Evening star., 1952-11-28
Taft Plans Amendment
OF Labor Law 10 Meet
Eisenhower Criticism
By the Associated Press

senator la1C, RepuDllcan, OF
Ohio is planning some changes
next year in the long-disputed
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT relations law
that bears his name.
Two of the amendments are ex-
pected to meet specific objections
voiced to the Taft-Hartley law by
President-elect Eisenhower.
An aide to the Ohio Senator said
today that considerable drafting
work already has been done on the
amendments.
Many of them will be similar to
the Is changes which passed the
Senate in 1949. but stalled in the
House. Senator Taft says the
1949 amendments died because the
unions wanted repeal or nothing
and felt repeal had a chance
under a Democratic administra-
ton. He is said to believe that
the unions will be more co-opera-
tive in the 1858 session, which will
be Republican-controlled.
Wants Basic Principles Retained
Despite his willingness to re-
write portions of the law, Senator
Taft is insistent that its basic
principles be left unchanged.
The two changes favored by
Gen. Eisenhower and planned by
Senator Taft are:
A requirement that company Of
f1cials take the Communist
oath if they wish to use the act,
as union officials now are re-
Quired to do.
Removal of the ban on voting
IN a representation election by
strikers who have been replaced
in their jobs. Gen. Eisenhower
has called this a possible union
busting" feature. Senator Taft
does not agree, but says the
amendment is desirable anyway.
Senator Taft says he has no
intention now of pushing for one
change which organized labor
would fight bitterly-a ban on
company or industry bargaining
on a Nationwide basis.
Morse Ready to Cooperate.
Senator Taft will be in position
to speed and guide the revision of
the Taft Hartley Act as chairman
of the Senate Labor Committee.
He held this post in the 80th Con-
gresS. when the law was passed
over President Truman's veto, and
has indicated he will take it again.
Senator Morse of oregon, also
on the Labor Committee, told a
reporter today he would be glad
to cooperate in a reworkine of
the law. which he long has as
sailed. He said he could support a
revision patterned on the 1949
amendments if Senator Taft modi-
fled his stand on injunctions and
secondary boycottS.
Senator Morse bolted the Re-
publican Party and backed Demo-
cratic Nominee Adlai Stevenson in
the presidential campaign, declar-
ing himself an independent in the
Senate.
The injunction is key feature
of the controversial Taft-Hartley
law section aimed at national
emergency strikes.
Taft Defends Provision.
Under the section. the Govern
ment can obtain a 80-day injunc-
ton to prevent a strike if the ma
tional safety is imperiled. If a
settlement is not reached in that
period, the union then can walk
out.
Senator Taft says he is inclined
to leave this national-emergency
provision alone for the present.
He says that it is not perfect. but
that it never has had the benefit
of sympathetic" administration.
Senator Morse said in the in
terview he remained convinced
that the seizure bill he sponsored
unsuccessfully in the 1852 session
was the best answer to national
emergency labor disputes.
1t would leave the 80-day cool
ing-off" feature in the law but
also would give the President a
choice of seizing an industry for
go days to prevent a disastrous
strike. The 60-day period could
be extended only by act of Con-
gress.
Would "Cure Inequities."
One of the amendments planned
by Senator Taft was said to be
designed to "cure inequities" and
"close loopholes" in the laws Sec
tion on secondary boycotts.
A secondary boycott occurs
when a union strikes against an
employer, then attempts to pre-
vent employees of other companies
or stores from handling Tie en-
ployer'S products. The Taft
Hartley Act outlaws certain kinds
of such boycotts.
Unions have argued that the
ban permits a struck employer
to transfer work to another plant
and resume production.
Other amendments being drafted
at Senator Taft's direction:
Redefinition of the term fore
man" to make sure that those
excluded from bargaining really
are a part of the management.
Removal of penalties against
individuals who strike in the
waiting period that begins when