Evening star., 1941-12-03

Measure Passed
.252 10 1876
60-Doy Cool or
Period Required;
Violence Banned
Earlier Story on Page AID
Bv J. A. OLEARY.

The House, by vote OF 252 10
1876, late today passed far-reach-
ing legislation designed to curb
defense industry strikes by re-
quiring a 60-day "cooling-off'
period for the disputants and by
prohibiting violence and iuris-
dictional and sympathy walk
outs.
The vote was on the bill sponsored
by Representative Smith. Democrat.
of Virginia. whose measure was A
substitute for less drastic bills Of
fered by Representative Vinson and
Ramspeck. both Georgia Democrats.
The Smith bill which now goes
to the Senate was adopted on
roll-call vote. 1t was termed bv op-
ponents as repressive and anti
labor"
Three Votes Taken.
Earlier in two parliamentary
moves, the House approved the
Smith proposal. The first action was
a l82-143 teller count vote while the
House was acting in committee of
the whole. Then on roll call the
measure was approved as a substl-
tute by a 229-l58 vote.
In a last-minute effort to head of
passage of the Smith bill, Repre-
sentative Ramspeck moved to re-
commit the whole subject to COM
mittee with instructions to kill the
Smith plan and restore the Rams
peck measure.
Representative Rankin. Democrat.
Of Mississippi. Immediately raised
a point of order that a committee
could not be instructed 70 redraft
legislation the House mad Just re-
iected. and the point of order was
sustained. Failure of this maneu-
yer ended the fight and the House
began to vote on final passage of the
Smith bill.
Provisions of Bill.
Sponsored by Representative
Smith. Democrat, OF Virginia. the
substitute included the more mod
crate "cool-off period" in the admin
istration's Ramspeck bill, but its
major features are:
/ l. A secret ballot of all workers
in defense plant 10 determine
whether a majority favor a strike.
2. A requirement that all labor
unions register with the Government
and file detailed financial state
mentS.
/ 3. Cancellation of the benefits of
the National Labor Relations Act
and the social security program in
the case of any worker violating the
restrictions on labor trouble in a
defense factory.
The Smith plan went over despite
last-minute plea by Majority
Leader Mccormack of Massachu-
settS against it. He specifically
asked the House not to impose the
+ secret ballot or the registration rule
on organized labor. Labelling both
steps unnecessary to meet the pres
ent situation.
/ Mr.. Mccormack sought to per-
/ suade the membership that nothing
/ more is needed at the present time
than the reasonable waiting period"
embodied in the Ramspeck bill.
! Throughout the day, however
/ Democrats. many of them from the
South, had arisen to declare that
| the country was expecting stern
measures to keep the wheels of de-
fense production turning.
Va,dor vs nuaSt;o-oJ
In the midst of his closing plea
MI. Mccormack was interrupted by
Mr.. Smith. who wanted to know if
he favored allowing a labor organi-
Zatlon to collect an assessment from
man before he could 60 to work
on defense job.
Mr.. Mccormack at first declined
to be drawn into a discussion of
specific questions. but later told Mr..
Smith that he was not going to con-
denim labor as whole for the ac-
tions of ! or per cent of the labor
movement.
Earlier Test Vote.
BY vote of los to 68 the House
agreed to prohibit the importation
of either pickets or strike breakers
to a defense plant. The vote was by
tellers. in committee of the whole,
where a record vote is not in order.
When a perfected bill is reported
back to the House proper late today
or tomorrow a demand may be made
for a roll call on any amendment. so
that decisions in committee OF the
whole are tentative.
The ban on bringing in outsiders
(See HOUSE, Page 2-X)