Evening star., 1941-02-04

mediation OF all disputes arising,
then neither the employees nor the
employers working under such
agreements will ever be affected by
the Federal legislation I propose.
The bill I have introduced would
in essence simply write into our
statutes the procedures relative to
labor disputes which the metal
trades department of the American
Federation of Labor advocates in
its statement OF policy. Unfortu-
nately. we cannot depend entirely
on voluntary adherence to this
policy. There would always be a
few violators on both sides.
Let me tell you briefly what my
bill would do. First it would apply
only to defense industries, but of
course in these days, that takes
in almost everything. 1t would
expire July /. 1943 unless renewed
by the Congress. It would apply 10
| jurisdictional disputes as we'll as
10 those between employer and en-
ployes.
No new agency would be created
| by the bill. The act would be ad-
ministered by the director Of TIE
| United States Cancellation Service
of the Department of Labor and he
would be authorized to employ any
/ additional commissioners or other
help needed. The conciliator also
v-OI1II n ,,tiIi7o "a
/ services of any State official in a
State having similar Conciliation
! statute.
Both employees and employ e-s
would be required to give written
notice to the other party ol any
intention to seek or make a change
/ N wages, hours or other working
| conditions. After such notice. they
would be required to negotiate te in
I good faith for at least 10 days, after
which the employees might serve
( notice of strike, or the employer
I might serve a lockout notice on
the Conciliator. After service Of
such notice there would be 10 day
waiting or cooling-off period during
/ which the conciliator would call both
parties together for a conference or
/ series of conferences which both
would be required to attend. He
would endeavor to work out a settle
ment of the dispute. The l0-dav
period could be extended indefinitely
by mutual consent of both parties.
Three Member Arbitration Board.
If at any time during the course
of negotiations or conciliation both
parties to a dispute agreed to sub
NIT the issues to arbitration. the
conciliator would appoint three
member arbitration board. One
member would be representative of
the employees. one of the employer
and the third agreed upon by the
first two if possible. but if not,
named by the conciliator. The arbi-
tration board would have power to
subpoena witnesses and records and
/ its decision would be binding upon
both parties.
In any strike or lockout notice
in an industry producing critical
defense items. the conciliator would
Immediately notify the President,
| who might at his discretion appoint
special mediation board which
would attempt to settle the dispute
This special board would publish a
report of its findings as to the is
sues in dispute and its efforts to
mediate them. No strike or lockout
would be permitted until the board
had published its report or until
80 days had elapsed since its ap-
pointment, whichever occurred first.
Any action to effectuate either a
strike or lockout during either the
Today waiting period or the 30-day
period would be declared unlawful
would be directed to enjoin any such
action, but only for the balance of
the waiting period and only after
verifying from the Conciliator the
| facts as to whether notice had been
given and the date on which it was
given.
The bill also would permit either
party to a dispute to call upon the
conciliator for his services at any
time without necessarily giving no.
tice of strike or lockout.
Minnesota Stoppages Cut Down.
In Minnesota these principles OF
a cooling-off period and conciliatior
have been in effect now for a yeal
and eight months. During that
time. 944 notices of strike or lockout
involving 60,700 employees have beer
served on the conciliator. Out OF
that total only Al have resulted ir
strikes and in lockouts and the
total number of employees involved
in both the strikes and lockouts was
only 1868
The bill which Chairman VinSon
| of the House Naval Affairs Commit
| tee introduced is somewhat more
elaborate and follows little more
closely the pattern of the Railway
Labor Act. 1t also contains one fea-
ture which I believe would cause
endless trouble. That is prohibi-
ton of closed-shop agreements with
unions. The unions, which have
fought long and hard for closed
shop agreements, would resent such
a provision bitterly I think il
would increase industrial strife rath-
er than promote harmony in labor
relations.
The Vinson bill would require Sc
days of negotiation and mediation in
| all That might be all right in a
shipyard constructing battleship
which takes three or four years tc
build. 1t would not work so we'll in
a small plant turning out minor
parts where total contract might
be completed in a few days or weeks
1t would not work very we'll in the
construction field For instance, one
cantonment construction Job re-
/ Gently let must be completed in 6t