Evening star., 1946-06-11


abuses that tended to discredit our
courts and give rise to the wide
spread popular denunciation OF
government by injunction"
Injunctions requested by the Gov
ernment itself, and designed to re-
strain strikes against the Govern
ment in cases where refusal to work
for the Government has produced
condition of national emergency,
are. to my mind, an essential ele-
ment of Government authority
This authority. however, should not
be available to private employers
under the vast variety of conditions
contemplated by Section II of this
present bill.
Sections 1874. These sections in
clude provisions with respect to
making copies of collective bargain
ing agreements available to the
public and with respect to furnish
ing available data which may aid
in the settlement Of labor disputes.
They are unobjectionable.
Need for Careful Study.
The passage of H. R. 4908 con-
firms the need for careful study of
labor management problems with a
view toward long range remedies.
1t demonstrates the dangers of at
tempting to draft permanent labor
legislation without painstaking and
exhaustive consideration.
H. r. 1908 strikes at symptoms
and ignores underlying causes. AS l
have noted, not single one of the
recent major strikes would have
been affected by this bill had it been
law.
AS I said to the Congress on May
rs, we should Immediately have
temporary legislation, dealing with
the urgencies of the present, so that
strikes against the Government
which vitality affect the public well
fare can be halted. This is neces-
sary in the midst of the extraordi-
nary pressures of reconversion and
imitation. have asked the Congress
for such legislation. The precise
form which such emergency legisla-
ton is to take is. OF course, for the
Congress to decide. But If the form
adopted is inadequate, the response
bility must also rest with the Con-
gress.
1t must be remembered that in
dustrial strife is symptom of basic
economic Embellishments. We can
not attribute work stoppages to any
one factor. AS we move from war
to peace. severe strains are placed
upon our economic system. Labor
and management alike are seeking
security. The combination of rising
prices, scarcity of commodities, low
cred standards of living and altered
tax programs today creates fears
which are present at the conference
table to disturb the orderly process
of collective bargaining.
A solution of labor management
difficulties therefore is to be found
not alone in well-considered legis-
lation dealing directly with indus
trial relations, but also in a COM
prehensive legislative program de-
signed to remove some of the causes
of the insecurity felt by many work
ers ard employers.
! During the past 10 months I have
urged the Congress to enact such
program. Among the proposals
which l have recommended are ade-
quate insurance against unemploy.
ment, health and medical services
for families of low and moderate in
come at costs they can afford. fail
minimum wage and the continuance
OF the price control and stabilization
laws in effective form. These meas
ures would remove some of the ma
! jor causes of insecurity and would
greatly aid in achieving industrial
peace 'Sff' i"'"'A''
Must Eliminate Causes.
I Our problem in shaping perma
nent legislation in this field is to
probe for the causes Of elockouts
I strikes and industrial disturbances
Then, to the extent possible, We
must eliminate these causes. Strikes
against private employers cannot
be ended by legislative decree. Men
cannet be forced in a time
democracy to work for private
employer under compulsion. There
fore, strikes must be considered in
the whole context of our modern
industrial society. They must be
considered in the light of inflation-
ary pressures. of problems of full
employment. of economic security.
Legislation governing industrial
relations Is workable only when
carefully considered against this
broad background. I am confident
that with painstaking and dispas.
sionate study which will probe
fairly and deeply. Congress car
evolve equitable legislation which
promises an era of peaceful indus.
trial relations.
We accomplish nothing by strik.
ing at labor here and at manage.
ment there. Affirmative policy i.
called for, and congressional com.
mittee such as I have suggested il
the best means of formulating it.
There should be no emphasi!
| pldSCd upOil SOllSlucl dLlUllS vi
whether bill is "anti-labor" OF
"pro-labor" Where excesses have
developed on the part of labor lead.
ers or management, such eXcesses
should be corrected-not in order
to injure either party-but to bring
about as great an equality as pos
sible between the bargaining posi-
tions of labor and management
Neither should be permitted to be-
come too powerful as against the
public interest as a whole.
Equality for both and vigilance
for the public welfare-these should
be the watchwords of future legis-
lation.
The bill which I am returning tc
ii -