The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1947-07-03

THE TAFT-HARTLEY LAW will cause turmoil and make
labor radical and militant of the nations out
standing labor relations experts declared this week slash
ing attack on the new legislation.
The law is vague and careessly drawn and much of it's
meaning will have to be determined in court interpretations
he said The bill not devised in the public interest and is
lopsided in favor of employers, he charged.
But this law other law like it cannot stop unions
s FGm reeS w a his
not be used He warned that too much hope cannot be placed
in the law being overturned by the Supreme Court IF the
courts do what they did in uphodng the Wagner Act
they can sustain this" he said
The law may possibly break down the complicat
ed election machinery alone he conended eve have
about 5000 NLRB elections year. The law would per-
nit employers to call for elections and also permit multitude
ands of agreements where the union has been certified
the miners and the musicians for example They will have
to have cercaons elections And then 80 days aerward
another election on the closed shop Then there must be
vote on the employers last offer in so-caed national emer
gency
About 45% our contracts today call for closed shop
each will have to be egazed he continued "The total num-
Der of contracts is probably above 100000 There 5000
the Int Association of Machnists alone Election will pile
upon election and remember the agreements be reopened
at employer request Maybe tn NRB could hire
traers with the living in them and send them from place
to place to hold elections.
Even if NRB election procedure doesn't break down,
industrial relations will be in constant state of campaigning
expert predicted There will be tension overheaed emot
ons the conditions that result in losses in production
doesn't make senseand every craft that wanted to
break away could call for election
The extraordinary powers bestowed by the law on the
Boards counsel
ators strongly assaed by the industrial relations auth
orty he general counsel for the Board though
the Board dsagrees with him. He settle refuse to
complaints which the Board might normally accept He
refuse to accept precedents for example, the Board could
find unfair labor practice The counsel could he could
MT it and that ends it, He overle the Board and
labor has legal recourse. He's prosecuting attorney
and just courtSf he doesn't prosecute that ends
it. If the Board members selfrespectng they will have
urisdictiona disputes with the counsel"
The theory behind the Presidential board of inquiry and
the requirement OF vote on the employers last offer was
almost fantastic The board of inquiry the labor
thing the merits of the issue "A boards of inquiry the
Railway Mediation Board the boards in England and Den
mark all provide that the board shall make recommendations
But boards of inquiry pile up and reams OF
statistics and facts and do nothing with them.
his BILL he continued "waS carefully drawn not to put
the employer spot by the recommendations of Pres
dental board spot where he'd be subject to the pressure of
public opinion So what will be voted by the workers will
poyers last offer The who drew this bill afraid of
after facndng they afraid to ask
the employer and the non DO you accept these
dations ?? but they don't ask that the vote be taken the
unions last offer"
For example the employers last offer in the coal mines
could be 1917 wage cut he pointed out f this law in
the public interest would permit the Attorney General to
enjon the wage cut Instead the employer make the
cut and then the Attorney General enon the strike
"The theory is that if workers vote the employers
last offer they will approve it. That's They
won't The Smith Connaly Act proved that Some Congress-
figured that with and relatives in the armed forces
workers would definitely not vote for strike And if they
wouldn't vote not to interrupt production they won't vote
yes employers last offer"
"The general atmosphere from on the labor expert
predicted will be of conflict rather than cooperation
just when unions and employers had learned the lessons of
1916 Unions don't want 1916 to happen again. does in
duStry.
STARTLING GROWTH OF MONOPOLY