Evening star., 1947-04-10
New Strike-Curb Bill
Reaches Voting Stage
In House Committee

In House Committee
A stiff new bill to put the
brakes on strikes and unions
reached the voting stage in the
House Labor Committee today.
Traces of opposition to it still
sraoldered among some Republican
members. Several Democrats. get
ting their first look at the terms,
were ready to swing on 1t with all
their power.
The bill, with couple of changes,
got the approval yesterday of Re-
publican leaders and the policy
shaping Republican Steering Com
mittee.
One change would provide a
period Of mediation and arbitration
for settling strikes. such as the
telephone row, which the bill de-
fines as affecting the national
health, welfare and safety. The
other would remove proposed ban
on the union shop If both man.
agement and labor want one.
Would Ban Closed Shop.
The bill still would forbid the
closed shop, under which an en-
ployer may hire only union men,
bers. Under the union shop non
union men may be hired, but they
must join the union soon after going
on the payroll.
Representative Lands, Republic
an, Of Indiana, next In rank to the
chairman on the Labor Committee,
told reporter:
TT still would take away many
things unions consider fundamental.
Industry-wide collective bargaining,
for instance.
II hope the committee puts In
some kind of language so that l can
60 along with the bill"
He said, too, the check-of method,
by which an employer collects dues
for union by taking them out of
the workers pay, ought to be AUTO
matte" or at least left to collective
bargaining. The bill allows the
check-off only If individual en-
ployes authorize 1t In writing.
Sees Solid COP Backing.
Chairman Hartley stood by a pre-
diction that all Is committee Re-
publicans will vote solidly to bring
the bill before the House, although
some might attach reservation"
and support additional changes on
the floor.
He called the committee to an aft
ernoon session to vote on the meas
ure section by section.
Mr.. Hartley said in a formal
statement that the proposed labor
management peace act" Of 1947 does
three things:
First, it takes the subject of la
bor relations out of the area of
politics and false premises and
places 1t firmly on the principles
implicit in the Constitution of the
United States.
Second, 1t defines the rights of
the public, the employe, the union
and the employer to the end that
industrial disputes may diminish
in number and decrease In destruc-
tiyeneSs.
Public Interest Paramount.
Third. 1t sets up machinery to
insure that the new national policy,
which recognizes that the public In
terest Is paramount, shall be hon.
estly and efficiently administered"
A strike affecting the national
interest would be handled by giving
the Attorney General the right to
ask for a court order to stave off
or stop the tieup.
The Injunction would be good for
IS to 80 days. During that time,
mediation and arbitration would be
tried. If that failed the union still
could strike, but the Government
could also get another injunction
and try again.
Mr.. Hartley's statement said the
bill would replace the present Ma
tional Labor Relations Board with
a new one which would not act as
prosecutor, Judge and jury" Its
only duty would be to decide labor
cases.
A new, independent administrator
of the labor relations law would
investigate cases, present them to
the board and take decisions into
court for enforcement, If necessary.
Mr.. Hartley said the new board
would be prevented from repeating
what he called mistakes of the old
one.
I'VE attempt to do away with
practices of certain unions that the
board has condoned and even en-
couraged, Notwithstanding that the
practices were against the interests
of the public and even against the
interests of members of unions and
of workers generally" he said.
Among these are strikes to COM
pei employers to deprive employees
of their rights under the act, il
legal boycotts, violence, mass picket
ing, industry wide bargaining, strikes
against public health and safety
and dictatorial control of workers
by unscrupulous union leaders"
The bill, he said. assures workers
freedom IN organizing and bargain
ing by provisions to make unions
more democratic.
Across the Capitol, indications
were that a milder bill before the
Senate Labor Committee probably
will be toned down even more when
the members start voting on 1t to-
morrow.
.As 1t stands. the preliminary
Senate draft outlaws the closed
shop, authorizes temporary injunc-
tions to block serious strikes, pro-
hibits secondary boycotts and jurts-
dictional strikes, and makes numer-
Gus Wagner Act changes designed
to restore justice in relations be-
tween employers and employees
Senator Morse, Republican, OF
Oregon and four of the five Demo-
Gratis on the 13-man committee are
expected to line up against the bill
on the ground 1t goes too far. They
are confident that Senator Aiken.
of Vermont will Join
Ir%