Evening star., 1953-05-19
Lag in Taft Act
Revision Laid
To Sharp Riff
Commerce Reported
Opposed to Most
Of Durkin's Ideas
By jones Y. Newton

within President Eisenhower's
official family have delayed for
weeks the drafting of an admin
istration program of amendment
of the Taft-Hartley Act. The
deadlock still exists today.
The differences are between
the Labor and Commerce De-
partments, the advocates in the
Government of labor and in
duStry. So far, the Budget Bu-
reau and the White House have
been unable to reconcile the wide
differences.
Secretary of Labor Durkin
told news conference he ex-
pected the administration to
take stand very shortly" on
changes in the Taft-Hartley la
Dor relations law. Once the
stand is made, he said, he would
like to testify about it before
the House and Senate Labor
Committees.
Hearings Are Over.
But lengthy congressional
hearings on possible revision of
Taft-Hartley ended 10 days ago.
Spokesman for the committees
said they had heard of no plans
for hearing Mr.. Durkin. They
said they supposed the hearings
could be reopened for a day to
hear him, but the procedure
would be unusual.
One source who said he had
examined Mr.. Durkin's recon-
mendationS said they would
amount virtually to repeal of
Taft-Hartley and restoration of
the old Wagner Act. He said
Mr.. Durkin would leave few re-
strictions on labor unions.
The Commerce Department
was represented as being not
only completely opposed to
nearly all of the Durkin sug-
gestions. but actually advocates
tightening of the law on unions
in some places. Only in a
couple of areas were the two
departments said to be in agree
ment.
Changes Recommended.
Mr.. Durkin repeatedly recon-
mended these changes:
Removal of the ban on the
closed shop and removal from
Taft-Hartley the language which
gives State prohibitions on the
union shop precedence over the
Federal law which permits the
union shop.
Removal of all injunction pro-
visions from the law, except a
court order would be permitted
where a union struck against
the Governments certification of
another union as the bargaining
agent for group of employees.
Injunctions would not be pro-
vided for in other boycott cases
or in so-called national emer-
gency strikes.
Mr.. Durkin also would restore
the National Labor Relations
Board ,setup as it was under the
Wagner Act, taking away the
independence given by Taft
Hartley to the boards general
counsel. This would restore to
a five, or member board
the old status of being prosecu-
tor, as we'll as judge, of unfair
labor practice cases.
Free Speech Limit.
Another Labor Department
recommendation, it was said,
would limit the right of free
speech given employers by Taft
Hartley. Mr.. Durkin also was
described as opposing the grant,
ing to the States of additional
authority over labor disputes,
which many members of Con-
gress strongly advocate.
The Labor and Commerce De-
partmentS were said to be in
agreement on only two points.
One would remove the Taft
Hartley requirement of nom
Communist oaths of union Off
cials and place the job of po-
licing Communists in unions in
an independent agency like the
SubverSive Activities Control
Board. The other point would
give workers who have been re-
placed as a result of an eco
nomic strike the right to vote in
representation elections.
The Taft-Hartley negotiations
are being handled by Undersec-
retary of Labor Lloyd Mashburn
and Stephen Dunn, Commerce
general counsel.
Over 312 months have elapsed
since Gen. Eisenhower, in his
state = of the Union message,
urged Congress to take prompt"