Evening star., 1941-11-28
Bills
Voted Enabling
Plant Seizures
Senote and House
Units Act; ConnoI|y
Proposal Adopted
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
Senate and House committees
gave their approval today to
separate bills which would empower
the Government to take over de.
fense plant when strikes impede
production.
The Senate Judiciary Committee
voted. IL to 2, to recommend the bill
of Senator Connaly to take over
such plants and freeze the open or
closed shop status in them.
This action followed only by q
few minutes House Labor Committee
approval of legislation which. be-
sides the seizure clause. would create
machinery for voluntary arbitration
Of labor disputes.
Acting Chairman Ramspeck said
the House measure was a middle
f-the-road bill' which undertakes
to settle disputes on a voluntary
basis" If that should fail, the Gov
eminent could take possession Of
the defense plant after a 6O-day
cooling-of period, he added.
Ramspeck Explains Bill.
Representative Ramspeck gave
this explanation of the bill:
whenever labor dispute Is not
settled by collective bargaining con-
clllation or mediation and the Pres
ident finds that continuation OF the
dispute imperils national defense,
he may, in his discretion, take pos
session of the plant and operate it
under provisions" Of the Selective
Service Act.
Mr.. Ramspeck said the committee
Gid not take up at its meeting to-
day a provision in another bill Civ
ing the President power to invoke
compulsory arbitration of defense
labor disputes and carrying stiff
penalties against both MANAGEMENT
and labor if either refused to accept
an arbitration board decision.
The Senate Labor Committee. also
rushing work on anti-strike leRis-
latlon, was told by Senator Herring.
Democrat, OF Iowa that a proposal
he is sponsoring to make it a crime
to call a defense strike had been
approved by William S. Knudsen,
director of defense production.
Forced Arbitration Abandoned.
Before Representative Ramspeck's s
announcement on the new House
bill, members of the committee had
said that the group had decided to
drop compulsory arbitration pro-
posal from the legislation at the re-.
quest of the administration. Thev
quoted Democratic Majority Leader
Mccormack as urging that such a
plan, opposed by both labor and
industry, be abandoned.
Senator Herring testified to the
Senate Committee that Mr.. Knud-
sen formerly opposed legislation to
curb strikes. but now thought it
would be helpful Senator Herring
said his bill will prevent a man like
John L. Lewis or any other labor
leader from calling a strike in a de-
fense industry. If he does call such
strike, he faces a penalty Of one
year in jail and a $1,000 fine" His
measure would require a secret vote
by union members on any strike call.
Committees in both branches OF
Congress were working on anti
strike bills despite nat oblec-
tlons from c. I. o. and A. r. l..
leaders to any such legisla ton. The
National Association of Manufac-
turers also objected to proposed
plant-seizure measures.
Actual consideration of the bills
was expected to begin in the Senate
and House next week. and the CLIO.
sent out a hurry-up call to all its
unions to have. delegates here for
meeting Monday to take whatever
action may be necessary"
Nature of Bill Unpredictable.
When similar anti-strike legisla-
ton was being considered last sum-
mer, c. I. o. men called in groups on
members OF the House and expressed
their opposition to the then pending
bill. which failed OF passage. Repre-
sentative Smith. Democrat, Of Vir-
ginia criticized such tactics as ~soon
squad" lobbying.
With members OF congressional
committees unable to agree among
themselves on the best statutory
means of preventing work stoppages
in defense industries. the final form
that any such legislation might take
remained unpredictable.
Some members Of the House Judi
ciary Committee said they were pre-
pared to offer a bill of their own, If
the Labor Committee bill Is found
to lack sufficient teeth
The compulsory arbitration pro-
posal had aroused stiff opposition
from c. I. o. and A. F. L. ofncials,
and yesterday the Labor Commit
tee also heard the provision criti-
cized by Charles r. Hook. repre-
senting the National Association Of
Manufacturers
,Ansther labor bill was being in
cubated in a Senate Labor subcom-
mittee headed by Senator Hill,
Democrat, of Alabama. II Was de-
scribed as a compromise measure,
probably involving voluntary arbi-
tration. but details still were to be
worked out.