Evening star., 1939-04-11
Wagner Act
Continued From First Page.)

consistently to destroy it. I respect
their right to do so, and do not
question their motives. But the fact
must be faced sqharely that they
are trying to destroy rather than
to perfect the act; and those who
want to preserve the act must of ne
cessity deal with them accordingly.
Third, the amendments to the
act, proposed by labor groups and
by labor's friends, deserve the most
careful consideration. At the same
time, every worker in America
should realize that while the friends
of the Labor Acts main objectives
are weakened by fractional strife,
the opponents of labor are strong
and united.
Fourth, the amendments pretend
ing to make the act fair, by placing
new restraints on labor would in
true effect upset labor's new equality
of barbaining power, and resign
labor to its earlier status Of the eco
nomic underling.
Fifth, the amendments propos-
ing drastically to change the admin
istrative provisions of the act would.
I believe. weaken the traditional
type of informal tribunals where the
average man has a better chance to
be heard. Without having that in
tent, they would. in my judgment.
tend to have the result of forcing
labor to seek its rights through
methods which are too expensive
and time consuming for the poor
man to afford.
Sixth, reckless tampering With
the act will substitute uncertainty
oi' certainty in the law, will start a
long new train of test suits and in
terpretations, and will shake the
stability and the surer blessings of
industrial peace that thousands OF
employers enjoy under the present
act as interpreted by the courts.
Before these hearings have pro-
ceeded far 1t will become apparent
that, while labor has some COM
plants to make against the Labor
Act many of those who will
gather here to indict the Labor Act
lay no claims to having ever been
the friends of labor. 1, therefore,
appeal to all those In America who
are sympathetic to the just aspira-
tions of the average man, who do
believe in economic democracy, who
do recognize that liberty and peace
are inseparable, to rally to the de-
fense of what the National Labor
Relations Act stands for.
Critical of Amendments.
The Senator spoke critically of
certain features of the amendments
proposed by Senators Burke, Walsh,
Democrat, of Massachusetts,, and
Holman, Republican, of Oregon as
certain to result 'in abandoning or
seriously impairing the principles of
administrative law that have evolved
gradually since the pioneer estab-
lishment of the Interstate Commerce
Commission in 1887"
One of the Walsh amendments,
all sponsored by the American Fed
Grafton of Labor, would, the Senator
declared, "cast doubt on hundreds
of decisions issued under the Labor
Relations Act, many affecting A. r.
of L. unions, and put in question
many victories in the courts, under
this act as we'll as under the Rail-
way Labor Act" In this instance
the Senator was addressing himself
to a proposal to remove present pro-
hibitions against employer Inter
ference" with worker organization.
Hits Strike Amendment.
OF the Burke amendments, Sena-
tor Wagner took particular note of
the proposed restraint on the right
to strike.
mo such proposal can strengthen
or improve the Labor Act" the New
Yorker said. THE abolition or cur
tailment of the right to strike is a
denial of the principles of democ-
racy and substitution of the meth
ods of the authoritarian state.
THE design of the Labor Rela-
tions Act is to reduce the number of
strikes by eliminating the main
wrongs and injustices that cause
strikes. The imposition of legal re-
strictions upon the right to strike,
instead of removing these wrongs,
would merely deprive the worker of
his inalienable right to protest
against them"
With reference to the Walsh
amendment to force recognition of
a craft union where present, Sen
ator Wagner reminded the commit
tee that "the unfortunate division
which now exists in the ranks of
labor-a division which I Profound
ly hope will soon be ended-was not
created by the Labor Act. The act
itself did not put the stamp of ap-
proval or favor upon any particular
type of union-outside or inside,
craft or industrial"
In cases where the act has ia
vored one or another type, he
added, there might well be careful
examination by the committee.
Citing a sharp decrease in strikes
and work interruptions since the
act was upheld by the Supreme
Court in May, 1887, and contending
an important segment of the Ma
tion's largest employers have found
the act instrumental in ef1ecting
employment stability, the Senator
delivered his most vigorous counter
attack on those who claim the act
Is one-sided.
Delivers Counter Attack.
He said:
THE frequently heard charge that
the Labor Relations Act Ia unfair
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