Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-07-24

lating union affairs.
Sentiment apparently is
strong in the House for amend
ments TO tougher the commit
tee bill during floor debate,
likely to start in two or three
weeks.
Stiff Bill Unveiled
Representatives Landrum,
Democrat of Georgia and Grif-
fin. Republican of Michigan,
today unveiled the stringent
substitute bill they intend to
push. Other members of the
committee also indicated their
intention to stitfen the COM
mittee bill through floor
amendments.
Mr.. Griffin told a press con-
ference he discussed the bill
with officials at the White
House and the Labor Depart
ment, and indicated he hopes
the Eisenhower administration
will support it.
He and Mr.. Landrum main
tanned their bill would not
hurt legitimate unions, but
several of their proposals run
counter to policies of organized
labor.
Mr.. Landrum called the
committee bill nothing more
than a sedative" which would
not correct corrupt conditions.
The sponsors said their bill
would be stronger than the
measure passed by the Senate
last April.
Among other things. the
Landrum Griffin bill would
slap criminal penalties on I'M
ion officials violating members
rights; tighten restrictions
against organizational picket
ing; prohibit all secondary
boycotts, no just those in the
trucking industry; allow States
to handle labor cases when the
National Labor Relations
Board declines Jurisdiction:
and limit the right of strikers
to vote in union representation
elections.
Not Acceptable to Meany
AFL-CIO President George
Meany denounced even the
committees bill as "anti-labor"
and called it unacceptable"
He urged the House to amend
Objectionable provisions and
shape "a bill which would get
the crooks and not damage
legitimate unions"
The United States Chamber
of Commerce assailed the COM
mittee bill as sell-out to union
officials of the "Hoffa-type."
Despite labor'S complaints
about the bill, the Chamber
contended the bill would give
union leaders virtually all of
what they wanted"
The committee bill, the
chamber charged, was tail
ored to help racketeerS"
After complaining about lob
bying by unions, the chamber
called for strong back-home
support" for efforts to tighten
the bill when it reaches the
House floor.
While no one at the ALL
CLIO would admit it, there was
a possibility that Mr.. Meany
Intentionally overStated his
objections to the committee
bill. He undoubtedly wants the
House to tone the bill down.
But he may also believe that
strong demands for pro-labor
am en- d m ents will improve
chances for holding the line
against reviSionS he considers
anti-labor. There is an ele-
ment of collective bargaining
in maneuvering on both sides
of the reform issue.
Wins Test, 1914
The bill squeaked through
the committee, 1914, with the
help of a tough-bill faction.
Representative Ayres. Repub-
lican of Ohio, explained that
he and other Republicans voted
to clear the bill only to give
the House a framework for
amendments. If the commit
tee had rejected the moderate
bill, he said, no labor legisla-
ton would have reached the |
House floor and reform would
have been "a dead duck"
Committee Chairman Bar
den, Democrat of North Caro-
lima, expressed similar views.
He voted to clear the bill but
refused to sponsor it, as would
be customary. The committee
agreed to have Representative
Elliott, Democrat of Alabama,
sponsor the bill.
Ten Democrats and six Re-
publicans voted for the COM
mittee bill. They were opposed
by 10 Democrats and four Re-
publicanS - a combination of
those who backed Mr.. Meany
and a few who demanded a
tighter bill.
Compromise Defended
Five Democrats -callin g
themselves the committees
middle group"-defended the
compromise bill without apol-
ogy. Representatives Elliott.
Green of oregon, O'Hara of
Michigan, Thompson of New
Jersey and Udall of Arizona
eaid the bill steers a sound
course in correcting abuses and
guaranteeing new rights to in
dividual union members on the
one hand while protecting the
legitimate operations Of labor
unions on the other"
Mr.. Meany objected, in part,
that the committees attempt
to guarantee the rights of
union members could disrupt
legitimate union activities;
that rnnIIireYneI1tc for financial