Evening star., 1943-05-18
Anti-Strike Bill Vote
To Be Pushed DESPITE
New Opposition
AFl Council Threatens
To Unseot Legislators
Voting for Measure
BY the Associated Press.

New and unexpected opposi-
ton to the Connally Smith anti
strike bill today failed to shake
the House Military Affairs Com
mittee's determination to force
a House vote on the controver-
sial issue within the next few
days.
Letters of opposition from mem
bers OF the National Labor Relations
Board, War Labor Board Chairman
William H. Davis, Secretary of Lab
or Perkins, Secretary of the Navy
Knox, Assistant Secretary of War
John McCloy, WPB Chief Donald
M. Nelson and War Shipping Ad-
ministra tor Emory S. Land were re-
ferred to the committee late yester-
day by Speaker Rayburn.
Generally, the letters contended
that the legislation would promote
labor unrest and interfere with pro-
duction through impairment of ex-
isting labor management machinery
Too Late, Says May.
They are too late" was the re-
action of Chairman May whose
Military Affairs Committee approved
the legislation last week by a 21-to-
vote. THE committee already has
acted, and there will be insistence
that the House act on the bill
either late this week or early next
week"
The public is demanding now
that Congress act" he added
The American Federation of Lab
or also called on Congress to defeat
the Connally-Smith bill
Declaring that the legislation is
but another of the symptoms of
growing Fascism in America" the
executive council of the AFL, now
holding its quarterly meeting here,
in statement warned that it will
demand record vote on the bill.
Regardless of whether it is killed
or adopted. we shall lendeavor to
vote out of office any member of
Congress who supports It," the
council said. Into this effort, the
American Federation of Labor will
pour every resource at it's COM
mand."
yellow Dog" Case Recalled.
"It may be recalled that some
years ago, the American Federation
of Labor undertook a similar cam
paign against members of the
United States Senate who voted for
confirmation to the Supreme Court
of Federal judge who had upheld
'yelloW-dog contracts. This ap-
pointee was not confirmed, but the
American Federation of Labor did
not forget those Senators who voted
for him. Within 10 years not
single one of them remained in the
United States Senate.
I'VE trust that members of Con-
gress are cOgnizant of the fact that
the political strength of the Ameri-
can Federation of Labor has in
creased many times since then"
The council asserted that the
Connally-S Smith bill, if enacted, will
wreck the war production program,
wipe out the vast benefits that have
been derived from the operation OF
labor's voluntary no-strike pledge.
and that it would prove "as unen-
forceable as prohibition"
Provisions of Bill.
The measure embodies major pro-
visions of the bill of Senator Con-
nally. Democrat, of Texas, which the
Senate approved May and the bill
Of Representative Smith, Democrat,
of Virginia, which the House passed
December 3, 1941
Among other things, it would pro-
hibit strikes in Government-op-
Grated industries. require labor or
ganizations to file annual financial
and membership statements and
give the WLB subpoena powers.
One of the protesting letters,
written by H. A. Mills, Gerard D.
Reilly and John M. Houston of the
NLRB expressed fear the legislation
would provoke bitterness, rancor
and strife" and would tend to inter-
fere with production and would i'm
pair the effectiveness of the existing
machinery for the orderly settlement
Of labor disputes"
Davis Opposes Bill.
WLB Chairman Davis said the
bill would put the Government in
"the business Of collective bargain
ing, which ought to be left to the
parties alone"
Mr.. Knox, Admiral Land, Miss
Perkins, Mr.. Mccoy, Mr.. Nelson and
the four public members Of the WLB
urged that the view of Congress
(See LABOR BILL. Page 2-AO