Evening star., 1943-05-13
Rule Granted 10 Speed
House Passage Of
Strike Control Bill
Little Hope Seen for
Action Before Truce
In Mine Crisis Expires
BY J. A. O'LEARY.

Backers of the Connally- Smith
strike control bill will press for
early House action, but the
chance of enacting it before the
truce in the coal mines ends May
18 was remote today.
The Rules Committee late yester-
day granted special rule. limiting
debate to three hours, and making
amendments in order, but this does
not fix time for consideration.
The legislative program as out
lined by House leaders today made
it appear that the strike control bill
probably will not get before the
House until the latter part of next
week, after the truce in the coal
mine dispute has ended.
Hearings Are Demanded.
A demand for hearings before the
House acts was made in the Rules
Committee yesterday by Lewis G..
Hines, a legislative representative
for the American Federation Of
Labor, and was supported by Repre-
sentative Marcantonio, American
Laborite, of New York, and Repre-
sentative Bolton, Republican, OF
Ohio.
Mr. Marcantonio attacked the
terms of the bill. particularly pro-
vision he said would prevent the
War Labor Board from ordering a
closed shop once it had taken juris-
diction of a dispute in factory.
Mrs. Bolton did not discuss the
merits of the bill, but said it would
be unfortunate if Congress took
hasty action during period of
hysteria and urged hearings.
Representative Smith. Democrat,
Of Virginia, author of most of the
provisions adopted by the Military
Affairs Committee. took issue with
Mr. Marcantonio's Interpretation of
the closed shop feature. He told the
New Yorker that it merely prevents
the WI.B from repeating the sec
ton of the national labor relations
law, which says it shall be an I'M
fair labor practice for an employer
to discriminate against any person
for joining or not joining union,
except where voluntary agreement
has been made between the en-
ployer and union.
Earlier Hearings Cited.
Chairman May of the Military
Affairs Committee contended new
hearings on the specific provisions
of the pending bill, which passed
the Senate last week. were unneces-
sary. because his committee had just
completed weeks of hearings on the
general subject of war manpoWer
and labor problems.
Mr.. Smith and Mr. May explained
to the Rules Committee the amend
ed bill does not prohibit strikes, but
makes them illegal until certain
cooling off processes have been
gone through. A labor organization
that struck without following this
course would lose the benefits of the
National Labor Relations Act, in
Guiding the right to represent the
workers as a bargaining agent.
The steps required by the bill in
clude: Thirty days notice of in
tention to strike: secret ballot of
all the workers on the strike notice.
conducted by the Government:
mediation procedure through the
War Labor Board which could order
the status quo for so days once it
takes jurisdiction.
The bill also restricts picketing to
employees of plant, bars the i'm
portation of strike breakers. outlaws
lurlsdlctional disputes. sympathy
strikes or secondary boycotts for
the duration and would require
unions to register and file financial
reports with the Government.
The Senate-app owed bill was con-
fined mainly to penalizing any one
who promotes strike in a mine or
factory after the Government takes
1t over, and giving the War Labor
Board the power to subpoena.