Evening star., 1939-06-13
Green Urges 0usting
Present Members
OF Labor Board
PortioIity Shown
Toward c. |. O., He
Tells House Group
- the Associated Press.

- the Associated Press.
President William Green of the
American Federation of Labor told
the House Labor Committee today
the present membership of the Ma
tional Labor Relations Board should
be displaced Ito restore confidence
and respect in the minds of millions
Of American workers"
Mr.. Green urged the adoption of
amendments to the Wagner Act
sponsored by the A. F.. L. and sub
mitted by Representative Barden,
Democrat, of North Carolina. One
of the proposals would abolish the
present Labor Board and provide
for appointment of a new one.
Throughout his testimony, Mr..
Green contended repeatedly that
the boards administration of the
Wagner Act had shown partiality
toward the c. I. o. He recalled that
the A. F. L. had supported the act
when 1t was first proposed and said
his organization favors retention of
the law emended Ito conform to it's
original intent and to assure fair
ness in its administration"
No reasonable person." the A. F.
L. president said. will deny that the
loser in a case before the board will
be irritated, and. if a poor loser. will
claim that he has been unjustly
dealth with.
Says Opposition Is Fundamental.
But the objections and oppoSi-
ton to the act and the board on the
part of the A. F. l.. are not founded
on any such petty considerations.
AS matter of fact, it may very well
be that the A. F. L. has won more
cases numerically than its rival.
The opposition of the A. F. of L.
Is fundamental. Stated generally,
our opposition to the board is that
in deciding cases it has established
precedents whereby the so-called
economic philosophy of one labor
group is encouraged and sustained,
while that of the other is sup
pressed and even obliterated.
The board has taken sides in
what has been called an 'ideolog-
ical controversy and has rendered
decisions which promote the cause
of rivals of the A. F. of L. to the in
jury and detriment of the A. F.
of L"
Mr.. Green told the committee that
If Congress failed to amend the
Wagner Act. the next might repeal it.
He made the statement in reply TO
a remark by Chairman Norton that
when amendments get to the House
floor there probably would be an
attempt to take the heart OUT Of
the law.
Il can't believe that" the A. F. L,
head said of course. there are
some who would destroy it. but feel
sure they are in hopeless minority.
A. F. L. Sincere Green Says.
"Unless this Congress does meet
the demand of public opinion for
amendments to the act, there is
grave danger that the pendulum,
which is now swinging too far to
the right will manifest itself in the
next session of Congress. and there
will be grave danger that the act
itself will be destroyed"
Mr.. Green said the Federation,
while sponsoring major amendments,
still was one of the most sincere
and devoted" friends of the act. The
organization wants to make it i'm
possible. he said, for hostile
board" to administer the law con-
trary to its principles.
The Senate Labor Committee
meanwhile, was told that threat
to report alleged unfair trial prac-
tices to Senate committee brought
a swift reversal of procedure by
Labor Board counsel in the Amer
ican Rolling Mill case.
Robert T. Caldwell. Ashland (Ky.),
attorney for the Rolling Mills Co..
testified that during the hearings on
complaints against the firm he
suggested" that the boards counsel
would be reported later to a Senate
committee.
Procedure Changed. He Says.
He said the trial examiner and
counsel "imemdiately went into a
lluuult anu discontinued question:
ing supervisory officials as to what
the company's defense would be if
certain discharged or laid-off en-
ployes later testified that they had
a complaint against it.
Mr.. Caldwell contended such pro-
cedure was a violation of constitu-
tional rights.
You mean to say that threat
to take something before a Senate
committee caused some wavering in
procedure?" asked Chairman Thom-
as
Mr.. Caldwell areplied that he
thought the company's rights had
been "outrageously denied before
his threat was made. The incident
occurred last summer, he said, be-
fore the Senate Labor Committee
took up proposed amendments to the
Wagner Act, although there al
ready were indications that a SEN
ate investigation of the subject i'm
pended.