ONLY UNION-INDUSTRY CONFAB CAN BRING FAIR LABOR LAW
Stark, Louis
Only Union-Industry Confab Can Bring Fair Labor Law InEditorial— Whose Mandate? If POLITICAL DEMOCRACY means anything, , the people should get what they vote for. In the election list...
...We'll make this an issue in 1950 and in 1952," they say...
...Now, after six months, so far as the President's domestic program is contented, not one thing has happened...
...A parallel in labor history may be in order...
...Out of this came the railway labor act of 1920, a law not written by Congress but by the proponents themselves...
...Aa a result of this pejorative punchy, the politicians—six months after >ft election—are starting to forecast the next one, without worrying about a record of constructive achievement to *>i*f before the voters...
...It is also well to remember that the situation holds real danger for* labor because it is also possible that while the Taft-Hartcy Act may be modified, something close to the Wood bill may take its place...
...Just as high Administration leaders in the House failed to coordinate their strategy with the rank and file, so did the chiefs in the two labor federations fail in the same direction...
...In essence that was what the spectacle in the House came to last week when members popped up offering amendments one a minute, with obviously no time for their colleagues to consider the meaning of the proposals...
...Such an idea has been gaining fh strength ever since CIO-PAC and Labor's League for Political Education were formed...
...After six months of sustained selfhypnosis, the Lippmans, Lawrences, and Sullivans have Anally succeeded in per•"•"ding themselves that the President's *jctyry faad no meaning, that the voters <Hdn't know what they wanted, that j WptkHcs were for prosperity but not 1 *)piftke administration that had brought about the prosperity—in short, why not f?rget about the whole thing...
...Not since the pre-Civil Par period have so many Americans ready to consider overhauling ¦ther the party system or the Constitution itlelf...
...Thcue was no answer to the question...
...Those who sabotage small pforms run the danger of opening the ¦?or to larger ones...
...But unfortunately that was not enough to satisfy the House majority...
...As far back as two months ago in the Senate Labor and Public Welfare Committee, by a partisan vote, it was decided to report the Adminstration (Thomas) bill to the Senate without discussing amendments in committee...
...a labor relations statute must be passed which, like the Wagner Act itself, must emphasize the need to encourage collective bargaining...
...On both sides there is still a good deal of bitterness that might unfortunately work itself out in "punitive" legislation...
...Congress looked at it, found it eminently fair and passed it * * * IN THE PRESENT STATE of tension on both sides it is probably too much to expect that the 1926 experience may be repeated in exact form...
...To some Democrats it was apparent that this was an unrealistic policy...
...In the election list November, President Truman ran Mi a definite platform and won a decisive victory...
...He advocated a civil rights program, a new labor law, expansion of social security, river devel opment...
...But voters wUl not always remain 'matrated...
...But it is not too much to hope that Secretary of Labor Maurice J.JTobin, a key figure "In Washington, or anyone else acceptable to the Administration and labor, may act as a catalyst and bring the isolated labor-industry elements together...
...Never was a mandate given by voters more unmistakable than the one aaarteit down last November...
...This was what labor wanted, too...
...AS TO THE FIRST: The advice of some sensible, imaginative Democratic members of both labor committees, in Senate and House, was discarded by Administration supporters...
...Those which shift emphasis on "rights" and lead to legal hair-spitting will not help make peace in mine, mill and factory...
...They begged their leaders for an answer to the question which every House member was asking (and I speak now only of those sympathetic to labor): "What amendments will labor stand for...
...Then too, the earlier soundings of some of these agents, which proved to be correct in the end, were ignored when they were first disclosed...
...But the Administration was committed t> repeal of.the Taft-Hartley Act and reenactment of the Wagner Act "with improvements...
...The Administration bill cannot pass as written...
...D. C. POST-MORTEMS ARE USUALLY FUTILE AFFAIRS unless the soulsearching leads somewhere, to a correction of errors and a straightening of the line...
...Meanwhile, the editorial experts for mu- great daily papers, who distinguished themselves last fall by beini> unanimously wrong about the election, have abandoned their ten-minute show of humility...
...INSTEAD THE ADMINISTRATION...
...There may be some in labor who are not too exercised over the turn of affairs on the labor relations bill...
...Any changes which encourage collective bargaining are all to the good...
...It is well to recognize the situation as it is, that a fair law may still be worked out...
...The longer they are put the more decisively they will go 0 bat when they get round to it...
...Both AFL and CIO hove top legislative committees, but they were not ' called together frequently enough and when they were, explicit directives were not availabe to them...
...This may perhaps be the last chance for some time to work out a harmonious labor relations law that will take account of the lessons learned from the Wagner Act but not go so far at the Taft-Hartley Act...
...Later the same thing happened in the House Labor Committee...
