Evening star., 1953-03-07
Eisenhower Seen
Intervening in Row
Over Taft-HartIey
By jones Y. Newton

9ICS1OCub GlSCI1I1OWCI may liz
tervene personally in an effort
to end q bitter row over labor
legislation between industry and
union officials.
A well-intentioned plan of the
President to narrow the differ
ences Of management and labor
regarding amendment Of the
ft-Hartley Act collapsed in q
word battle yesterday. AS a
result, some officials feared the
Nations industrial relations
might be permanently harmed.
The plan, attributed to Gen.
Eisenhower, involved an effort
to get labor and industry agree
ment on amendment Of Taft
Hartley, which now is being con-
sidered In Congress. Any changes
agreed to would have been in
cluded in the program the Presi-
dent will submit to Congress
soon.
This was attempted by bring
ing top union and management
together for a conference. But
the meeting at the Labor De-
partment broke up before it was
well under way. Both sides
blamed the other for the break
up.
White House Meeting.
One official said he expected
Gen. Eisenhower would invite
the committee to q White House
meeting designed to smooth re-
lations and ruffled feelings.
The committee was the 15-
member Labor Department Spe-
cial Advisory Committee. estab-
lished by Secretary of Labor
Durkin at the Presidents sug-
gestion. There were five repre-
sentatives each of organized
labor, industry and the public.
Actually, Mr.. Durkin planned
to call the group in from time to
time as departmental problems
arose. Their first assignment
was to advise the administration
on the legislative matters.
An elaborate 20-point agenda
was set up for the three-day
meeting which was supposed to
last at least through today. The
agenda included highly contro-
versial provisions of the Taft
Hartley Act, many Of which
Congress is considering changing.
But after a day and a half of
meetings. only one of the 10
points was discussed. And no
decision was made on 1t.
The conference broke up when
the Is participants were unable
to agree on a question Of pro-
cedure. It was whether the con-
ference should be bound by ma
jority vote on proposals to change
Taft-Hartley. The five industry
representatives refused to go
along. with that procedure. It
was proposed by labor members
and supported by the public peo-
pie.
The committee recessed in
definitely after the industry
members had abstained from
voting on the majority rule
procedure. Apparently the hurdle
will have to be removed if Mr..
Durkin is ever to convene his
committee again.
Mr.. Durkin said he would tell
Gen. Eisenhower just what hap
pened and discuss with him just
what. If anything, should be
done next. Presumably they will
talk about the idea of holding a
peace meeting at the White
House.
1--WE are not willing" the in
dustry people stated, to submerge
our individual views in majority
votes of a committee whose
members represent diverse in
terests. but by no means all the
people having legitimate inter-
ests in labor legislation"
Mr.. Durkin, as chairman of
the conference, took no position
in the argument.
Meany DisagreeS.
AFL President George Meany
said the industry statement
"does not square with the facts"
He said it had been proposed
that any decisions made by ma
jority vote would not be binding
on any dissenting members. The
industry people. he added. re-
fused to go along with that.
Mr.. Meany accused the indus
try representatives of breaking
up the committee, and he called
their position "indefensible."
II am forced to the inescap-
able conclusion, by their ac-
tions," Mr.. Meany said, "that
these representatives of industry
are perfectly. content to sit tight
with the Taft-Hartley law as
now written-with all it's UNFAIR
ness and its union busting pro-
viSions-and will take part in
no move to make the law accept
able to labor"
CIO President Walter p. Reu-
ther also blamed the industry
people for the breakup of the
conference. which. he said. was
''regretable."
Industry. in turn, said the la
Dor people caused the collapse
by insisting on majority rule.
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