Evening star., 1944-12-27
Clio Raps Plan
For Maryland
Act
Proposal to License
Unions Prepared for
Assembly Action
BY the Associated Press.


BALTIMORE, Dec. 27.-A State
labor relations act" which Director
Harry F. Klinefelter of the Ameri-
can Citizens Association said would
be brought before the 1945 General
Assembly, drew CIO opposition yes
terday as "a vicious, unprincipled
attempt to bring national disunity
into the State of Maryland.
The bill, providing for licensing
OF unions, would require them to
establish legal responsibility and to
make financial reports to the State.
The right to strike also would be
regulated.
Disclosure of the proposed bill
and the immediate opposition it
brought from the new State CIO
Executive Board high lighted q
series OF pre-Assembly developments
which included issuance of a bound
volume Of approximately 140 bilh
bearing Legislative Council ap-
proyal and preparations for that
body's final meeting today before
the Legislature convenes January 3
Work on Injury Fund"
The council hoped to complete
today the details of a bill to create
"a second injury fund" under the
workman's compensation lava
move which advocates said they
believed would make more feasible
the employment Of partially disabled
war veterans.
Under the present State law an
employer who hires a man with
one eye, for example, is charged
with a total loss of sight if ths
man loses the other eye on the lob.
The result, advocates of the chang,
SAID, is that employers hesitate to
hire partially disabled persons.
Under the proposed change q
special fund would be set up for
such cases, with all EMPLOYERS
under the workman,s COMPENSATION
law participating.
Also scheduled for study TODAY
was the proposal to establish =
greater degree of home rule in 1e7
municipalities of the State. The
proposed bill. similar to one already
prepared for the counties, is in
tended to eliminate the rush of local
measures that usually jam the final
days OF legislative session.
Provides Contract Equality.
Mr.. klinefelter said his organiza.
ton had sent to all State Senators
and Delegates a draft of the pro.
posed labor relations bill and a letter
which said in part:
In essence it (the bilD provides.
Equality between employe and en-
ployer IN contractual relations; re-
quires unions to establish legal re-
sponslbility and to make financial
and other reports to the State and
to be licensed and treated like other
| professions and businesses: makes
bargaining agents accountable; re-
qulres arbitration before strikes can
be called and establishes a fixed
| period OF time for notification of in
tentlon to strike: inter union dis
putes are outlawed as strike obiec-
tlVes, picketing. boycotts and SYM
pathetic strikes are regulated and
under certain conditions are pro-
hibited.
The absence of such legislation
makes it all but impossible to have
industrial peace and prosperity, and
besides seriously impedes and handi-
caps our war effort"
CIO Plans Fight.
State CIO President Ulisse Da
Dominicos said a fight would be
made against it and said he hoped
the Maryland General Assembly
does not have any one in it un-
patriotic enough to propose this type
'of legislation. which, if enacted,
would seriously impede the effective
functioning of bona fide labor or
ganizations.
Mr.. Klinefelter, who ran unsuc-
cessfully for Congress in 1886 on
the I'd Maryland district Repub-
lican ticket, declined to disclose
names of any other persons belong
ing to the American Citizens Asso.
citation or backing it. He said the
measures introduction in the Cen
eral Assembly was assured, but de-
clined to name the legislator who
would do so.