Evening star., 1948-12-05

will take two lines. 1t will give in
detail the operation of the Taft
Hartley Act since it was enacted in
1947, and it will propose some
changes in the existing law. While
the details of the report are still
unavailable-the report itself has
still to be passed upon by the COM
mittee-it is expected it will recom-
mend the elimination of an elec-
tion-a vote-by the employees of
concern which has been essential
before a union shop contract can
be entered into.
Other Recommendations
It will not propose, however, the
elimination of the prohibition of the
closed shop, a provision of the law
which has been heavily assailed by
labor unions. This is the provision
which makes it possible for a worker
to apply for job and obtain it even
if he is not member of a union. In
shops which have had closed shop
contracts, that has not been possible.
A union shop compels worker to
join a union but does not insist that
union membership is a prerequisite
to employment.
Further, the joint committee re-
port is expected to recommend the
strengthening of that section of the
law compelling officers of unions to
sign afidavits stating they are not
Communists, If the union Is to seek
the good Offices of the labor law and
its administrators. This provision
has already been extremely helpful
in showing up the Communist spots
in organized labor-and helpful to
the unions in getting rid of Com
munist officials. Notwithstanding
the protests of certain labor leaders
who are not Communists-that
the provision invades their personal
rights, the chances are that the pro-
vision will be retained in any re-
writing of the labor laws.
A strong defense of the injunction
features of the law will be made by
the committee report. The record
will show that the injunction process
has been used sparingly and almost
invariably in cases where there was
good reason. President Truman
himself resorted to its use four times
to deal with stubborn labor-man-
agement differences, which had led
to work stoppages of serious conse-
quence to the Nation.
Minority Report Expected
The joint committee is composed
of IA members, z Senators and Z
Representatives. AS set up by the
Republican Congress, there were (
Republicans and 3 Democrats from
each house. It may be expected
that a minority report will come
from some of the Democrats on the
joint committee, if not all. Such
minority report will undoubtedly
recommend repeal of the Taft
Hartley Act or at least its very
drastic revision, or the substitution
of a new law re-enacting the Wag-
ner Act with some amendments.
Serving on minority of the commits
tee are Senators Murray of Mon
tana, Pepper Of Florida and Ellen
der of Louisiana, and Representa-
tives Lesinski of Michigan, Barden
of North Carolina and Kelley Of
Pennsylvania.
Senator Murray, strong opponent
of the Taft Hartley Act, is the
author of substitute bill offered
during the consideration of the
Taft Hartley measure by the Sem
ate. 1t has been rumored that this
Murray bill will be the basis of the
proposed administration substitute
for the Republican labor law. The
Murray bill contained the recon-
mendations made by President Tru-
man, calling for banning jurisdic-
tional strikes and certain forms of
secondary boycotts and for presi-
dental authority to deal with
strikes threatening public health or
safety. The President also proposed
"a thorough study" of labor -man-
agement relations and existing law
before going any further. This last
suggestion the Congress rejected
and wrote the Taft-Hartley law.
The Taft-Hartley Act has been
assailed as a slave labor law 1t
has been assailed as whole-where
it could not be successfully assailed
in its individual provisions. 1t is
not a slave labor law, as a year and
a half of its operation has demon
strated. And when Congress sits
down to write a substitute for 1t,
attention should be given to the in
dividual sections and provisions Of
the law before any attempt is made
to eliminate them.
Democrats Also Responsible
When the Taft-Hartley Act was
put through, over President Tru-
mans veto, it was sorely needed
and the law was the work of Demo-
Gratis as well as Republicans. The
new law established equal rights
and responsibilities for management
and labor in their relations. Also.
and of great Importance, it provided
safeguards for the rights
of individual workers. For example,
it protects him against discrimina-
tion or threats by union officials or
his employer; it guarantees him the
right, as an individual, to contribute
to and participate in the political
activities of the party and candi-
date of his choice. 1t also prohib-
Its the union from spending his dues
for political purposes-which might
rim counter To his own desire. It