Show washington snapshots when congress convened in january political poetical poh observers thought they knew fairly well what UL the alt session would bring forth the wheels apparently had been well greased to turn out a number of new laws but now three months later virtually everything ery thing that was talked of then is forgotten or barely mentioned new issues are paramount the supreme court industrial strikes imperiling impe riling the entire economic system and the threat of inflation the supreme court tight fight apparently has settled down to a long drawn out test of strength the issues clearly drawn the labor situation is giving concern not only to washington officials but to almost every state official new legislation is being talked to meet the crisis caused by strikes and the ensuing breakdown of law enforcement out of washington has come several interviews usually with unnamed named officials speaking of legislation to give the president power to intervene where violent strikes and defiance of law menace the public welfare on a na tiong basis the national association of manufactures seeking to bring peaceful solutions of the destructive problem has proposed legislation similar to the railway plan under which strikes or lockouts would be halted while an investigating commission appointed by the president made a study of facts one of the most interesting phenomena of the whole situation is the apparent sudden recognition that the national labor relations board set up under the wagner act is ineffectual the defects in the legislation pointed out when it was before congress now stand forth so that laymen as well as experts can sec fcc them for instance under the act the board can act against coercion of employees by employers but the senate specifically voted down an amendment which would have outlawed coercion by one group of employees by another group one senator after another took the floor to point out that coercion and in intimidation timi dation of men who desire to work is wrong regardless of the source but the union lobby prevailed As a result the american federation of bactor which opposed any check upon intimidation by worker upon worker now finds that it has no recourse against the activities of the CIO where a few hundred men disrupt entire plants another defect in the act cited when it was before congress was that the board was given authority to act only on the initiative of employee groups but not upon the instance of employers As a result in the general motors strike where the CIO admittedly did not have a majority of the work workers the union leaders made no move to ask an election held by the board to determine representation sen tation but when the chrysler strike came along and the C 1 I 0 believed it had a majority it began soliciting intervention by the board As these developments move fo forward arward it becomes more and more certain that the unions are forcing action that will compel them to accept responsibility for their acts that if they are to have power they must accept corresponding curbs upon their power as does every other group within the country |