Evening star., 1949-04-15
Unions, Management
Urged 10 Get Together
To Draft Labor Bill
Precedent Is Seen
In Roll Legislation
Enocted in 20s
By David Laurence

write new labor law and give
1t to Congress to pass.
1t isn't necessary to determine
which is the lion and which Is
the lamb. for each side has now
made sufficient show of strength
to earn the right to be considered
as strong as the other.
Labor has demonstrated its
power by putting replica of the
Wagner Act through both COM
mittees of Congress, but may not
get any further.
Management has demonstrated
through its supporters that it can
successfully oppose a restoration
of the Wagner Act and force a
stalemate. II not the passage of
q substitute bill.
This could mean that there
would be no labor management
legislation at this session of Con-
gress. While that would keep
the Taft-H Hartley Act in force, it
merely would transfer the fight
into the 1850 Congressional cleo
.tions. Whichever side won would
consider that a mandate had been
given to write a more extreme
bill than either the Taft-Hartley
Act or the Wagner Act.
Frustrated BY Emotion.
Writing labor legislation is a
highly technical matter. but 1t
can be completely frustrated by
emotional considerations and pol
itics.
Top men in labor know what
ought to be done and so do top
men In industry. They could, If
they met privately, strip the whole
problem Of emotionalism and pol
itics.
There is precedent for such a
course. The most successful piece
Of labor legislation in our history
and 1t is still on the statute
books-was written in the 20s by
the representatives Of the rail-
road brotherhoods and by the
representatives Of the railroads.
Congress passed it almost unani-
mously. There has been from
time to time criticism of some of
the adjustment boards created by
that law. but 1t has not been
amended in any fundamental res
pect for MANY wears.
The top men in the American
Federation of Labor and the CIO,
IS well as leaders In the United
States Chamber of Commerce and
the National Association of Manu-
facturers. could render a great
service for the cause of industrial
peace and for the continuity of
American production In the face
Of "cold war" and an interna-
tional situation Of growing acute
ness II they worked out a labor
management law that both po-
litical parties. in Congress would
be bound to accept. 4-...
Technicians Could Draft Bill.
To accomplish such a purpose,
q set of technicians could be
drafted to help-men like Will
liam M Leiserson, who served
both on the Railway Mediation
Board and on the National Labor
Relations Board. or Donald Rich
berg or Cyrus Ching or Gerard
Reilly or j. P. Van Arkel or Paul
Herzog. They are all experienced
in the field and could be useful
advisers.
These are men who could draft
legislation once there was an
agreement on detectives.
One Of the most valuable sug-
eestions has come already from
Mr.. Leiserson. who has proposed
a real solution to the CLOSED
shop" in what is known as the
agency shop" This provides
that a worker may refrain If he
likes from joining a union but
II he works in shop where a
union Is in the majority. the en-
ployer must deduct the same dues
and assessments for the nom
union member as for the union
member and turn the proceeds
over to the union for its use. Thus
is the argument met that a free
ride" Is given a non-union man
when there is no closed shop.
Under the new proposal, more
over, no worker is compelled to
join any organization against his
will and an employer is not re-
quired to coerce him into join
ing q union by threatening dis
charge.
Calls for Courage.
There are major issues such
as the problem of whether or not
foremen shall be unionized. and
also provisions relating to the use
Of union treasury funds in cam
psigns, which can be readily re-
solved If there really is a will to
agree. The Injunction issue need
not be an insuperable obstacle
to agreement.
Surely the demonstration that
management and labor leaders
can agree would hearten the
American people and the world
and disappoint the Communists
who see IN our labor-manage-
ment friction a way to promote
economic chaos in America. The
suggestion, of course, is not in
any respect novel. But it does
call for courage by the top men
and the stimulus of Nationwide
opinion to assure its accomplish
ment.
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