Hill, James C., 1914-

Arbitrator, mediator, employee and panel member of federal labor dispute and wage stabilization agencies.

Arbitrator, mediator, and employee and panel member of federal labor dispute and wage stabilization agencies.

James C. Hill was an arbitrator and mediator. He received a B.A. degree from Swarthmore College (1935) and did graduate study in economics at Columbia University (1935-1938) and the London School of Economics (1936-1937). Hill was an adjunct professor with the New York State School of Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University (1960-1961). He served on the U.S. National War Labor Board (1943-1945); on the U.S. Wage Stabilization Board (1950-1951); as a member, vice-chairman, and chairman of the Regional Wage Stabilization Board No. 2 (New York) (1951, 1953) and was a member of the New York State Board of Mediation (1957-1960). Hill was self-employed from 1954 until his retirement in 1982.

Arbitrator, mediator, employee and panel member of federal labor dispute and wage stabilization agencies.

The National War Labor Board, a tri-partite body established in 1942 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, was charged with acting as an arbitration board in labor-management dispute cases, thereby preventing work stoppages which might hinder the war effort. It was also responsible for determining wage adjustments in accordance with anti-inflationary wage stabilization criteria and policies.

The Board was initially divided into twelve Regional Administrative Boards which handled both labor dispute settlement and wage stabilization functions for specific geographic regions. The National Board further decentralized in 1943, when it established special tri-partite commissions and panels to deal with particular industries on a national basis.

The Wage Stabilization Board was created as a constituent division of the Economic Stabilization Agency by Executive Order 10161 of September 9, 1950, under the authority of the Defense Production Act of 1950, to control wages and salaries during the Korean War emergency period. An executive order of April 21, 1951 reestablished the Board with power to assist the president in settling industrial disputes. In July of 1952, the Board was reconstituted under legislative authority but stripped of its function in the area of labor disputes. Wage controls were suspended in February of 1953 and the Board was terminated the following April. The Board, while it functioned, was a tripartite body representing labor, industry and the public. To expedite its activities, regional offices were established, including that in New York.