Evening star., 1953-06-09
The Political Mil
Smith Gives New Drive
To Labor Low Revision
Job Of SensibIy Amending
Toft-HortIey Up to 6. O.P.
The Political Mil
By Gould Lincoln

By Gould Lincoln
New impetus for the enactment of
amendments to the Taft Hartley labor
law is given by the announcement of
Chairman Alexander Smith of the
Senate Committee on Labor and Public
Welfare that "there will be no letup in
our plans to develop sound and just
amendments and to carry out the
campaign promises of the President"
Further, Chairman Smith has made it
clear that efforts will be made to have
action on the amendments this year.
He has denied fatty any agreement
has been made between the President
and any Republican leaders to put off
revision of the law until next year,
months, in dealing with the problem
of labor law amendment, on the sound
idea that an area of agreement should
be established and amendments in that
area written into bill and passed as
quickly as possible. AS he contends:
"Management-labor relations are in a
continuing state of adjustment. No
legislation can cover the subject once
and for ALL"
Both the Senate and House Commit
tees on Labor have completed extensive
hearings on the proposed labor law
revision. Unless present plans are
changed. it is understood the House
committee will wait on the Senate for
action before taking up labor legiSla-
ton. While the congressional commit
tees have conducted hearings, the exec
utive departments peculiarly interested
in Taft Hartley revision, the Labor De-
partment and the Commerce Depart
ment, have been making studies of their
own, working as far as possible together.
1t Is Senator Smiths hope that he and
his committee will have the advice of
the Secretaries of Labor and Commerce,
together with President EiSenhower's
ideas ON labor law changes, within a
short time
Then, it is expected. Chairman Smith
will get his committee together and
write bill. When it is completed and
reported. the chairman will seek action
by the Senate itself. He Is hopeful that
he can get it through the Senate during
the present session, or at a session in
the fall, should Congress take a recess
for the summer.
During the presidential campaign last
year, President Eisenhower not only
promised revision of the Taft-Hartley
Act, but he asso assailed strongly one
provision of the law which he said
might be used to break a union. That
section Of the law prohibits striking
workers from voting in an election of a
group to represent the workers. With
the agreement of Senator Taft himself.
who remains the ranking Republican
member of the Labor Committee, the
proposed new bill will eliminate this
provision, Senator Smith predicts. SEN
ator Taft himself has proposed series
OF amendments to the act which bears
his name. He, like Senator Smith. is
intent upon presenting a revised bill
this year.
Chairman Smith has sought con-
stantly during recent months to bring
conflicting elements together on the
matter of labor law revision. He has
conferred personally with representa-
tlveS OF both organized labor and of
management. He has stressed the i'm
portance of having both sides and all
OF all. With the long history of con-
t1lcts in labor management relations,
the task has been a tough one. Sug-
gestions have been made that it would
be advisable to take the Federal Govern
ment out of the business of dealing with
labor-management disputes, and leave
the job to the States. Such a proposal,
however, has been opposed by the labor
unions on one side and management
on the other. Labor laws are not uni
form in the States. Neither side. ap-
psrently, wants to take a chance on
what the States might do.
Ever since the Taft-Hartley Act was
put through half dozen years ago, it
has been admitted by friends Of the act
that amendments were needed It's
opponents have demanded outright re-
peal of the law and return to the old
Wagner Labor Relations Act-which
gave the advantage to the unions, par
ticularly as it was administered by the
National Labor Relations Board. Re-
peal of the Taft-Harley law an
issue in the campaigns of 1948.
1850 and 1852. Former President
Truman, however, was unable to prevail
upon Congress to repeal the law. In
deed, his efforts got exactly nowhere.
From political angle, as we'll as
from the angle of better labor manage
ment relations, which is the more i'm
portant, it is up to the Republicans to
go forward with a sound revision Of
the act.