...The switch of one vejtc would probably send the Wood bill right back to the House again, an event that should not "be contemplated by labor with equanimity...
...The answer to these questions are to be found in two quarters: (1) in the Administration and its supporters on the labor committees of Congress, and (2) in the labor leadership responsible for handling labor relations legislation...
...They speak for themselves...
...THE LESSON8 from this experience need not be labored...
...Not only was the President— tpeaking vigorously for these proposals —given a whooping majority, but the , Congressional candidates advocating jhjgm most feverently got the largest votes...
...Legislative agents, with their noses to the ground and close to House sentiment, pleaded for guidance...
...Undoubtedly the close votes on the Wood and Sima bill haa stimulated talk about need for a new political party...
...In fact, so late did any answer come that a high AFL legislative agent was giving orders to oppose the Sims bill two hours after it was evident that this was the only measure that had a chance of enactment...
...Prior to 1926 the railroad industry presented a "cat and dog" spectacle in labor-management relations...
...AS TO THE SECOND POINT labor leadership...
...How could a Republican-written measure sponsored by a Democrat (Wood) come so near passage...
...The best way to handle this situation would have been for the Administration and labor (and industry, if you please) to sit down to work out possible changes...
...Unfortunately, in both the American Federation of Labor and the Congress of Industrial Organizations the footsore, conscientious legislative agents acted without adequate direction from the top...
...But certainly some points would have been found acceptable, others clarified, and then in reporting to Senate and House it would have been possible to say that certain areas had been cleared, leaving the contentious points to the members themselves...
...Why were not our forces alert enough to put over the Sims bill and modify the injunction feature, the only unacceptable section...
...During this breathing spell—for that is all it is—labor is probably asking itself: "Why could we not pass the Administration (Lesinski) labor bill...
...But even the bipartisan housing bill—meager as it is— has ttot been finally passed...
...There have been filibusters, maneuvers, hicks, log-rolling...
...The difficulty, of course, stems from lack of coordination by the top AFL and CIO echelons and prompt decisions transmitted down to ell levels of the hierarchy...
...BUT IT WOULD BE UNWISE to throw up the sponge just now...
...A bill written on the floor is usually a wretched measure because it is considered too hastily or not at all...
...Unless they do so, they may get a Wood bill or the Taft-Hartley law may remain on the books...
...Three Democrats may go over to the minority, leaving Administration control hanging on a single vote...
...repeated in principle the attitude they displayed when the Taft-Hartley Act was up two years ago and labor declined to v make any suggestions for amending the Wagner Act...
...Administration, Union Leaders Must Co-ordinate to Beat T-H By Louis Stark Pulitzer Pri-.e-Winning New York Times Correspondent WASHINGTON...
...Labor has many lessons to learn from the near-debacle that led straight to the Republican-Southern Democrat sponsored Wood bill, its recommittal to committee, and the split in labor which resulted in failure to pass the far less stringent Sims bill...
...Bo long as either side desires "punitive" legislation, the nation will have on its books a law that is hated by one or the other, one which will not be conducive to amiable labor-management relations...
...And ¦ he more deeply they are irritated by ' 'slaver and postponement, the more jerioua consideration will they give to #Wic reforms...
...Its progenitors can but be encouraged by recent events, even though they may not yet be in a position to forecast the) exact day and hour when the new party may nourish...
...That would be too close for comfort...
...This danger stems from the possibility that the Administration may lose control of the House labor committee, even though it has 16 supporters compared with 9 Republicans...
...Further development of • the idea lies in the lap of time...
...To industry* it must be made clear that a labor relations law, to be equitable, must not be one like the Taft-Hartley Act, whose policy emphasizes the "rights" of the parties, for in that direction lies the temptation, "to go to law," not to conference...
...Not a complete agreement, to be sure...
...high and telling the President what to d«£-not in the name of big business, to be sure, but in the name of "the I people" (presumably the people who '• didn'f vote last November...
...Not quite, perhaps, for labor was willing to stand for four changes along the lines proposed in speeches by President Truman...
...Some of the wiser heads on both sides who saw that the current laws were not working wjell proposed a joint meeting of the parties...
...But, it may argued, they would have reached no agreement...
...In sum, top labor strategy fell short and the perspiring "rank and file" legisative agents who are on close terms with members of Congress ware let down...
...It was clear that by such a course of conduct it would be certain that the new labor bill would be written on the floor of both houses...
...Both the Administration and labor now have time to decide upon policy and to coordinate their plans...
...Once again they are ridinu...
...its supporters and labor, relying almost solely on the November "mandate...
...The top 'brass" responsible for policy made a "bold" stand, opposing "compromise" when it was apparent that compromise was required...
...In the labor committees of both houses it was clear that some amendments to the Administration bill would have to be accepted...
Vol. 32 • May 1949 • No. 20
