The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1939-06-15
Labor Makes Few
(Continued From Puoe Onal

pressure on administration and legis-
lative leaders.
The same procedure was necessary
to secure the enactment of amend
ments to the state civil service law,
which are considered a forward step
by advocates of the merit system and
had the support of the American Fed
Grafton of State, County and Munich
pal Employees, an AFL affiliate.
Included in the bill as passed was
extension of the right of appeal to in
clude lay-offs or reduction in salary;
establishment of a rotary fund, and
the addition of a third Commissioner,
making the Commission a bipartisan
board. The latter amendment was
favored by proponents of the bill as
tending to fix responsibility for OBJ
servance or disregard of the civil ser
vice law by the administration in pow
| er.
Amendments intended to remove any
doubt of the constitutionality of the
Act passed by the 1887 Legislature
creating an Institutional Building Au-
thority were. approved by the Legis-
lature, and the Supreme Court is ex-
pected to decide soon on the right of
the Authority to sell up to $1O,O0O,O00
in bonds to finance a broad program
of construction and rehabilitation Of
state institutional buildings.
Bills sponsored by the Musicians
Union, the Firefghters' Union, State
Employees Union and the Railroad
Brotherhoods were also enacted into
law, Secretary Donnelly noted.
Labor fought what was perhaps it's
most bitter battle in the General AS
sembly against the reorganization
of the Unemployment Compensation
Commission, and, although unable to
halt passage of the bill, was success
full in deleting number of unsatis-
factory provisions contained in the
original ripper legislation.
Secretary Donnelly said the losses
to labor through the reorganization
consisted of having no voice in the
administration of the unemployment
compensation law; provision for single
claims referees instead of three-mem-
ber boards and granting employers
the right to appeal claims allowed
former employees.
For the third consecutive year labor
failed to have enacted it's No. legis-
lative measure, bill defining the jur-
isdiction of courts in labor disputes
and regulating the issuance of in
functions against labor unions.
Labor's bill was identical with the
Federal Norris LaGuardia Act, and
when administration and House lead
ers attempted to substitute "com-
promise" bill which provided merely
that no court could issue an injunction
in labor dispute without an open
hearing in court, thus permitting anti
labor Judges to impose any restriction
they saw fit, the representatives of
all labor in the State refused to ac-
cept the substitute bill. Brought be-
fore the House for consideration, a
a surprise motion by Representative
Guy Hiner, Canton, to lay the substi-
tute bill on the table, carried on a
roll call vote.
Labor also again failed to have writ
ten into the statutes a state labor re-
lations act, similar to the Federal
Wagner Act. A bill providing for q
"Baby Wagner Act" was consigned tc
a subcommittee of the House Labor
Committee, which never met to con,
slider the measure further, Secretary
Donnelly recalled.
Another major labor bill, establish
ing state wage-hour law, was killed
by the Labor Committee, which paiC
little or no attention to the arguments
of labor representatives, in behalf OF
such legislation.
Coming under the heading of "wan-
ton killing" was the action of the Sen.
ate Commerce and Labor Committee
in indefinitely postponing consideration
of bill changing the name of the De.
partment of Industrial Relations to
the Labor Department. of Ohio.
Passed by the House of Representa-
tives as party platform pledge te
labor, the Senate Committee un.
tremendously dumped the bill in the
legislative scrap heap at the request
of representatives of the Ohio Manu-.
facturers' Association, who dominated
the General Assembly and apparently
felt that the measure gave labor toe
much recognition. Secretary Don
nelly said.
Other major bills which died fol
want of sympathetic Committee action
included measure reducing the hours
of labor on public works from 4S tc
40 in one week; outlawing private re-
muneration of deputy sheriffs anC
special police during labor disputes
regulation of private detective agen-
cies; establishing apprenticeship stand
ards in the state, and various licensing
bills.
Labor was successful in opposing
bills providing for: exemptions to the
eight-hour day, 4S-hour week law for
women and minors; incorporation of
labor unions; full police powers for
the state highway patrol; strict re-
quirements for labor union officials
repeal of the State Housing Act; in