Evening star., 1949-06-16
Affidavit Issue
In Labor Bill Up
In Senate Today
Action Is Sought on
Fourth Proposal Akin
To loft Act Provisions
ey the kssoeiofed Press

A proposal TO nail into the Tru-
man labor bill a fourth provision
related to the Taft-Hartley Act
non-Communist oath require
ment-comes up today in the
Senate.
Three other amendments which
have a Taft Hartley look about
them were added to the admins
tration measure by the Senate
yesterday in the first voting after
its long labor law debate.
The changes. all approved by
voice votes with no audible oppo-
sition. would % require unions.
as well as management. to bar
gain in good faith: (2l guarantee
freedom Of speech. short of threats
or promises Of benefits, in labor
relations, and 80 require both
unions and employers to file an
nual financial reports.
No Blessing From Truman.
Those provisions are not in
every case identical to sections of
the Taft-Hartley law, but the diff
ferences generally are slight. The
amendments had no blessing from
President Truman, who publicly
has opposed any revision of the
administration bill.
That bill would repeal the Taft
Hartley law and replace 1t with a
slightly modified version of the old
Wagner Act.
The big test is yet to come, on
a substitute offered by Senator
Taft, Republican. of Ohio and two
other Republicans. It would keep
all the basic Taft Hartley provi-
sions. including labor hated in
functions to halt national emer-
gency labor disputes. and the ban
on the closed shop.
Sponsored by Coalition.
A group of Democrats and Re-
publicans opposed to the Taft sub
stitute sponsored the three amend
ments adopted yesterday. The
same group is backing the non-
Communist oath amendment
which was up today.
That proposal would require
the officers and the policy making
leaders of both unions and COM
panies to file non Communist and
nom Fascist oaths If their organ
izations wanted to use the facil-
tiles of the National Labor Rela-
tions Board.
Affldavits would not have to be
filed, however. If the union or
the company already was ef-
fectively barring subversive per-
sons from leadership.
Under the Taft-Hartley law
only union officers are required
to swear they are not Com
munists. The Republican au-
thored substitute for the admin
istratton bill would require both
union officers and employers to
file affidavits.
Holland Offers Amendment.
Scheduled to come up after
action on the n-Communist
amendment is either series of
proposals for dealing with ma
tional emergency strikes or new
amendment offered yesterday by
Senator Holland. Democrat. Of
Florida.
Senator Hollands amendment
would strike out a section Of .he
administration bill designed to
nullify State laws which ban
closed shop contracts. Under such
contracts employers can hire only
union members.
Senator Holland told the Sem
ate the administration measure
would scrap Florida's closed-shop
ban and similar prohibitions in
Is other States.
AS for the hot issue of how to
handle strikes which imperil the
national safety, the Senate now
has six plans before it. They
range from the Taft Hartley in
junction method to the proposal
in the administration bill for only
a 30-day cooling off period.
The latest idea was offered by
Senator Morse. Republican. Of
Oregon. He introduced an amend
ment which would let the Govern
ment seize struck plants if Con-
greSs approved.
Specific Ban on Injunctions.
His amendment contains a
specific ban against Government
injunctions except where Con-
gress authorized a court order in
a particular case.
Senator Morse told the Senate
that labor will Just go to jail
before it accepts a pattern of in
functions to settle disputes"
He said American courts are
mot qualified to pass judgment
ON the social and economic ques-
tons of labor relations.
On the three amendments
adopted yesterday there was COM
paratively little debate.
Sponsors Of the amendments
argued the changes are in the
spirit Of returning to the Wagner
Act" Senator Taft called that
complete nonsense" His strategy
is to let the amendments go into
the bill, and then bring up his
substitute for the entire ad-
ministration measure.