Evening star., 1947-01-17
Mrs. ToImodge Finds CupboordIM AL Senate Witness
Rnro nf Evo~.,+;uo Mnncion kee,e Dnr,I RiIIe as
AssaiIs Portal Bills as
Threat 10 Bargaining
By james Y. Newton

Inc american FeQefatlOn OF LABOR
declared today that legislation in
troduced in the Senate to ban or
curb portal-to-portal pay suits
would place the American workers
back several generations to the time
when they were paid. by the day
regardless of the number of work.
| ing hours"
The AFL's position on the bills
to amend the Wage Hour Act and
limit industry's liability under the
Supreme Court portal pay decision
was given by Walter j. Mason, its
national legislative representative.
He was the first labor witness before
the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee,
which is considering portal pay
problems, after a long list OF indus
try witnesses in favor of the curbs.
While opposing the two bills de-
signed to deal with the hundreds of
portal pay suits, Mr.. Mason was
highly critical of some unions for
filing the suits. Nearly all of the
court actions resulting from the
Supreme Court decision have been
taken by CIO unions and very few
by AFL members.
Threat to Bargaining Seen.
The AFL, Mr.. Mason told the
committee, has depended on collec-
tive bargaining rather than action
in the courts, for settling disputes
over time spent in travelling to work
on an employers property and pre-
pairing for work. He said proposed
portal pay legislation would restrict
the scope of bargaining and might
cause it to break down entirely.
Referring to bills introduced by
Senator Wiley, Republican, of Wis
consin and Senator Capehart, Re-
publican, of Indiana, Mr.. Mason
said:
I Both of these bills would seri-
ously weaken the Fair Labor Stand
ards (Wage-Hour Act and deprive
millions of workers of fair and just
conditions of work already estab-
lished by collective bargaining in
many industries"
Mr.. Mason declared that a law
banning compensation for activi-
ties now recognized in many labor
contracts would make it impossible
for workers who do not now receive
payment ever to win such points
through collective bargaining
However, Subcommittee Chair
man Donnell said this was COM
plete misinterpretation of the legis-
lation.
CIO Counsel Testifies
John J. Abt, counsel for the CIO
Amalgamated Clothing Workers,
which is making no claim to portal
pay, told the committee that the
proposed legislative remedies twill
weaken, if not actually destroy" the
Wage-Hour Act "as an instrument
for the protection of workers against
substandard conditions He said
the proposals would break down en-
forcement of wage-hour safeguards.
''We submit that any weakening
of this enforcement weapon" Mr..
Abt said, will encourage violations
by some employers who hope to get
off scot free. Violations are
like a contagious disease, and will
mount in geometric ratio, threaten
ing the standards maintained. by
complying employers and under
mining the very structure of the
act"
Earlier, the United States Cham
ber of Commerce termed por-
tai pay suits "absurb," but added
that unless Congress acts to offset
them, many companies will be faced
with liabilities that amount to con-
flscation of their businesses
Thomas w. Howard, pmanager of
the chambers department of manu-
featuring. declared that "the fact
that neither employees nor employers