Evening star., 1953-06-30

On Changing Labor Act
Congress and White House
Hope to Introduce Bill Soon
BY Gould Lincoln
Forging ahead toward completion In
an adminiStrat ton backed bin amend.
ing the Taft-Hartley labor law. Indeed:
the measure has been in the drafting
stage for some time. The prediction is
it will be in shape for introduction
within week or 10 days. :.es3s
This measure has been going through
an unusual, even novel process in its
development. A group representing the
White House. the Labor Department,
the Commerce Department, and the
Congress has been meeting again and
again. considering every feature Of the
proposed legislation. While most Of the
meetings have been ut the Capitol,
there have been meetings at the White
House, and once in the cabinet
room there. President Eisenhower has
dropped in on the meetings at the
White House, too-not to take part in
the detailed discussions, but to spur
the conferees on to agreement.
Labor has been represented, by the
Secretary Of Labor, Martin p. Durkin.
himself q former labor leader. and
Undersecretary Lloyd A. Mashburn.
Industry has had Secretary Of Com.
merce Sinclair Weeks and his assistant.
The White House has had Bernard M.
Shanley, special counsel to the Presi.
dent, at the meetings. The congres.
sional members Of the group are Sena.
tor Taft Of Ohio, co-author Of the
labor law and Majority Leader Of the
Senate: Senator Smith Of New Jersey.
chairman Of the Senate Labor Com.
mittee. and Representative Mcconnell
of Pennsylvania, chairman of the House
Labor Committee.
Miracle Hoped For.
The hope is that the group will come
up with legislation which will be satis-
factory to both labor and industry.
which would be major miracle. Ger
tainly. however. there has been a spirit
Of bargaining. Of give and take. which
has rarely been obtained in previous
Efforts to draft legislation dealing with
labor and industry relations.
The administrations desire is for
labor legislation which will help to
improve labor-management relations
to get away from any proposal to
crack down on labor. or to crack down
on industry. For that reason, the con-
tereeS have considered carefully every
proposal for inclusion in the new bill,
and compromises have been made in
the interest Of harmony.
Early in the year, q committee of
Is was set up to try to work out satis-
factory amendments Of the Taft.
Hartley Act. 1t was composed OF Ave
representatives Of organized labor. flve
representatives of industry and man
agement. and f1ve representatives of
the public. It got nowhere. The man.
agement representatives and those Of
labor came with the idea Of presenting
their views, or demands, in such a way
they could have the support Of the
representatives Of the public. No
effort was made to bargain, as between
labor and industry, or to reach COM
promise agreements. When it was pro.
posed to vote on proposals to change
the law, management's representatives
wouldn't 60 along. ThA balance Of
power IN such voting would have
reposed in the hands of the public's
representatives, with labor lining up
strictly for labor's demands, and
management's representatives battling
solely for their side. .
Conferees Keep Silent.
The conferees on this labor legisla.
ton are keeping silent on the amend.
ments which they will propose to the
Taft-Hartley Act. Indeed, they are
unable to say yet how extensive the
proposals will be. But they have great
hope that when the bill is ready, it
will receive strong support. Certainly.
it is expected the bill win carry pro-
visions to strike out of the law the
prohibition against workers on strike
voting in elections called to determine
the unions or agencies to represent the
workers, and to amend that part of the
law which calls for anti-Communist
oathS by officers of labor unions while
1t makes no such demand on officers
OF management. President Eisenhower.
during the 1852 election campaign adj
vocated such amendments to the law.
Chairman Smith of the Senate Labor
Committee hopes to have the labor
bill acted upon by his committee dur
ing the present session, and II that
can happen soon enough, to have the
bill passed by the Senate itself. In
any event, If the bill can be reported
by the Labor Committee. it will be on
the calendar and ready to take up
when the Senate reconvenes in jan
uary. Chairman Mcconnell will seek