Evening star., 1953-05-13
Senators Study
Letting TaftAct
Lapse a Year
Would Find if Labor
And Employers Could
Solve Problems
By james Y. Newton

suspension Tor a year or more
of major provisions of the Taft
Hartley Act is being discussed
by members of the Senate Labor
Committee.
The purpose would be to test
the responsibility of manage
ment and labor to work out their
problems through collective bar
gaining and largely unfettered
by Federal law. Another pur-
pose of the idea would be to test
the ability of individual States
to handle many labor problems
largely of a police nature, such
as illegal p1cketing.
Under the proposal, one of
many discussed by the committee
in considering revision of Taft
Hartley, all but three sections of
the law would be suspended for
the test period.
Retained would be the provi-
sions assuring workers the right
to join unions and bargain
collectively, the part dealing
with national emergency strikes
and the one providing for Fed
eral mediation of disputes
through the Federal Mediation
and Cancellation Service.
Closed Shop Ban Included.
All of the many "do's" and
"don'ts" for unions and man
agementS would be dropped so
far as the Federal law was con-
cerned for the duration of the
test period. These would in
clude the prohibition against the
closed shop and jurisdictional
strikes and the restraints on boy
colts and other practices now in
the law.
This may be our solution to
the conflicting demands from all
sides as to what we should do
with Taft-Hartley," a Senate
Labor Committee member said.
Labor has been yelling for re-
peal. Maybe it is time to give
this idea a trial"
The Senator, explaining that
the proposal was being tested
for reaction, said that it may
be time for a test to see If labor
unions and managements have
reached the maturity to handle
many Of their problems. He said
that If they failed the test the
full provisions Of Taft-Hartley
would become reactivated at the
end of the period.
He said also that many of the
problems resulting from labor
management differences should
be handled by the States rather
than the Federal Government.
He said many things like picket
line violence and injurious boy
colts actually were State or local
government problems anyway.
Smith Sponsoring Bills.
Chairman H. Alexander Smith
OF the Labor Committee advo-
Gates the removal of the Fed
eral Government from the area
of labor-management relations
as much as possible. He has
introduced bills to remove the
building and construction in
dustry and most public utilities
from the jurisdiction of Taft
Hartley.
Meanwhile, the Republican
members of the committee will
meet tomorrow to decide the
course of labor legislation in
this session of Congress. One
Senator said that at the mo-
ment it was highly uncertain
whether there will be any action
to amend Taft-Hartley at the
session.
| Both the Senate and House
Labor Committees have ended
public hearings on Taft-Hartley
revision. The House committee
will 60 into executive session next
week to write a bill.
Among other things, strong
sentiment was reported in the
House group for abolition of the
National Labor Relations Board
which administers and interprets
Taft-Hartley. Under this pro-
posal only a small administrative
agency would be left. The job
of handling unfair labor prac-
tice cases and other such prob
lens would be thrown into the
Federal courts.