Streamlined Hijacking

The vital rubber city of Akron last week was beating off a streamlined version of the old labor-pirating racket. Swamped with war orders and short of skilled workers, 20 small, back-alley machine shops had hijacked machinists from bigger war plants. Their system was simple: each would hire someone else's skilled worker away as a "private contractor," let him "bid" on each job he turned out and "rent" the machine he worked on. Technically, this wile put the worker in business for himself. Thus the worker who changed jobs needed no WMC statement of availability, and by "bidding" for jobs, neatly dodged WLB wage ceilings as well.

Biggest loser to the pirates was Goodyear Aircraft Corp., makers of fighting planes. When the loss of 60 men hurt production, Goodyear complained. WMC cracked down hard, ordered all hijacked workers back to .their former jobs. Two shops got around the order by taking the hijacked men into partnership.

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