Evening star., 1946-10-12
Wagner Act Revision
By New Congress Seen
Legislators Are Expected to Heed
Public Clamor Against Strikes
Bv L. B. WheHdon


New legislation to curb strikes and
cut down the power OF labor monopo-
lies" will be pressed for adoption by
Congress at its 1947 session. Unless
political action by organized labor be-
tween now and November materially
alters the complexion of the House and
Senate. the new Congress Is expected
to heed public dissatisfaction with post
war strikes and take action both to
revise the Wagner Labor Relations Act
and to provide new machinery to deal
with industrial disputes.
Drastic overhauling of the labor laws
was prevented at the 1916 session only
by the inability of Congress and the
President to get together on specific
reforms. Angered by the railroad strike
last May, Mr.. Truman asked Congress
for broad emergency powers to cope
with strikes against the Government
But his proposal of draft OF strikers
was too harsh for the Senate to swal-
low in an election year. Congress sent
to the White House, instead, the con-
troversial Case bill, in which it pre-
Scribed its own cure for the postwar
strike problem. The President vetoed
this bill on the ground that it would
promote, rather than diminish, in
dustrial strife.
Parties Avoid Stand.
During the present campaign both
parties are proclaiming themselves "la-
boris friend" and are avoiding any COM
mitment to new legislation which might
antagonize the labor vote. But indi-
vidual political leaders have been more
outspoken. Senator Taft. Republican,
of Ohio, says the first business of the
new Congress must be to enact perma-
nent antistrike legislation to replace
the Smith -Connaly Act, which will
expire automatically six months after
official termination of the war. Harold
Stassen, Republican presidential aspir-
ant, wants the COP to sponsor legis-
lation to curb the authority Of union
leaders and to require 'cooling-off"
period before strikes A former men,
ber of the Labor Relations Board, Ger
aid D. Reilly, comedies that substantial
changes in the Wagner Act and its
administration are now desirable"
The Wagner Act was passed in 1895
to diminish the cause of labor dis
putes" by giving legal protection to
labor's right to organize and to bargain
collectively. Since the Supreme Court
found the act to be constitutional in
1887 there has been little opposition to
its basic principles. Most employers
now profess belief in orderly collective
bargaining, and there is no denial in
any quarter of labor's right to organize.
Nevertheless, bills to amend the act
have been introduced at all recent ses-
| sioEls of Congress. One principal COM
plant has been that labor has grown
strong under the one-sided projections
| of the act, but has not assumed respon-
sibility commensurate with It's new
strength. Trade union membership
rose from 100000 to 100000 during
| the first decade under the Wagner Act.
Much of this increase was achieved
peacefully. Strikes "for organization"
| have become relatively unimportant and
infrequent.
Stoppage Hours Soar.
But the total number of strikes has
increased alarmingly and the strikes
have tended to involve much larger
numbers of workers. In 1885 there were
2.014 work stoppages, involving 1885,
| 900 man-days of idleness. In 1945 there
were ALSO stoppages, involving SO, 8,025,-
| 600 man-days lost, and during the first
six months of 1916 loss of working time
| jumped to the all-time high of IS $780, 900
| man-dayS.
| Among the remedies proposed is re-
| moval from the projections of the Wag-
! ner Act of all unions engaging in
irresponsible strikes. such as strikes
against the Government, strikes in vio-
lation of contract, jurisdictional strikes,
and sympathetic strikes. The Case bill
would have permitted the President to
! order a cooling-off period where stop
| page is threatened in key industry
| even for legitimate reasons. Other pro-
posed reforms include compulsory in
corporation of unions and enforcement
of labor contracts by civil suits.
| A strong movement is also afoot to
"equalize" the Wagner Act by inserting
penalties for unfair practices by unions
and projections for employer rights,
| particularly with regard to free speech
| and the right to discipline employees.
| Another group of amendments would
alter the procedure for administering
the Wagner Act either by providing for
more extensive judicial review or by re-
| organizing the NLRB so that the func-
tions of judge. jury, and prosecutor
| would not be concentrated in one body.
Check to Prosperity
| From the London Daily Telegraph and Morning
| Post.
To analyze the causes Of the recent
wave of selling on the New York ex-
change is dificult International ten
| sion, which is only too evident to every
| BODY and sometimes given an alarmist
| Aoxor l,D eor,oo ,,cricon ont TORS