Evening star., 1937-04-18
CHIEFS TOD|SCUSS
LABOR POLICIES
Miss Perkins ParIey and
A. l.. Session Sched-
uIed for Week..

| coming week as developments OF i'm.
portance to both shape themselves
here.
Possibly the first in Importance viii
be the one-day round table conference
called by Secretary OF Labor Perkin,
for the purpose Of fashioning genera,
rules and principles of procedure in
furthering the application of collec-
tive bargaining.
Approximately score of leaders OF
industry, labor and government have
definitely indicated their intention OF
meeting with the Secretary Tuesday
with fully as many more expected to
attend in response to invitations
Such varied interests as the American
Federation Of Labor, the Committee
for Industrial Organization, the Ma
tional Association of Manufacturers
the United States Chamber of Com
merce, the National Labor Relations
Board, and the oil, steel and railroad
industries have been invited to send
representation. All are expected.
With no fixed agenda, it is the broad
purpose Of the conference to develop
a meeting Of minds on the matter OF
bringing employers and employees OF
the Nation together in the stages OF
conciliation or mediation which may
precede the necessity for calling on
the Labor Board. It Is believed there
are numerous employers and employees
who are not sufficiently familiar with
the instrumentality of collective bar
gaining to assure full effectiveness of
right now granted by law and ap-
proved by the courts.
Might Prevent Work StoppaEe.
In brieL many stoppages OF work
might be prevented by intelligent
reasoning on both sides OF a con-
troversy and without recourse to the
outside authority Of the Labor Board
If such can be accomplished, it is
the reasoning Of Secretary Perkins
that industry, labor and the Govern
ment are the benehciaries.
Second scheduled event Of interest
and Importance Is the special meet
ing Of the Executive Council Of the
American Federation of Labor, sum-
moned for tomorrow and likely to
last several days.
Two major issues stand on the
councils docket, first being the ini-
tiation Of an intensive membership
drive under the favorable auspices OF
the validated labor relations act and
second being the question of expelling
outright the insurgent unions Of the
Committee for Industrial Organiza-
ton.
Authority for the council to take
the latter action was voted by the
federation convention in Tampa last
November, 10 c. I. o. unions at that
time being under suspension. Since
that date, the break between the two
principal factions Of the labor move
ment was widened, with the C. I. O.
followers Of John L. Lewis adding to
their strength in unions and in in
dividuaLs.
1t Is expected in quarters close to
the council that expulsion action may
take place during the coming week,
although the net result Of such action
would no more than place a stamp
OF hnality on situation that has
existed In fact since last Summer.
Continuing its summary Of the
effects Of the recent Wagner act de-
cisions, the United States Chamber
OF Commerce yesterday advised en-
ployers generally to testify when the
National Labor Relations Board insti-
tutes proceedings involving them, but
set forth a large number OF rights
in dealing with employees which it
believes employers retain in spite of
the Supreme Court decisions.
Rights of Employers.
The chamber emphasizes that the
decisions on the Wagner act and on
the railway labor act as amended in
1884 confirm certain rights of en-
ployers. 1t cites three in particular:
The right to maintain an open shop.
The right to discharge an employe
for non-performance Of his contract
or ineff1ciency due to any reason, Gin
cluding failure by reason Of activities
in connection with an employee s
organization, and excepting only
membership in a labor union. 1t
emphasizes that without the en-
ployer's consent there can be no
activities of an employe during work.
ing hours in connection with an
organization"
The right to discontinue an opera
tion and have the work done by some
one else under contract, in that way
removing various activities from the
scope Of Federal regulation. It points
out that the Supreme Court in its
March 20 decision upholding the
railway labor act said that the back
shop" employees of the Virginian Rail-
way were in interstate commerce and
so subject to Federal regulation, but
pointed out that the management had
the right to have this work done by
an independent contractor.
Other rights not mentioned in the
recent cases Undoubtedly continue, -
the chamber reports, citing as an ex-
ample "the right to limit access to
premises to employees"
The decisions on the Wagner act
the chamber states, left open fol
future determination what it calls
rights Of employees" to bargain
through minority groups despite the
principle Of majority rule" embodied
in the Wagner act and upheld in the
Virginian Railway case.
The recent decisions, it says, also
leave open to determination later "the
right of an employer In production
to maintain the privacy of his busi-
ness against internal investigation by
the Labor Relations Board, when the
employer believes in good faith that
his business does not come within the