The Waterbury Democrat., 1937-04-20
BEHIND THE SCENES WASHINGTON
Supreme Court War Still On,
 But The New Deal Is Se-
 cretly Grateful For Its Re- cent Decision.
gV RODNEY OUTcHER- (The Democrat Washington
 COrrespondent)

O@AN(
 But The New Deal Is Se-
 cretly Grateful For Its Re-
 cent Decision.
 Washington, April 20 - Although the administration continues to be- labor the supreme court, it is secret ly grateful for the Wagner act deci- SionS.
 Even if 1t should be conceded that those decisions made Roose- velts attempt to reorganize the ju- diciary somewhat more difficult, the New Dealers received a big break when they were given constitu- tional interpretation which will enable the government to handle the labor problems.
 VaIidation of the Wagner act greatly eased a situation which, persons close to the adminiStra-
 tion privately admitted, could not
 have been permitted to go on in- definitely. Another General Mo- tors or ChrysIer incident might
 have put the president in had hole.
 Now the administration per-
 haps with little semblance of grat- itude can blame recent labor
 crises on the courts. Federal dis-
 trict and circuit courts had tied up enforcement of the Wagner act
 for nearly two years by rulings of
 unconstitutionality. which they
 based on supreme court rulings
 handed down in day when Jus-
 tice Roberts was voting with the
 conservatives.
 The supreme courts Wagner deci- sions have made 1t possible to have national labor policy and have left the country with seasoned, exper- fenced machinery in the form of the National Labor Relations Board. Bitter About Conference Call
 Some confusion and mystification has followed the action of Secretary of Labor Frances Perkins in calling a conference of industrial and labor leaders for the purpose of stabilizing industrial relations under collective bargaining.
 The NLRB, recalling how stren- uously Miss Perkins sought to get the board under wing when 1t was created, and suspecting she still hopes to get it there whenever the presidents reorganization program goes through, is rather bitter about it. The board believes that it is at least an attempt to aggrandize the Labor Department, and advertise its conciliation services. Labor leaders privately stress their ignorance as to what the conference might be expected to accomplish.
 
 Lets Let It Ride"
 Industrialists naturally would em- phasize their claims that the Wag- ner act is entirely one-sided and demand legislative guarantees of sanctity of contracts with labor unions and against illegal stoppage of work" The administration is not unsympathetic to such proposals, but has no intention of supporting such far-reaching programs as for example, compulsory arbitration or compulsory incorporation of trade unions. It is virtually certain that there will be no amendments to the Wagner act, such as are proposed to balance" 1t for the sake of em- ployers, this year. Present admins tration attitude is: Lets let it ride on the basis of the Wagner act for awhile"
 Numerous problems remain in the labor field, and only actual exper- fence, it is held, will demonstrate just what new legislation might be needed. One obvious fact is that there still will be strikes if employ CTS, having obeyed the law by bar gaining collectivelyfi are unable to reach agreements with their em- jloyes.
 The NLRB's toughest problem probably will be found in disputes between the A. F. of L. and the c. I. o. The A. F. of L. has been de- manding the right to bargain for craft unions. And the board must decide, in many instances, whether collective bargaining representation and election arrangements shall be decided by crafts, or by entire plant personnel. Under the Wagner act 1t can use its discretion - which gives it power to be great help either to the Lewis or the Green group in specific cases.
 Could Plant Agents
 Inspired reports that the admin istration favorS incorporation of unions so that they may incur greater legal liability may be en- tirely discounted for the present. Key officials are inclined to agree with labor leaders that 1t would be simple for unfair employers to plant agents in incorporated unions and have them commit acts for which the unions could be held financially responsible. There is no compulsion on employers to incorporate, and the essential functions of a profit-mak- ing corporation and a trade union are entirely different.
 Some officials even insist that the only fair way to balance" the Wag- ner act woul abe to write in provi- sions guaranteeing the right of em- ployers to organize and bargain collectively, and to be free from any interference of those rights by em- ployes. Practically, of course, such provisions wouldn't make sense. Copyright 1897, NEA Service, Inv.)