Evening star., 1953-12-17
The Political Mill :
Odds Appear Against
Amending Labor Law
Both Sides Of Issue Fearful
Of Coming Out on Losing End
By Gould Lincoln

OF Coming Out on Losing End
By Gould Lincoln
Hartley labor law amendments,
pledged by the Republicans in the 1852
presidential campaign, appear to be IN
tough spot. as the second session of,the
83d Congress approaches. A plain-talk-
ing Republican congressional leader,
who favors amending the law on liberal
lines, complains that neither the
leaders of organized labor nor the
business leaders strongly
desire anything done in the waya tof
Taft-Hartley amendments at this time.
The labor leaders, he explains. ARE
afraid that Congress might come up
with amendments which they do not
want. uSiness-management on the
other hand, he says, does not want
the law relaxed, and they, on their
side. are afraid that Congress might
liberalize the law. Further, he says, the
labor leaders and many of the New
Deal-Fair Deal Democrats wish to leave
the law unchanged-as an issue in the
1854 congressional campaign. Under
these circumstances. he contends the
likelihood of Taft-Hartley amendments
at the coming session is mighty slim.
Who. he demands. is going to support
it?
President Eisenhower doesn't go
along with this do-nothing attitude.
1t may be expected that his program
Of legislative proposals-"dynamic and
progressive" will certainly contain
Taft-Hartley amendments. Whether
Congress is ready or willing to act, on
these amendments, the President is
sure to propose some. ~
Will Seek Action. 81
He will use his influence, too, to get
action. 1t is in line with the platform
pledge of the COP. in 1852 to improve
the Taft-Hartley law by amendment,
and the President has insisted the
COP. Congress must carry out the
the resignation of former Secretary of
Labor Martin Durkin over Taft Hartley
amendments and the reason he gave
for getting out Chat the President Had
not lived up to an agreement with hfnn)
make 1t imperative for the President to
do something about the Taft-Hartley
law.
Organized labor. with two great
groups under new leadership-the AFL
now headed by George Meany and the
CIO by Walter Reuther-- snwhile
are planning to get into the political
ring in an even bigger way than itshaS
in the past. In addition to strength
ening it's legislative lobbying units, it is
planning to increase it's direct-action
political groups. Already CIO leader
ship is demanding repeal of Taft
Hartley. Both great unions have an
nounced they will fight as never before
for the election of Senators and Rep
resentatives in the 84th Congress who
are friends of organized labor.
A Big Question. :,
1t is large question, however,
whether Taft-Hartley repeal will be
winning or even a favorable issue lin
the congressional campaign. Two strikes
which occurred in New York recently
are not calculated to make the public
anxious to see the unions become more
powerful than they are-the milk strike,
which lasted a week, and the news
paper strike. which lasted IL days. 1lle
newspaper blackout created an amazing
and dsagreeable situation in the me-
tropoliS. Furthermore, it raised a ques-
ton in the minds of many persons
throughout the country. 1t showed one
comparatively small labor union, that
of the photographers, able to do what
the Government of the United States
could not do and live up to the Con-
Stitution-prefent the publication lrSof
great daily newspapers, and also pre-
vent publication by other newspapers
of material supplied by the strike
bound newspapers. In addition.oi it
showed large labor unions breaking
their contracts with the newspaper
publishers. although these unions
themselves had no dispute with the
publishers. -
Taft-Hartley repeal was not a good
issue-for its proponents-either in
the 1850 or the 1852 campaigns That
it will be any stronger with the voting
public in 1854 is doubtful. The sensible
thing, therefore, for both sides would
be to join in improving the law through
amendment. Extremists on both sides.
however. make this very difficult Of Ac-
complishment. This is one piece of leg
islation which Democrats in Congfess
may balk at, for they, like the Go,
believe 1t might get them votes. AS
things now stand, the House may pass
one type of labor bill and the Senate
another type of bill and all such legis-
lation may die in the conflict between
the two. To get something done and
amendments enacted into law will take
all the leadership the President can
provide. 1,