Evening star., 1947-02-15
NAM Opposes
Federal Role in
Labor Disputes
Industy-Wide Poets
Also Under Fire at
Senate Hearing
By james Y. Newton

MdluldCIuISES lOlQ SOllSIcSS IO~
day that if management and
labor are given "a system of fair
laws" plus elimination of the
closed shop, industry-wide bar
gaining and the secondary boy
colt you will see an era of in
dustrial peace, such as this coun-
try has never known
Ira Mosher, chairman of the NAM
Executive Committee, struck hard at
Government interference in any
form in labor disputes as he outlined
the associations legislative program
to the Senate Labor Committee. He
was one of three witnesses to appear
today before the committee, which
is considering many union-restrict-
ing bills.
S. M. Cooper. executive vice presi-
dent of the Fafnir Bearing Co., New
Britain, Conn, testified that indus
try-wide agreements for handling
labor disputes-like the agreement
announced two weeks ago for the
building industry-"could well be
more dangerous than the strikes
themselves.
Company Level Urged.
Mr.. Cooper said that. instead Of
more industry-wide contracts, bar
gaining should be broken up so as to
reduce the scale of bargaining and
strikes to local or company level.
Mr.. Masher spoke strongly against
compulsory arbitration and other
forms of dispute-settling machinery
which have been proposed in num-
ber of bills before Congress.
The NAM spokesman asked that
Congress allow management and
workers "to deal directly with each
other to settle their problems right
where they arise" If that is done, he
added, "you can Immediately discard
all the grandiose proposals that have
been made for Government inter-
vention, superboards. labor courts.
and expensive labor codes that can
only interfere with the development
of sound solutions by the parties
themselves"
The MANS nine-point legislative
program, which had been announced
following it's adoption in December,
will not eliminate all STRIKES" Mr..
Mosher said, but will so restrict
the incidence and magnitude OF
strikes when they occur, that they
can be written off as the cost OF
liberty under law"
1 The witness said the NAM does
not suggest punitive legislation or
laws that would destroy or weaken
organized labor.
External Interference Opposed.
What we propose is the creation
of a kind of environment in which
management and labor can meet
and discuss and solve their prob
lens without external interference" "
he continued.
Mr.. Mosher said his association
was opposed to compulsory arbitra-
ton because 1t begins by setting
wage rates and will finally wind up
by setting prices, profits, determine
ing management policies as well as
union views until Government has
complete control and domination
of the entire economy"
AS to other suggested forms Of
handling disputes by Government
intervention he said mediation
boards tend to short-circuit collec-
tive bargaining and that fact-flnd-
ing already has been thoroughly
discredited.
Mr.. Mosher said that industry-
wide bargaining is close to indus
try-wide price fixing and hence is
monopolistic. He declared that
secondary boycotts, by which unions
of companies not on strike prevent
the handling of goods of firms in
volved in labor disputes, when COM
bined with industry-wide bargain-
ing and the closed shop, made final
and absolute the power of few
persons to wreck the economy"
The NAM official urged the aboli-
ton of all forms of compulsory
unionism and suggested permitting
only temporary extension OF exist
ing closed shop agreements.
| 15-Day Strike Limited Suggested.
Earlier, Walter L. Fry, president
of Fry Products. Inc, Detroit, in
dorsed the principles of nearly all
of the leading union restricting bills
which have been proposed in Con-
gress.
Mr.. Fry made the suggestion that
strikes be limited by law to IS days
and that after such a period provi-
sion be made for unions to pay 'for
one-half of all direct and contingent
strike costs and employers losses"
The witness said he had refused
to sign a contract with the CIO
United Automobile Workers and
that as a consequence few years
ago was forced to turn his business
over to his creditors. He explained
that since that time he had OBJ
tanned new financial backing and
still refused to deal with the union.
Cooper Praises Ball Bill.
Mr.. Cooper described the bill
sponsored by Senator Ball, Republic
can, of Minnesota, to ban industrys
wide bargaining as the most im-
portant and fundamental" labor
bill before the Senate. He added,
however, that as an approach to
the objective he favored amendments
of the Sherman and Clayton Anti
1Gae T,ARNP pace Al