Evening star., 1947-05-01
Party Politics Beset
Labor Bill in Senute
Movs for Separate Measures
Seen as Sabotass Device
By DSpid LasCrsncs

/ SssASeS8S
By David Lawrsncs
The Democrats In the Senate that
Is. 50 out OF "A Of them-havs begun
to play politics with labor legislation.
They are asking the country TO be-
lieve that, on the issue Of separating
the pending bill into four parts os
keeping 1t intact, So Of the Democrats
think alike-purely by accident and not
design. It was natural for the Rspub-
hcans to vote solidly to maintain The
existing bill in one piece, because the
House Of Representatives has passed Q
single bill by an overwhelming ma
jority and II would produce confusing
parliamentary situation 10 splft ths bill
into segments now. II could conoeiv-
ably delay the passage Of any q IN u
the four proposed bills. But The Demo
cratic maneuver b sxplioabls only On
political grounds.
II the strategy Of dividing ~ bm
had been decided on several weeks go,
It would have been good politics for the
Republicans themselves but to separate
the measure now Il . palpabls dsyics
to sabotage the legislation and curry
favor with the union bosses who want
all legislation defeated.
The ostensible reason for TIE move
IN tho Senate was TO prevent . VETO.
But almost every one On Capitol Hill
knows that the only way to prevent
veto OF any labor bill k 10 strip Il Of
any features that are being opposed by
the labor-union lobby. Mr.. Truman
showed by his veto Of the Case btIl last
year and through the testimony which
he permitted the Secretary of Labor to
make this year that. no matter what
either the House or the Senate favors,
the White House viii veto.
-Four Sections In Bill,
The argument for splitting the bill
into four pieces was easily refuted. Thus
the measure Is divided into four Sec
tions now and it was proposed to make
separate bill Of each one.
There is section dealing with The
appointment Of joint commission 10
study labor problems. Surely nobody
will expect Mr.. Truman to object TO q
bill that includes this program.
Another section creates an smereencv
mediation service. Since this does not
bind either employer or union to accept
findings there can hardly be any Jus
tif1cation for veto on this ground.
A third section deals with stability
OF both unions and management for
violation of contracts. This is a con-
troversial subject, but it can hardly be
that President Truman would approve
everything else in the measure and base
his veto solely on this brief section of
the bill.
Finally. there Is the section which IN
really the heart Of the new bill. II
relates to collective bargaining and In
VOWED amendments 10 tho National
Labor Relations Act. II Mr.. Truman
yetoes the bill that comes out Of con.
ference. 1t will be primarily because Of
this section rather than any Of thu
other three.
To separate the pending Senate bin
INTO four parts. 50 that Mr.. Truman
could approve three relatively innocuous
sections and veto fourth-giving him
score OF three signatures to ono veto
would make things very simple politi-
cally for the President and mislead the
public, but 1t would not cure the abuses
IN the labor situation which Section
OF the Senate bill Is designed to remedy.
Lobby Working Overtime.
The labor-union hobby u working
overtime to defeat any and III hns.
Postcards and letters are pouring IN
from workers, many OF whom ars being
forced to write such letters. In some
instances. the workers are asked 10
bring their communications 10 tho
officers, who approve or disapprovs and
mail those they think are worth send
Ing on to Washington. Reports from
Western New York indicate that threats
OF blacklisting are being made unless
workers write to Congress the letters
desired by the union bosses.
The pending legislation is by no
means perfect. Neither the House bill
nor the Senate bill would be pfrased
as they are If labor unions had CO.
operated in the writing of these meas
ures. Congressional committees beg
ged the unions to cooperate but they
refused
II veto comes, and It 10 sustained.
the hight for even more restrictive leg
islation VIII go on. The refusal OF the
labor-union group TO permit the Wagner
Act to be amended to equalizs bargain
Ing power can mean a prolonged fight.
Mr.. Trumans veto can mean his defeat
in 194S. But whether any bill can bs
enacted this year Is doubtful because
of the obstructive attitude of the Demo-
Gratis. The extremists, Of course, hope
that the labor union influence with Mr..
Truman will cause him to veto the
measure, for they believe more drastic
bill will get through the next session
and that veto will be overridden then.
The ideal situation, to be sure, would
be to scrap all the bills and repeal the
Wagner Act, too, 50 that MANAGEMENT
and unions could operate voluntarily
without restrictions by any Govern
mental board, but it Is apparent that
errant minorities among employers and
among unions make legislation neces-
sary. Now the public wants the law
to treat both sides alike.
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