Evening star., 1949-11-09
Lewis Strategy Likely
To Lead 10 Stronger
Taft-Han|ey Act
Mine Union Leader Held
Well. Advised to Go Along
With Foct-Finding Boord
By Dapid Laurence


With .Foet-Finding Boord
By Dauid Laurence
The strategy Of John L. Lewis,
which had more than anything
else to do with the development
Of. Nationwide sentiment for, the
passage of revised Wagner La
Dor Relations Act in 1s47. is now
shaping the course that may bring
about a strengthening Of the
Taft Hartley Act. :, :
For 1t looks now as if the mine
union leader must decide whether
he will accept a voluntary fact
finding board which makes ''rec-
concentrations" or a finding
board such as is provided by the
Taft-Hartiey Act without any
Recommendations" '.' .% :
In the one case, public opinion
influences the final settlement. In
the other, the Injunction process
is applied and the issues are
settled only after a prolonged
period OF Government interven-
ton amounting almost to a form
Of compulsion.F
Would Provide Way Out.
Mr.. Lewis would be we'll ad-
vised to 60 along with the volun-
tary fact-finding board For 1t
will spare him much embarrass-
nnent and may provide way out
OF the many tangles that have
arisen over the miners pension
fund and its administration.
President Truman, of course.
doesn't want to use the Taft
Hartley Acts powers. He has let
IT be known. however, that he is
ready to. do so If absolutely neces-
sary. The Presidents strategy has
been to await the settlement OF
the steel strike, and this has been
delayed by q complexity of issues
that simply take more time than
is usually necessary with the nor
NAL type of issues-such as wage
rates. ..
Now that it looks as II the
steel industry is creeping back
to production. the administration
is In duty bound to do something
about COAL. The steel mills are
running short Of fuel. 1t has al
ways been assumed that the min
ers' union has been well aware
that this time, because of the
steel controversy, it could inf1ict
economic injury on the coal op-
orators without as much public
criticism as Is ordinarily mani
tested. -:
But. the damage done to. the
public interest by the coincident
action of the steelworkers' and
miners unions has left an indel-
ible impression on the minds Of
the. people Of America. Senator
Taft of Ohio has already grabbed
the ball on this ISSUE. having come
out for an amendment to the
Taft Hartley acth which, would
ban industry-wide bargaining and
require that no concerted action
be taken by the local unions
which would amount to a mono
poltstic, use Of. economic power.
=
Public Aware of Moves. r.
The sum total Of new informa-
tion on strikes this year adds up
to a public awareness of what big
unionisn can do with their con-
troll over nationwide employ
ment. ..., ~ ... .. :..a
A. conspicuous demonstration,
in contrast, has been given Of how
the major steel companies do. not
act in concert. Thus Bethlehem
Steel deviated from the pattern
OF settlements heretofore and did
not wait for q. s. Steel to lay out
the course. Various settlements
now have been made with indi-
vidual compapies' in which there
has been a deviation even from
the Bethlehem form of settle
ment. But the strike was indus
try-wide., -
AL this merely illustrates that
the employers are not operating
as a unit or exercising any power
to regulate production, yet one big
union nevertheless is able to dt
that which the Sherman Anti
Trust Law forbids anyone else te
do. q :.
The idea Of regulating big husi-
ness so that it cannot exercise
monopoly has been covered under
the Sherman Antitrust Law since
1890. It was Republican Con.
gress that enacted that. statute
Now Senator Taft comes forwart
with the idea that there should bt
q Sherman law to cover any at.
tempt to regulate production
through labor union action.
The issue is not at all an i'm.
pairment of the right to strike
The .three-day and two-day worl
stoppages in the coal fields wert
plainly intended to reduce Goa
stocks so AZ to improve the bar.
gaining position of the labor unior
involved and thus to produce Q
scarcity which could increase thl
price to the public. There never
was any intention on the par
Of Congress to exempt labor union.
from exercising that sort of mo.
nopoly power. -. -.
Hence the recent work stop.
pages in the coal industry car
conceivably become the basis TO,
prohibitions Of industry wide
bargaining as. well as of con.
spiracies to regulate production