Evening star., 1947-04-02
StrikeCurb Bill
Voted, Is 10 3,
ByHouseUnit
Telephone Union Head
Expects Tieup Monday
Unless Offer Is Made

A few hours after the House
Labor Committee approved a
bill today designed to head off
or halt a Nationwide telephone
strike, a spokesman for the tele-
phone union said it appeared the
strike world start as scheduled
next Monday.
Joseph A. Beirne. president of the
National Federation of Telephone
Workers, sounded the warning fol-
lowing a 21z-hour conference with
Edgar L. Warren, chief of the Con-
Citation Service, and John w. Glib
son, Assistant Secretary of Labor.
There is no change in the pic
ture," Mr.. Beirne said. THE COM
panies have offered nothing what
soever. If there is no change there
will be strike"
To this Mr.. Warren added there
was no indication that either side
had changed its position in such a
way as to promote settlement.
To Late to Bar Strike.
Although the House committee
approved, 16 to 8, the bill to prevent
or halt by court injunction any
strike affecting the national well
fare, Chairman Hartley, the bills
author. admitted it would not clear
Congress in time to avert the tele-
phone strike.
Mr.. Hartley explained, however,
that the legislation sis not merely
designed to beat the deadline. 1t
will be available at any time during
the proceedings. 1t could be used
even after the strike takes place"
1t provides that when the Presi-
dent finds that labor dispute has
resulted In or threatens substantial
curtailment of public utility, trans
portation, or communications serv-
ices, he shall direct the Attorney
General to obtain a court order
to prevent a strike. The bill would
amend the Norris-La Guardia Anti
injunction Act to permit injunctions
in such public interest cases.
Several Changes Made.
Several changes were made in
the strike-injunction legislation be-
fore the committee approved it.
Fourteen Republicans and two DEM
ocrats voted for the bill and three
Democrats against it, Six commit
tee members were absent.
Mr.. Hartley said the bill is not
broad enough to cover a coal strike.
Nor could 1t cover railway strike
because the committee specified 1t
would not apply to any person or
dispute subject to the Railway La
bor Act.
To meet Democratic objection, the
committee also wrote in a section
providing that the Attorney Gen
eral could ask q court to end an
Injunction whenever disputing par
ties reached an agreement.
All committee Republicans voted
for the bill except Representative
Hoffman of Michigan, who was pre-
siding over another committee meet
ing.
Democrats voting for the bill were
Fisher of Texas and Wood of Geor-
gia. Democrats against were Lesin-
ski of Michigan, Madden OF Indiana
and Kennedy of Massachusetts,.
Bel System Inquiry Asked.
Just before the committee acted
on the Hartley bill, the National
Federation of Telephone Workers
asked Congress to conduct "a full
scale investigation of the monopo-
listic labor policy of the Bell Sys-
tenn" of the phone companies.
Mr.. Beirne made the proposal in a
letter to Republican leaders in Con-
gress. The letter was addressed to
House Majority Leader Halleck and
Senate Majority Leader White. In
it Mr.. Beirne said that none Of the
various Bell system companies over
the country had made a counter
proposal to the unions demand for
S12 a week wage increase. He ac-
cused the system of refusing to bar
gain nationally but maintaining
tight control over actions of in
dividual companies.
Uniop Ready to Bargain.
.s - We believe a Congressional
investigation of the labor rela-
tions policy of the Bell System, y
Mr.. Beirne wrote, will show the
American Telephone S5 Telegraph