Evening star., 1943-05-07
ConnaI|y Asks House
To Act al Once on
His Anti-Strike Bill
Says Measure Should Be
Passed Before Mine
Truce Period Ends
BY J. A. O'LEARY.

Senator Connally, Democrat, Of
Texas appealed to the House late to-
day to act before the truce in the
coal mines expires on his bill fixing
penalties on any one who promotes
strikes in plants or mines after the
Government takes over.
"It Is of the highest importance
that the House pass the Connally
antistrike bill promptly" said the
Texas Senator. 1T will apply to the
present coal situation, if enacted
before the truce expires. The bill
ought to be on the books in antici-
patton of any future strikes in any
war production plant. 1t announces
a clear-cut policy of the Congress.
It gives vigor and vitality to the War
Labor Board. 1t serves notice that
strikes in war plants will not be
tolerated. 1t ought to pass, and it
ought to pass now
Earlier, it appeared that the Con-
nally measure may be replaced in
the House by the Smith bill, which
would permit strikes only after an
extended period of arbitration.
There we're reliable indications
that when the House Military
Affairs Committee begins deliberat
ing Tuesday on a variety of man
power measures, the Smith bill will
be debated as a possible substitute
for the Senate proposal.
The Smith bill passed the House
dave hofnro tho offonH ~
Pearl Harbor in 1941, but died in
the Senate without being reported
from committee. Public attention
at that time centered on the war.
and last year labor leaders worked
out no-strike agreement with the
President.
Revived by Mine Strike.
Efforts to pass restrictive labor
laws subsidized until the recent mine
crisis, in which John L. Lewis,
United Mine Workers chieftain,
announced he no longer regarded
the no-strike agreement as bind
ing because the War Labor Boards
hands had been tied in settling
disputes by the Little Steel formula.
The Smith bill passed the House
252 to 1856. 1t provides that a
union must give the Secretary of
Labor 80 days notice of intention
to call strike. The Government
then would be required to conduct
an election, with the workers voting
by secret ballot to determine how
many favor walking out.
1t also provided for arbitration
procedure, along the lines of the
Railway Labor Act If all efforts
at Cancellation failed. the right to
strike would remain, but if union
struck without going through the
processes of the bill, the penalty
would be to exclude it from the
benefits of the National Labor Re
lations Act which would deprive it
of continuing as the bargaining
agent.
Union Registrat ton Provided.
The original Smith bill also pro-
vided for registration of unions and
the filing of financial reports, fea-
lures which were vigorously opposed
by LABOR leaders.
The author of the bill, Represent
ative Smith, Democrat, of Virginia,
has made no announcement in con-
nection with the Connally bill. but 1t
Is known that some House members
are turning attention to the Vir-
ginian's proposal.
Chairman May of the Military
Affairs Committee said yesterday he
did not regard open hearings neces-
sary on the Connally bill, in view of
the testimony taken during the last
month on other labor and manpower
measures Those hearings will end
today with the testimony of Joseph
B. Eastman. director of defense
transportation.
The Cornally bill establishes
penalties of fine or Imprisonment
or both, for any one who promotes
a strike in plant or mine after the
Government has taken over the
property, and gives the War Labor
Board the power of subpoena, but
carries no penalties that would apply
in cases where the Government does
not take over the property.