Evening star., 1947-01-06

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Government should pursue during
1947. These policies are designed
to meet our immediate needs and,
at the same time, to provide for the
: long-range welfare Of our free en-
d lterprise system:
First, promotion OF greater har-
I mony between labor and manage
ment.
4 Second, restriction Of monopoly
I and unfair business practices; assist
ance to small business, and the pro-
motion Of the free competitive Sys-
tenn of private enterprise.
Third, continuation Of an aggres-
! sive program Of home construction.
Il Fourth, the balancing OF the bud
get in the next fiscal year, and the
achieving of a substantial surplus
to be applied to the reduction Of
the public debt.
Fifth, protection Of q fair level
!, Of return to farmers In postwar
agriculture.
Labor-Management Relations
Require Improvement.
. The year just past--like the year
. latter the First World War-was
marred by labor management strife.
i Despite this outbreak Of economic
warfare in 1916, we are today pro-
ducing goods and services In record
volume. Nevertheless. it Is essential
to improve the methods for reaching
agreement between labor and man
agement and to reduce the number
Of strikes and lockouts.
We must not, however, adopt puni-
tive legislation. We must not, in
order to punish few labor leaders,
pass indicative laws which will re-
strict the proper rights of the rank
and file. of labor. We must not,
under the stress Of emotion, endan-
lger our American freedoms by tax
ing ill-eonsidered action which will
Head to results not anticipated or
desired.
We must remember, In reviewing
the record Of disputes in 1916, that
management shares with labor the
responsibility for failure to reach
agreements which would have avert
ed strikes. For that reason, we must
realize that industrial peace cannot
be achieved merely by laws directed
against labor unions.
During the last decade and halt,
we have established national labor
policy in this country based upon
free collective bargaining as the
process for determining wages and
working conditions.
This is still the national policy.
1t should continue to be the ma
tional policy.
Four Point Program
To Reduce Strife Urged.
But as yet, not all Of us have
learned what it means to bargain
freely and fairly. Nor have all Of
us learned to carry the mutual re-
sponsibilities that accompany the
right to bargain. There have been
abuses and harmful practices which
limit the effectiveness Of our system
Of collective bargaining. Further
more, we have lacked sufficient gov
ernmental machinery to aid labor
and management in resolving diff
ferences.
Certain labor management prob
lens need attention at once and GER
tain others, by reason Of their COM
plexity, need exhaustive investiga-
ton and study.
We should enact legislation to
correct certain abuses and to pro- |
vide additional governmental assist
ance in bargaining. But We should
also concern ourselves with the basic
causes Of ACKNOWLEDGEMENT din
culties.
In the light Of these considera-
tions, I propose to you and urge
your cooperation In effecting the
following four-point program to re-
duce industrial strife:
Point No. / is the early enact
ment of legislation to prevent GER
tain unjustiflable practices.
First, under this point, are juris-
dictional strikes. In such strikes
the public and the employer are in
nocent bystanders who are injured
by a collision between rival unions.
This type of dispute hurts produc-
ton, industry and the public-and
labor itself. consider jurisdictional
strikes indefensible.
The National Labor Relations Act
provides procedures for determining
which union represents the em-l
ployes of a particular employer. In
some jurisdictional disputes, how
ever, minority unions strike to COM
pei employers to deal with them
despite legal duty to bargain with
the majority union. Strikes to COM
pei an employer to violate the law
are inexcusable. Legislation to pre-
vent such strikes is clearly de-
sirable.
Another form Of interunion dis
agreement Is the jurisdictional
strike involving the question of
which labor union is entitled to per-
form particular task. When rival
unions are unable to settle such
disputes themselves, provision must
be made for peaceful and binding
determination of the issues.
Secondary Boycott Called
Another Unfair Practice.
A second unjustifiable practice Is
the secondary boycott, when used
to further jurisdictional disputes or
to compel employers to violate the
National Labor Relations Act.
Not all secondary boycotts are
unjustified. We must Judge them
on the basis Of their objectives.
For example, boycotts intended to
protect wage rates and working
conditions should be distinguished
from those in furtherance Of juris-
dictional disputes. The structure OF
industry sometimes requires unions,
as a matter of self-preservation, to
extend the conflict beyond q par
ticular employer. There should be
no blanket prohibition against boy
colts. The appropriate goal is leg
islation which prohibits secondary
boycotts in pursuance Of u11justifi-
able objectives. but does not impair
the unions right to preserve its own
existence and the gains mace IN