Evening star., 1947-06-24

Labor Relations Board.
While Mr.. Ives would be giving
up Q key position In the Senate,
nothing that he could do as a
legislator would compare with the
service he could render as the head
Of the new board which Is to have
such large responsibilities In en-
deavoring to bring labor-manage-
ment peace in America.
There Is q feeling on Capitol Hill
that certain members of the present
National Labor Relations Board
worked too sympathetically with
President Truman in preparing
arguments and memoranda looking
toward the message vetoing the bill.
1t is always a matter OF grave
suspicion when persons with judi
cial responsibility become crusaders
or partisans in cause in which
they may be asked later to sit in
Judgment.
Senate Might Find Out.
II it Is untrue that any members
of the present labor board sent
memoranda to the President which
had anything to do with the form
ing Of his Judgment on the veto,
then such facts should be made
known. 1t would not be surprising
il the Senate, in dealing with con-
f1rmation of new members, might
decide to ask for testimony on this
point from existing members. 1t
would be interesting to know
whether the present board members
will influence the President In his
selection of new members.
The present board consists Of
three members who continue in
office. Two of them are pro-labor
union, and one is neutral. The
appointment of tpe two additional
members from among the ranks OF
neutrals would give the new board
three to two in favor of an obJec-
tive administration of the law with
out regard to labor-union bias.
Otherwise Mr.. Truman, by sp-
pointing labor-union partisans, can
sabotage the new law. 1t Is true
that the provisions Of the new meas
ure spell out certain obligations to
be imposed on unions and man.
agement. but the area of discretion
has been widened and it is posi-
BILE that much of the debate and
controversy over the new law will
be rendered academic by the dis
torted interpretations and disre-
gard Of the intent of the law which
can be adduced by memoirs of a
board whose majority is unsympa-
thetic with the law and its purposes,
President Truman has a chance
to exhibit not only good sports
manship but fair play by appoint
ing two additional members who
are not biased or prejudiced in theil
approach to the labor management
problem.
Ives Held Ideal Man
Senator Ives, by reason of his eX-
perience with the New York State
labor relations law and his long
study of the question, is the ideal
man to head up the new board. His
appointment may not be palatable
to those employers who want to use
the new statute to break down
settled points in the collective bar
gaining process, but he is eminent
ly fair and would start the new law
off In an atmosphere of respect
among thoughtful labor union
leaders.
incidentally, the President will
have to act quickly under the new
laws provisions to avert a Nation
wide coal stoppage. The law en-
powers the President to summon a
board of inquiry whenever he thinks
strike is threatened A work STOP
page in the coal mines Is threat
ened for June 80, when the Govern
ment turns the mines back to pri-
vate owners. Since the new law
goes into effect at once, the Presi-
dent has seven days more in which
to convene board of inquiry and
receive a report to the effect that
a strike Is threatened. He then can
ask that an injunction be issued to
maintain the existing conditions
while bargaining goes on for period
of so days.
1t has been argued among some
OF the mine workers legal repre-
Sentatives that, since the new law
refers to existing contracts and since
the miners union has no contract,
a work stoppage on July cannot be
prevented. But the provisions en-
powering the President to appoint
a board of inquiry and then to is
sue an injunction have no rela-
tionsh1p to whether there is or Is
not a contract in existence. The
power to issue injuncttors is given
to the Federal Government to en-
join any work stoppage, irrespective
OF whether there is an existing con-
tract.
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