Evening star., 1947-01-11
Labor Hearings
May Include All
Restrictive Bills
6. 0. P. Leaders Plan
To Consolidate Some
Of Major Measures
By james Y. Newton

planned to combine several, of
their big labor-curbing bills and
conduct hearings on the various
proposals at the same time.
Previously the Republican strategy
was to hold only brief hearing on
the first bill on their schedule and
let the others follow along. The
No. measure is the Ball Taft Smith
bill, similar in effect to the Case bill,
which passed Congress last year,
only to be vetoed by President
Truman.
Measures which now may be aired
at the same time with the Ball
Taft-Smith proposal are:
l. A bill introduced yesterday by
Senator Ball, Republican, of Mime
sofa, which would abolish industry
wide bargaining and which the
sponsor said was designed to break
the "monopolistic" power of such
labor leaders as John L. Lewis.
2. Another measure also sponsored
by Senator Ball which would outlaw
various forms of union security in
cluding the closed shop, union shop
and maintenance of membership.
3. Proposals to amend the Wagner
Act to place employers on an equal
bargaining position with unions.
Several Bills i'm House.
Several omnibus bills to restrict
the powers of unions in various ways
have also been introduced in the
House, where Republican leaders all
along have favored the drafting of
one big all-embracing measure.
Since an airing was given the Case
bill last year, the Republicans orig
inally decided on limited hearings
for the Ball-Taft-Smith proposal.
It would set up Federal Mediation
Board, delay strikes so days, prevent
jurisdictional strikes and require
financial reports of unions.
Meanwhile, a Senate Judiciary
Subcommittee of three was named
yesterday to consider portal-to-por-
tai pay legislation, and hearings
were set tentatively to begin next
Wednesday. Senator Donnell, Re
publican, of Missouri, will head the
group. The other members are
Senator Cooper, Republican, OF Ken
lucky and Senator Eastland, Demo-
crat, of Missippi.
The group will consider pills in
troduced by Chairman Wiley of the
Judiciary, Committee. and Senator
Capehart, Republican, of Indiana,
which would outlaw suits amounting
to billions Of dollars brought by
unions as a result of the Supreme
Court decision in the Mount Glenn
ems (Mich) Pottery Co. case.
At the same time the Justice De-
partment said its brief in the Mount
Clemens case would not be filed with
the Federal District Court in Mich
igan until next week. The court
now is considering the extent of the
liability of the company in back
walking time" pay.
Would Limit Bargaining.
Senator Balls industry wide"
bill would conf1ne collective bar
gaining negotiations to a single
conpany-or, if more than one COM
pany is involved, their plants must
be in the same. city or at least
within an area no more than 100
miles wide.
1t would amend the Wagner Act
to make it an unfair labor practice
for either unions on employers to
bargain on wider scale. Enforce
ment would lie in power given courts
to issue injunctions in case of viola
tions.
Senator Ball told a news confer
ence yesterday this would not ac-
tually break up unions into small
units, but 1t would require their
units to become autonomus in COL
lective bargaining.
He said national labor leaders
could not dictate" to their locals
and predicted that if the bill be-
comes law. powerful national unions
will take on the loose character of
mdustry's trade associations.
AAAS 14AA WOOAo dACCb UIiC CUdl,
steel, maritime and many other in
dustries. But it would not apply
to railroads and airlines, which are
under the Railway labor Act.
Yesterday Representative Hoff-
man, Republican, of Michigan in
troduced bill to repeal the Wag-
ner Act, abolish the National La
Dor Relations Board, and establish
a new board which could enter
disputes threatening the public
health or welfare and delay them
for six months.
In the Senate, eight Democrats
introduced resolution to create a
20-man commission, including IL
members of Congress, to investigate
the whole field of labor relations
and make its first report March IS.
President Truman recommended
such commission in his State of
the Union message last Monday.
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