The union times., 1945-12-08
Burden Falls On
 OrganiizedLabOr, .Feinmark Says
GEL. Head Says Proposal Would Help Management,
 Invade Unions Rights


 As The Union Times went to press Tuesday morning, only a few hours after Presi- dent Truman had made pulp lie his proposal for a law which he hopes will help in solving labOr-management dis putes, it was clear that organ ized labor in Connecticut was cool to the Presidents plan, and would decide to oppose it.
 BURDEN ON LABOR
 Harold V. Feinmark, Secretary Treasurer and Legislative Agent of the Connecticut Federation of La. bOr, said that there had not been sufficient time to study all the im- picatiOns of the plan, but said Git seems that organized labor is being asked to make all the concessions. and industry nOne."
 Feinmark pointed out that one immediate result of the Presidents proposed plan would be to break the current strikes being conducted by workers to obtain relief from the 30 to 50 per cent drop in their .take-hOme pay since VI Day. Thus, he said, government will be acting in behalf of management to break strikes, put an end to picket lines, and send workers back into the shops at law wage rates.
 Management, Feinmark added, is being asked to make only one con- cession, and that is to open its books to a fact-6nding committee to be ap- pointed by the President, while labor is ordered to wait thirty days before striking.
 "WON'T WORK
 "The 3O-day cooling off period has never worked in this country in in dustrial disputes" Feinmark said. "In fact, in many cases it incites strikes, since the labor organizations are thus forced by law automatically to file notice of its intention to strike as soon as negotiations begin" The labor leader wondered how effective would be the report of a fact-finding committee. ''If the re- port is unfavOrable to labor, it will be spread in great detail to every town, village, and city by the daily newspapers and radio. If it is fa- vOrable to labor, we have no assur- ance that the public will be fully informed of the facts.
 "Basically, however, our objection would be that 3O-day waiting period before striking is the opening wedge to legislation restricting the legal acts of organized labor.
 USE VETO POWER
 If President Truman fears that Congress is hell-bent to pass dras- tic anti-labor legislation, he can veto such laws and force every member of the House and Senate to put himself on record
 ''It is irOnical, to say the least, that we fought a great war to pre- serve our liberties, and now are faced by a Congress which wants to reduce our liberties. These re- strictiOns work One-way: against labor. For management, Congress has repealed the excess profits tax, which means a gift of two and one half billion dollars to industry in l946.
 ''The working men and women will have to make up that tax when the cry of deficit financing goes up."
 OUTINE OF PLAN
 This, in brief, is President Tru- mans plan:
 In case of a threatened strike in a major industry, the Secretary of La bor would certify to the President that such stoppage would vitally af- feet the public interest
 Within. five days the President would appoint a fact-6nding board similar to the emergency board pro- vided for in the Railway Labor Act. The board would have the power to subpoena individuals and records and to call on any Government agency for information.
 The board would make its report within 20 days, unless both parties, with the approval of the President, agree to an extension.
 Neither party would be legally bound to accept the findings.
 During all three periods in the prOcedure-the five days the Presi- dent would have to appoint the board, the 20 days the board would have to make its investigation, and an additional five days after pulp icatiOn of the fndings-it would be unlawful to call strike or a lockout, nor could there be any change in rates of pay, hours, working conditions or established practices.
 Without waiting for Congress to act, Truman advised the lawmakers he IS going to appoint fact-hnding boards for the General Motors strike
 (Continued on Page TwO)