Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1945-07-13
knutson Revises Bill
To Insure Veterans
OF Seniority in Jobs
By CARTER BROOKE JONES.

New legislation to protect senior
ity of veterans returning to jobs
or taking new employment referred
to the House Military Affairs Com
mittee today in a fresh effort to
have Congress make sure that serv-
icemen return to industry without
handicaps.
The legislation takes the form of
a revised bill by Representative
Knutson, Republican, of Minnesota
sponsored by the Veterans of For
eign Wars.
Repeated conferences between
labor leaders and VFW officials failed
20 bring voluntary agreements COW
ering all advantages sought by the
veterans organization. The present
bill was drafted after meetings be-
tween Mr.. Knutson and WV off,
GERS.
Unions Demand Revision.
While union officials have agreed
to preserve the seniority of veterans
during their service, whether taking
new or old jobs, the issue hinged on
the insistence of organized labor
that veterans receive these benefits
only after they obtained jobs. The
VFW and other organizations and
some members of Congress have felt
that veterans without jobs would
be handicapped if they had to
await vacancies because of the SEN
iority of employees who worked
during their absence.
Carl j. Schoeninger of Detroit,
chairman of the WV Labor Rela-
tons Committee, commented that
the KnutSon bill lis neither anti
labor nor antiunion." He pointed
out that the measure contains safe
guards which labor can rightfully
demand" including a provision that
a veteran must qualify for the job
he seeks, with 9o-day probationary
period.
The revised KnutSon bill also
contains a one-year limit beyond
the 90-day probationary period dur
ing which the veteran may apply his
seniority credits on a job
Seniority Credit Certificate.
The bill provides for issuance of a
certificate of seniority credit to every
discharged serviceman
The credit equals the number of
days in the armed forces from Sep
TENDER 16, 1910. Every sixth day
however, counts as day and half
and every holiday as two days.
If the certificate holder leaves a
job after working 80 days he may
not use this seniority right again.
No veteran would be required,
irrespective of any law, contract
or agreement" to join a union or
pay union dues during the one-year
life of the seniority certificate. A
bill specifically reserving this right
for veterans and providing nothing
more has come out of the House
Veterans Committee and awaits
House action.
Could Displace Some Workers.
? Under the Knutson bill, a veteran
with seniority certificate could
displace, under the seniority system,
any employe who had worked a
shorter time for the company than
the period the veteran served in the
armed forces.
1.-THE proposal" Mr. Schoeninger
explained, rs designed to place the
returning serviceman on an equal
footing with the millions of workers
who have been added to the indus
trial labor forces since 1899.
Despite a long series of confer
ences with representatives of the
AFL, CLIO and other unions, Mr.
Schoeninger added, WV failed to
get the conditions it sought, al
though the unions agreed to the
principle of veterans seniority.
"In practice" he said, local
unions have failed to grant seniority
credit for the purpose of permit
ting a veteran to get job. In a
few unions the seniority credits ap-
ply after the veteran has obtained
job and served probationary pc
Rod"
Representative Knutson is rank
ing minority member of the tax
House Ways and Means
Committee.