Evening star., 1949-02-24
Senate Group Starts
Drafting New Labor
Measure Tomorrow
By J. A. O'Leor

row to begin drafting a new Labor
bill, with administration support.
ers in a position to write theil
own ticket in committee.
A month Of stormy hearing.
ended late yesterday, with two
colored witnesses appealing fol
amendments to prevent racial dis.
elimination in labor relations.
There were no immediate indi.
cations that the weeks Of testi,
mony by union and management
spokesmen had altered the basic
ideas of opposing factions on tn,
committee.
This means the administration
plan to repeal the Taft Hartley
Act and reinstate the Wagner Act
with a few changes is virtually
certain to win committee ap.
proval. but not until Senator.
have spent at least a week behind
closed doors debating the testi-
mony.
Real Fight Due on Floor.
Both sides are aware the rea,
3ight will come on the Senate
floor, where a group Of Southern
Democrats is expected to vote with
the Republicans to retain mucl,
more of the Taft-Hartley Law
than the committee will approve
The plea to ban racial discrim-
ination in union affairs was made
to the committee by Edgar G
Brown, director of the National
Negro Council, and Elmer w
Henderson. director of the Ameri-
can Council on Human Rights.
Other developments yesterday
afternoon were:
William M. LeiserSon, a for.
mer member of the National La.
Dor Relations Board, indorsed the
administrations new labor bill
and said the Taft-Hartley Act
was the wrong approach to labor
peace because it tried 20 define
what is justice in particular cases
The witness argued that The
Government should concentrate
on establishing the principle OF
collective bargaining. and then
build up its Cancellation Service
to help the parties work out
their labor-management problems
around the bargaining table.
Chicago newspaper publishers
fled statement giving their side
of the 15-month-old printers
strike in that city. They contend
ed it was not fight over wages,
but over the unwillingness Of the
union to enter into the traditional
annual contract.
Republicans and Democrats on
the committee, who had been
shouting at each other in discord-
ant tones for weeks over other
phases Of the labor problem,
joined late yesterday in showing
@ sympathetic attitude toward the
appeals for a ban on racial dis
elimination in any new labor
law.
The two colored witnesses joined
In urging a no-discrimination rule
In labor relations, but one wanted
to go further than the other. Mr..
Brown told the committee 1t
should incorporate the entire Fair
Employment Practice Commission
bill, which is part Of the civil
rights program, In the labor bill.
Wants Separate Action.
Mr.. Henderson said he did not
concur in that suggestion. He
said he wants the FEPC bill
passed. too, but thinks the labor
control issue should be considered
separately.
Senator Humphrey. Democrat,
of Minnesota, who helped write a
strong civil rights plank into the
Democratic platform at Philadel-
phia last summer, said he is for
an anti-discrimination amend
ment in the labor bill.
Senator Taft said something
will have to be done about the
question if Congress abandons the
Taft t-Hartely law provision pro-
hibiting the closed shop. The
Senator promised to study the
matter. During yesterdays hear
ing Senator Taft said that. un-
der the Taft-Hartley law. a union
could not have a colored man
fired, even though it excluded him
from union membership.
Earlier yesterday, the vice presi-
dent of C1O union told the COM
mittee that Howard I. Young, Mid
western industrialist, is using the
flag in a despicable effort to con-
ceal his greed for profits"
The accusation, made by Reid
Robinson, No. 2 officer of the In
ternational Union Of Mine, Mill
and Smelter Workers, was con-
tanned in a statement which he
filed with the committee in reply
to Mr.. Young's blast at the union
last week.
Mr.. Young is president Of the
American Mining Congress and
also president of the American
Zinc, Lead & Smelling CO. Of St.
Louis. He told the committee the
mine mill -smelter union is Com
munist dominated" and that it's
international officers had failed to
file non-Communist af1davits un-
der the Taft-Hartley law.
In reply. Mr.. Robinson said,
"The record proves that Mr.. Young
is merely using the flag in des-
picable effort to conceal his greed
for profits and his determination
to smash any union which impedes
the full qualification of that
greed"
Reich Leader Reported
m