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    "label": "Thursday, March 23, 1972, TV Statement re George Meany",
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    "title": "Thursday, March 23, 1972, TV Statement re George Meany",
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    "ocrText": "FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE\nMARCH 23, 1972\nOffice of the White House Press Secretary\nTHE WHITE HOUSE\nSTATEMENT BY THE PRESIDENT\nThe spirit of voluntary cooperation is the key to victory in the battle against\ninflation. I emphasized this point when I first announced my new economic\npolicy last August and repeated it last October outlining the price stabilization\nprogram. I described at that time some of the sacrifices which millions of\nAmericans were making in the fight against rising prices. And I indicated that\nour success in this struggle would ultimately depend on the willingness of all\nour people to \"put the public interest ahead of the special interest\" and thus\nto continue that good fight.\nThat is why the decision of three of the five representatives of organized labor\nto resign from the Pay Board is a disservice to the American people.\nSince it was established last October -- at the specific urging of organized\nlabor -- this tripartite Board has been a central part of the Phase Two program.\nThere has been much strong evidence that this program is succeeding. In the\nsix months from August, 1971 to February, 1972, the rise in the Consumer\nPrice Index was cut to an annual rate of 3.3 percent, down from a 4.1 percent\nincrease in the previous six months. Real, spendable weekly wages after\ntaxes rose 5.4 percent in the last six months, compared to a 1.3 percent\nincrease in the previous six months. In the last six months, seasonally\nadjusted employment rose 1, 123, 000, while unemployment declined by\n234,000.\nAny program of controls in a free economy will have its ups and downs. But\nwhat is important is that we are moving in the right direction. The Wage and\nPrice control system is working. But continued cooperation of all Americans\nis needed if we are to win the battle against inflation.\nIn these circumstances, the decision of three of the labor representatives to\nwalk off the job of fighting inflation is totally selfish and irresponsible.\nThe West Coast longshoremen's settlement was the only specific case referred\nto in yesterday's statement by the Executive Council of the AFL-CIO, a state-\nment which severely criticized the general pattern of Pay Board decisions.\nThe Pay Board disallowed a 20. 6 percent compensation increase which\nMr. Meany and his colleagues supported but approved a 14.9 percent increase,\neven though it was more than double the general limit which the Board had\nset.\nThe Pay Board was right and Mr. Meany was wrong on this issue.\nThe general pattern of decisions of the Pay Board is one with which the labor\nrepresentatives have largely agreed. Of the 54 Pay Board decisions to date,\nlabor has agreed in 36 of the votes two thirds of the total. It has disagreed\nwith only 13 decisions -- or 25 percent. In one instance labor's representa-\ntives were split and in four instances they abstained. Over half of the Pay\nBoard's decisions have been unanimous and, of the eight major wage cases\nvoted on by the full board which have been the most controversial, labor has\nagreed with the outcome in five. When the labor representatives say that\nthis general pattern is one of \"flagrant favoritism, \" they must recognize\nthat the pattern is one to which they have generally agreed."
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