Evening star., 1939-03-26
Manufacturers Urge
Eight Changes in
Wagner Act
Association Advocates
Equal Restraints on
Labor, Employers
BY the Associated Press.

NEW YORK. March 25.-The Ma
tional Association of Manufacturers
today urged amendment of the Wag-
ner Labor Relations Act on eight
counts
At the same time, the association
said the purpose of the act, to pro-
tect collective bargaining by volun-
tarlly chosen representatives of
workers, was thoroughly justified. !"
In statement, accompanied by
quotations from various groups and
individuals all critical of the act in
its present form, the N. A. M. said
its position was that labor friction
would continue so long as the law
places restraints upon one party
-" and leaves the other party free
OF all restraint and until the
right of free association on the part
OF employers and freedom of action
on their part so long as they do not
commit unfair practices is recog-
nized, = and unless all persons
stand equally before the law and
the administrative agencies
LlSuI IUIutS OuLllnc0.
The eight points, paraphrased,
were:
/. Recognize unfair practices" by
others than employers as obstruc-
tions to interstate commerce.
2. The National Labor Relations
Board should confine its unioniza-
ton activities to protection of the
right of employees to organize and
bargain through representatives of
their own choosing.
3. Prohibit interference. restraint
and coercion" against employees from
any source.
4. Prohibit the closed shop and
the "check-off."
5. Protect employers by describing
minimum standards of conduct for
unions.
s. Reiterate the right of free
speech between employers and en-
ployes
7. Restrict power of the board to
favor national or international
unions as against local unions.
8. Assure fair trial and adequate
review to all accused of violating any
provision of the law.
General Aim Approved.
Approving the general purpose of
the act, to protect workers in the
right to bargain collectively and to
insure peace in industrial relations,
the N. A. NJ said that since the act
had gone into effect the country had
witnessed "a wave of sit-down
strikes and other strikes involving
violence and intimidation, such as it
has never before seen."
Pointing out that the board had
ordered reinstatement, sometimes
with back pay, of sit-down strikers,
the N. A. M. statement said that
this clearly wrong construction" of
the act by the board Continued un-
til the Supreme Court of the United
States, in its decisions of February
27, 1899, called halt"
The statement concluded:
"All those who have a stake in
preserving the integrity of our ju-
dlcial system should join in urging
the Congress to clarity the National
Labor Relations Act. - If the Con-
greSs will make its statute clear and
definite, it will serve the public in
terest by defining and clarifying
the area of labor board discretion
and obviating the necessity of court
Interpretation of what should have
been clear enough that it needed
little Interpretation"
Members of Congress quoted as
favoring revision of the Wagner Act
included: Senators Burke, Demo-
crat, of Nebraska: Vandenberg, ,sRe-
publican, of Michigan; Davis, Re-
publican, of Pennsylvania; Logan,
Democrat, of Kentucky, and Repre-
sentatives Cox, Democrat, of
Georgia; Rankin, Democrat, of Mis-
sissippi; Clifford. Republican, of
Massachusetts,; Short, Republican,
of Missouri; Hoffman, Republican.
&c