 31, 1919. Disposition of cases: Awards and findings made_. Dismissed. Referred Pending Remaining on docket because board unable to agree_ Total_____ As to the 315 cases which were received by the board and referred to other boards and agencies having original jurisdiction, the following table shows the number referred to each specified agency: Number of cases referred to each specified agency. Department of Labor, Division of Conciliation. Department of Labor, Employment Service.... Railroad Administration, Division of Labor.. Navy Department-- Treasury Department- Post Office Department-- Emergency Fleet Corporation, Industrial Relations Division. War Industries Board. War Labor Policies Board__ Fuel Administration__ Federal Oil Inspection Board_. War Department, various__ War Department, Quartermaster General_ Board members__ Officers of international unions__ Total 164 13 6 8 4 6 1 6 1 24 20 10 10 315 It will be seen from the foregoing analysis that more than one-half of the complaints referred were sent to the Division of Conciliation of the Department of Labor with the object in view of having the differences adjusted, if possible, without recourse to formal proceedings before the board. Of the cases removed from the docket of the board without action by formal award or finding, the greater number were dismissed without prejudice because of lack of prosecution or because the board was advised that the parties involved had entered into a formal agreement and no further action by the board was necessary. The following table shows in detail the number of cases removed for each reason specified: Cases removed from docket for reasons specified. Not including 58 supplementary awards, etc., in cases in which action had already been taken. These 53 cases represent actually only 3 case-groups, as one of the case-groups involves 51 docket numbers. |