Evening star., 1949-05-04
Genuine Compromise
Now Seen Possible
On New Labor Law
Suspicion Is Arising
Both Sides Would Like
To Muintuin Deadlock

Both Sides Would Like
To Maintain Deadlock
Bv David La,crence
Whether there will be O new
labor-management law enacted at
this session depends entirely on
how far the labor union leaders
want to 90 toward meeting the op-
position viewpoints that have been
expressed by a majority of the
members Of the House Of Repre-
sentatives.
The various votes taken thus far
show clearly:
/. The Taft-Hartley ACT un-
amended or unchanged cannot
survive as 1t is written.
2. The old Wagner Act un-
amended or unchanged cannot be
re-enacted.
3. Neither side can put into law
a pro-management or a pro-union
measure.
This means that the opportunity
for a genuine compromise Is at
hand, provided the representatives
of management and labor, respec-
lively, really want to agree.
Suspicion on Deadlock.
There Is beginning to be sus-
picion that both sides would like
to maintain the present deadlock.
This would be a grave mistake in
Judgment. The labor union Lead
ers are figuring that no legislation
at this session would enhance
their opportunities for pro-union
bin at the January session because
the congressional elections would
be closer at hand and would in
fiuence many who are wavering
today.
The management side probably
reasons that If no final action Is
taken at this session, the Taft
Hartley Act will remain on the
books and will be harder to dis
lodge In January because OF the
increase In evidence that workers
themselves are not as bitterly OPP
posed to certain provisions as
some of the labor leaders have
described them as being.
But to make labor-management
legislation q football In the next
political election will not benefit
either the public or the protago-
nists In the controversy itself. The
whole problem Is susceptible Of
compromise. The task Of writing
q new labor law that would be
fair to both sides cannot, however.
be undertaken on the floor of
either house of Congress. II must
be written in committee after
further hearings. or 1t can be writ
zen expeditiously outside Of Con-
.gress by representative groups
from both sides with a will to
agree.
Unfortunately. the hearings
held In the House and the Senate
ended with an adainant position
by the labor union leaders, who
refused to countenance any
amendments. This was q serious
error in strategy, for it threw the
bill, into the House for amend
inents. to be offered on the floor.
This is not conducive to the writ
ing Of good legislation.
It may be. that the bills now
should be returned to the respec-
tive committees of both houses
with instructions to report them
out six weeks f1om now. This
weuld afford an opportunity for
consultations outside Of Congress
and might bring about a compro-
mise such as Congress received
from the meetings once held by
the railroad brotherhood unions
and railway executives when the
present Railway Labor Act was
adopted by an overwhelming vote
Of Congress.
Ways to Meet Positions.
Every one knows now that the
Congress isn't going to allow
strikes to be held In industries
which can paralyze the Nations
economic system. Every one
knows now that there are ways
to meet the positions taken by
labor and management on vital
questions. 1t has not been posi-
bic to consider anything of a
real compromise nature until and
unless each side saw that no
progress could be made any other
way. Until the House votes were
taken, there was doubt as to what
the prevailing sentiment was on
particular amendments. The air
has been cleared now.
While this method of conduct
ing the legislative process is cum
bersome, 1t must be conceded that,
where both sides can muster such
o large vote and the strength ap-
pears even, the only thing that
convinces either side is an actual
counting of noses.
The issue is further compli-
Gated by the split in the Republi-
can as we'll as the Democratic
Party. It cannot, therefore. be
made a subject of party disci-
pline. On an economic issue of
such vital Importance further
committee consideration can be
helpful. If this isn't done, the
end result will be a measure that
neither side really wants and the
retention for while at least of
the present law. This would give
labor-union agitators a chance
to call for the election of a Con-
-gress on this issue alone and en-
stirely apart from all other issues
that may confront the country in
1850.
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