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Frances PerkinsFrances Perkins
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tales about this travel time and making great tales about the cost of washing their work clothes and the cost of blacksmithing their tools and all this. “This is what the miners have to pay for it.”

He talked about that more than he did about the thing he was really after, which was the wages. When he'd get through talking about those and negotiating with them, and getting the operators to make a concession on blacksmithing the tools, or a concession on travel time, you know-- then he would switch to the wages. Then he would say, “Well, you have promised to do this. I will make a concession. I will relieve you from your promise to pay for the blacksmithing of tools, in return for an extra wage. That would be simpler, easier for you. Won't cost you any more in the end.”

Interviewer:

Next time it comes up, he's still got the same old talking points?

Perkins:

He's still got the same old talking points, and that was what he wanted them for. He wanted to reserve those for talking points and for negotiating points, and he negotiated with them very beautifully. It was an astonishment to him when the War Labor Board handed him the whole show, you see-- everything he'd ever asked for, ever could ask for. It was far too elaborate. He was very much down on the whole War Labor





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