Evening star., 1941-02-23
0.P.M. Possesses Full
Anti-ShikeP Power,
House Group Feels
Westbrook PeeIer Called
To Appear Tomorrow
Before Committee
Rv GOULD LINCOLN.


The House Judiciary Committee,
headed by Representative Summers
of Texas, feels it has effectively
placed the responsibility on the Of
flee of Production Management to
see that the national defense pro-
gram is not hampered by strikes
and lockouts, or, in the event of
costly delays in the program, to seek
further power from Congress.
William S. Knudsen, director of
the o. P. M. and Sidney j. Hillman,
associate director, appeared before
the committee last week and said
they saw no need for further legis-
lation relating to strikes and lock-
outs at this time. They insisted
that labor troubles in defense indus
tries had been relatively unimport-
ant and small in number.
With this testimony, committee
members said yesterday they felt
they had called the responsible
heads of the Government agency
dealing with production for ma
tional defense and obtained from
them the administration view of
the labor situation. At the same
time they shook their heads over
press reports that strikes were halt
ing defense orders in II plants. In
their opinion, the reports of new
strikes did not bear out the state
ment of the situation made by the
o. P. M. heads.
Westbrook Pegler Called.
The committee has called West
brook Pegler, newspaper columnist,
to appear before it at 10 am. to-
morrow. Mr.. Pegler has investf-
gated and written much about
"racketeering" by labor unions and
their leaders. 1t is believed the
committees desire to hear Mr.. Peg
Ter means it plans to 60 into the
reports that labor organizations
have charged and are charging big
initiation fees, or license fees" for
the right of workers to obtain en-
ployment on national defense
projects.
Committee members have been
aroused over these demands on
workers. Representative Michener,
Republican, of Michigan called at
tention Yesterday to case involving
the setting of 100000 pieces of win
dow glass in one defense project,
q camp. This work. he said, ac-
cording to the record Of the COM
mittee. had to be handled by men,
bers of the glaciers union. Only 20
members of the union were avail
able He said an initiation fee OF
$500 was required for admission
to the union In the end, l67 men |
were put to work setting the glass, !
he said, with the stipulation that |
each non-member of the union !
should pay into the union 81 a
day for each day he worked For |
this the men did not receive MEM |
hership in the union but a License"
to work on this job In other words, !
147 men were paying 81 a day for |
this privilege.
Do Not Want to Influence Labor.
The Judiciary Committee has not |
to hurry into a position OF !
demanding legislation to curb |
strikes in the present defense emer- |
gency. Rather, it has followed a |
course of obtaining all possible in
formation before embarking on any
legislative proposal. For that rea-
son. it first called before it the /
heads of the o. P. M. There is no
desire on the part of committee
members. they say, to create a Sit
uation that would inf1ame labor,
when it's cooperation is needed to |
get the necessary production.
Mr.. Michener is one of those who |
believes Congress might well enact |
into law a formula providing for a |
cooling off period before any
strike or lockout may become effec-
tive. This. he said, could we'll fol-
low the form outlined in the law
railroad labor. And fur
ther. it might be confined TO the
period of the emergency" with the
law expiring at a given date, and
confined also to industries produc-
ing material needed for the ma
tional defense.
While the Judiciary Committee
has adopted an attitude of watch
full waiting" to see what are the
Developments in the labor situation,
it has by no means abandoned its |
plan to explore the whole situation,
It was said. It's first concern is to |
see that there be no material slow
ing down in the defense program |
because of strikes and lockouts.