Evening star., 1954-01-12
President Plan
For Strike Votes
Stirs Controversy
tContinued From First Page.)

NNOk1Gk41uCO + OLI1 r III Ot Z dkC,J
that perhaps the official elec-
ton machinery of the country
might be used. But he adj
mitted that would pose many
problems and great expense.
An officer of a big trade aSso-
citation said his organization had
urged Congress to require strike
votes. but he added I'VE didn't
expect they would go so far as
to recommend that the Govern
ment conduct them"
Weeks Made Proposal.
The proposal for the voting,
1t was learned, was made by
Secretary of Commerce Weeks.
Apparently it was put in the
program with the idea that it
would Offset other proposals..
most Of which are regarded as
favorable to the unions.
Most unions now require bal
loting when strike action is con-
templated. They feel a whopping
big vote for a strike strengthens
their hand in bargaining with
employers. A notable exception
is John L. Lewis United Mine
Workers. The action there is
up to the UNIV 200-man Policy
Committee.
The War Labor Disputes
(Smith-C Connally) Act required
prestrike balloting, conducted
by the NLRB, before there could
be a strike at a war plant, or
one connected with the war ef-
fort. In 2l2 years. about 2,100
different votes were held among
nearly 3 million workers. In all
but 800 cases the workers voted
for a strike and that was in
wartime.
CIO President Walter P. Reu-
ther said the Presidents mes
sage while containing a few
ameliorating recommendations.
in toto does not change the anti
labor character" of Taft Hartley.
He said the strike vote proposal
adds to the anti-labor arsenal
provided by the law"
Gray Dissatisfied.
AFL President George Meany
could not be reached immedi-
ately for comment, but other
AFL officials expressed dissatis-
faction with the labor message.
Richard j. Gray, head of the
AFL's building trades council
and an Eisenhower supporter in
the last election, said THE Pres
ident's recommendations do not
in my opinion meet the very
minimum requirements necessary
to permit normal collective bar
gaining in the building and con-
struction industry"
And the blunt Mr.. Lewis COM
mented that "a few piddling
amendments won't make a slave
law Taft-Hartley) palatable to
free-born citizens"
Republicans generally ap-
plauded the Presidents program
and some Democrats were quick
to criticize it. 1t brought high
praise from both Senator Smith
and Mr.. Mcconnell, both of
whom promised early action and
predicted there was a good
chance of getting most of the
program through Congress.
The Republican majority of
the Senate committee moved to
dispense with hearings and to
bring the Eisenhower program to
an early vote in the committee.
Senator Smith said lengthy
hearings last year fully covered
the issues involved.
But committee Democrats. led
by Senator Murray of Montana.
charged Republican speed-up
strategy amounted to dictator
ial and steam -roller tactics"
Senator Murray. senior Demo-
crat on the committee, said that
Secretary Mitchell should be
called to explain the recommen-
dations. If the Republicans re-
fuse to do this, Senator Murray
contended, it would mean they
are trying to ram this down our
throats"
Senator Murray said the Presi-
dent failed to go far enough to-
ward easing restrictions on labor
and he described the strike vote
idea as particularly vicious"