Evening star., 1952-06-04
Plan ALLOWING
Plant Seizures
Given Senate
Muybonk Proposal
Would Set Up Board
On Labor Disputes

The Senate today received a
plan designed to prevent strikes
and settle labor disputes in indus
tries important to the defense
program.
Aimed particularly at ending
the two-day- old steel strike, the
plan was introduced by Chairman
Maybank of the Senate Banking
Committee. It came in the form
of an amendment to the commit
tees bill to extend price, wage,
rent and production controls. The
present controls law will expire
June 80 unless extended by Con-
greSS.
The Maybank proposal calls for
the setting up of a special emer-
gency board empowered to rec
ommend ways of settling disputes
over wages, prices and other is
sues. It would give the President
specific authority to seize an in
dustry if the boards efforts failed
to settle the dispute.
President Would Name Board.
The National Emergency Price
and Wage Board would be made
up of chairman and six other
members. appointed by the Pres
ident. The appointments would
be subject to Senate confirmation.
Whenever the President found
that a threatened or actual strike
or lockout. imperiled the defense
effort he could refer the dispute to
the board. There would be a
cooling off" period of 120 days
during which the board would
make its settlement proposals and
the parties would consider them.
A strike or lockout would be
forbidden during this 120 days.
In event of work stoppage. the
President could seek a court in
junction to end it.
The board would have the au-
thority to suggest means of set
ting disputes over prices as well
as over wages or other issues. In
the event the boards findings were
accepted, the President would be-
given the additional authority to
change wage or price regulations, !,
If that were necessary to make
them fit in with board proposals.
Prices Factor in Dispute.
The companies demand for sub
stantially higher prices to matchI
proposed wage increases, 1t was
pointed out. is an important as
pect of the long steel dispute.
If either or both parties to al
dispute rejected the special boards
findings. the President then could
step in and seize the industry
However, he would be forbidden toI
raise either wages or prices during
the period Of seizure.
The Supreme Court on Monday
struck down President Truman'sI
seizure of the steel industry be-
cause there was no specific au-
thority in law to support the ac-
ton. The Government had
planned to raise wages under
seizure unless the steel companies
and the CIO United Steelworkers|
agreed to a new wage contract.
No Guess on Its Chances.
Senator Maybank said that
neither his committee nor the
White House had seen his amend
ment. He would not predict its
chances of passage.
Senator Taft, Republican, of
Ohio, commented that he saw lit
tie difference between the May
bank amendment and provisions
of the Taft Hartley Act for deal
ing with national emergency dis
putes. The latter provides for AMI
80-day court injunction against al
strike.
Taft-Hartley also provides for|
fact-flnding board to hear dis
putes. However, the boards areI
authorized to make proposals for
settlement. And no action is pro-
vided at the end of the 80-dayI
period other than reference of the
disput to Congress by the Presi-
dent. There is no provision for
seizure. Any further action is up
to Congress.