To Rehabilitate and Stabilize Labor Conditions in the Textile Industry of the United States

The subcommittee this day met at 10:30 a. m., in the caucus room, House Office Building, Hon. Kent E. Keller (chairman) presiding. (The committee had under consideration H. R. 9072, which is as follows:)

[H. R. 9072, 74th Cong., 1st sess.]

A BILL Torehabilitate and stabilize labor conditions in the textile industry of the United States; to prevent unemployment, to regulate child labor, and to provide minimum wages, maximum hours, and other conditions of employment in said industry; to safeguard and promote the general welfare; and for other purposes

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

FINDINGS AND POLICY

SECTION 1. (a) The Congress of the United States as a matter of legislative determination hereby finds the following facts:

(1) The production of textile products in the United States and their distribution throughout the United States and foreign countries is affected with a national public interest.

(2) The flow of raw cotton, wool, silk, and other raw materials and supplies from certain States and from foreign countries to textile mills located primarily in the eastern seaboard and Southern States, the manufacture of such materials into various textile products, and the sale, transportation, and distribution of such textile products throughout all the States of the United States and numerous foreign countries constitute a continuous stream or current of commerce among the several States and between the States and foreign countries.

(3) In recent years this flow of interstate and foreign commerce in textile products has substantially declined in value and amount, has been subject to severe price instability, has been diverted in large quantities from certain States to other States and from certain mills to other mills by reason of unfair competition in wage rates and other conditions of employment, has been interrupted and greatly burdened by strikes and other forms of industrial unrest, and has otherwise been disorganized and depressed.

(4) Such effects upon interstate and foreign commerce in textile products have been caused directly and primarily by the instability of wage rates and other labor costs in the production of said products, by excessive competition in lowering such wage rates and other labor costs, by over-expansion and excess capacity of the productive equipment in the industry, and by denial of the rights of employees to organize and bargain collectively.

(5) Interstate and foreign commerce in textile products will be substantially and directly fostered, protected, regulated, stabilized, and otherwise promoted, and its flow directed, by the establishment of minimum wages, maximum hours, and other conditions of employment in mills whose products flow in such commerce, by control of excess production in such mills, and by the guarantee of the right of employees in such mills to organize and bargain collectively.

(6) (a) The production of textile products which flow in interstate and foreign commerce is frequently so intermingled and connected with and related to the production of similar products which do not themselves flow in such commerce that regulation of the former products cannot be rendered effective without regulation also of the latter products. Furthermore, regulation of textile products which flow in interstate and foreign commerce in numerous instances places such products at a serious competitive disadvantage with textile products which do not flow in such commerce, and thus directly and substantially affects, burdens, reduces, and otherwise obstructs the flow of textile products in interstate and foreign commerce, unless the same regulations are imposed upon textile products which do not themselves flow in such commerce as upon products which do flow directly in such commerce.

(b) It is hereby declared to be the policy of the United States, and among the purposes of this Act, to foster, protect, advance, and regulate the stream of commerce among the States and with foreign countries by the establishment of minimum wages, and maximum hours, by the regulation of child labor, work assignments, and other working conditions, by guaranteeing the right of employees to organize and bargain collectively, by the control of excess production, and by other means set forth in this Act.

SEC. 2. (a) The Congress of the United States as a matter of legislative determination hereby finds the following facts:

(1) Under present unregulated conditions, wages below a decent standard of health and comfort, excessive hours, child labor, overburdensome work assignments, other unhealthy and demoralizing conditions of work, the denial of the right of self-organization and collective bargaining, and excess production prevail in the textile industry, cause wide-spread unemployment and heavy financial expense to the Government of the United States, and constitute a menace to the health, safety, morals, welfare, and comfort of the citizens of the United States. (2) Competitive conditions in commerce among the States in textile products prevent effective correction of such evils through local or State regulation and make necessary for their correction the exercise of the powers vested in the Congress of the United States.

(b) It is hereby declared that the existence of the evils in the textile industry as set forth in sections 1 and 2 of this Act is contrary to the public interest and to the policy of Congress, that it is the policy of Congress to remove these evils by this Act, and that it is among the purposes of this Act

(1) to deny the use of the channels of interstate commerce for the perpetuation and accentuation of such evils; and

(2) to deny the use of the mails, the benefits of Government purchases, contracts, loans, and grants, and the privilege of registration of securities to any person producing textile products under said conditions or contrary to the standards set forth in this Act.

SEC. 3. As used herein

DEFINITIONS

(1) The term "textile industry" shall include, but without limitation(A) The manufacture or manufacture and sale of the following products, whether composed of cotton, wool, silk, rayon, hair, jute, or any other artificial or natural fiber, or combination thereof:

(a) Woven or knitted fabrics in the piece;

(b) Yarn, thread, twin, cord, cordage, or similar products;

(d) Felt, felt products, batts, pads, wadding, welts, bindings, or similar products;

(e) Surgical dressings, sanitary napkins, or similar products;

(f) Lace, lace curtains, trimmings, braids and braided fabrics; woven,

knitted, or braided elastic fabrics; bias tape or similar products;

(g) Pyroxylin coated leather cloth and lacquered fabrics, window-shade cloth, book cloth, impregnated fabrics for book binding, table oilcloth, or similar products;

(h) Hosiery and similar products;

(i) Knitted outerwear or underwear apparel or similar products;

(j) Any other textile product.

(B) The sorting, dyeing, bleaching, mercerizing, weighting, printing, finishing, throwing, or other processing of any of the foregoing fibers or products: Provided, That it shall not include the ginning of cotton.

(2) The term "textile product" sball include any product of the textile industry.

« Înapoi Continuă »

Cărți

To Rehabilitate and Stabilize Labor Conditions in the Textile Industry of ...