Evening star., 1949-02-10

Labor
Continued From First Page)
tions of recent days. and urge
it's adoption"
Flat repeal of Taft-Hartley
would carry with it the original
Wagner Act, since the present law
was a series Of amendments to
that measure.
Rather than take a chance on
going without either law while a
new one was being written, the
administration decided to combine
in one package the repeal of Taft
Hartley and its new modified ver-
sion of the Wagner Act.
Long Interval Unlikely.
The miners statement suggests
that the joint study committee
to be set up after repeal could be
enjoined to report by. certain
day, leaving the implication that
there need not be a long interval
of no legislation.
Those familiar with legislative
procedure doubt, however, that a
new law could be enacted in a
short time if the Taft-Hartley
Act was repealed first. Observers
on Capitol Hill also doubt that
the votes could be mustered to
wipe out all labor legislation
pending the drafting of a new
bill.
Neither Mr.. Lewis, nor other
mine union officials were expected
to testify today. They sent their
views to the committee in written
Randolph Presents Statement.
The position of the ITU was pre-
sented in a statement by Mr..
Randolph.
The ITU has been engaged for
months in series of court actions
and proceedings before the Ma
tional Labor Relations Board.
growing out of the ban on close<
shop agreements in the Taft
Hartley law. Mr.. Denham was
questioned at length yesterday
about these proceedings.
The biggest ITU case was the
Nation wide newspaper case, in
which the original charges were
filed by the American Newspaper
Publishers Association.
On petition of the NLRB coun-
sci, temporary injunction was
granted last March by Federal
Judge Luther M. Swygert in In
dianapolis.
The injunction. in effect. Or
dered the ITU and its national
officers, including Mr.. Randolph,
not to seek closed-shop conditions
and not to refuse to enter normal
contracts with newspaper pub
fishers.
The ITU then changed its in
structions to its locals and adopt
led new bargaining policies. But
the NLRB later complained to
Judge Swygert that the union still
was seeking closed-shop condi-
tions.
Union Ordered to Comply.
After a hearing, Judge Swygert
found the union in contempt o.
court. He ordered it to comply
with it's restraining order.
An NLRB trial examiner has
recommended that the union be
found in violation of the law, but
the board itself has not fixed a
date for oral hearings.
In his statement today, Mr..
Randolph referred to these pro-
ceedings and said they were
brought "by NLRB attorneys for
the chief purpose of breaking a
strike of our members at Chicago -
The strike against daily newspa-
pers there has been going on since
November "a, l947.
THE only redeeming feature Of
our experience under the Taft
Hartley Act has been that, despite
the best efforts of a coalition OF
newspaper publishers, (NLRB)
General Counsel Denham. the
NLRB and the Federal courts, that
strike has not been broken.
Nor will it be ended until we
have the employers assurances
that they will concede to us the
same right to live that we so freely
concede to them"
IL Million Outlay Emphasized.
Citing what he called the TITUS
"agonizing experiences" under the
Taft Hartley measure, Mr.. Ran
dolph said:
81. We have been compelled to
spend over $11,000,000 of hard
earned members dues in support
of strikes and other defense activi-
ties to preserve our union
20. We have been subjected to
the issuance of eight complaints,
containing substantially identical
allegations and relying on the
same evidence, by Denham. We
have been forced to engage in five
long drawnout NLRB proceedings
without having obtained a
single decision from the NLRB in
the course of 16 months of liti-
CATION.