TO BE SECRETARY OF LABOR 64361 HEARING BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN FEB 3 1961 MAIN LABOR AND PUBLIC WELFARE UNITED STATES SENATE EIGHTY-SEVENTH CONGRESS FIRST SESSION ON NOMINATION OF ARTHUR J. GOLDBERG TO BE SECRETARY OF LABOR JANUARY 13, 1961 Printed for the use of the Committee on Labor and Public Welfare U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE WASHINGTON: 1961 ED STATES OF AMERICA NOMINATION OF ARTHUR J. GOLDBERG TO BE SECRETARY OF LABOR FRIDAY, JANUARY 13, 1961 U.S. SENATE, COMMITTEE ON LABOR AND PUBLIC WELFARE, Washington, D.C. The committee met, at 10:30 a.m., pursuant to notice, in room 4232, New Senate Office Building, Hon. Lister Hill (chairman of the committee) presiding. Present: Senators Hill, McNamara, Yarborough, Clark, Randolph, Burdick, Smith of Massachusetts, Pell, Goldwater, Dirksen, Case of New Jersey, Javits, and Prouty. Committee staff members present: Stewart E. McClure, chief clerk; John S. Forsythe, general counsel; Frederick R. Blackwell, Samuel V. Merrick, and Edward Friedman, associate counsels; Michael Bernstein, minority counsel; Raymond Hurley and John Stringer, associate minority counsels. The CHAIRMAN. The committee will kindly come to order. We regret this delay in starting our proceedings this morning, but I must say that there are a number of other committees having important meetings which make it impossible for some of our members to be here. Mr. Goldberg, we are very happy to welcome you here this morning. We shall be delighted to have you make any statement now that you might see fit in reference to your qualifications to be Secretary of Labor. STATEMENT OF HON. ARTHUR J. GOLDBERG, SECRETARY OF LABOR-DESIGNATE Mr. GOLDBERG. Mr. Chairman, and members of the committee, although I am not a stranger before this committee, I think it appropriate that I make a few remarks concerning my biography and background and a few of my views as I embark upon this new assignment with which Senator Kennedy has honored me. My name is Arthur J. Goldberg. I have been invited to appear before this committee because I have been designated by Presidentelect Kennedy as the Secretary of Labor in the forthcoming administration. I was born in Chicago, Ill., in 1908. I was educated in the public schools of Chicago, including the junior college established by the city of Chicago and received by bachelor's degree, a B.S.L., and a law degree of juris doctor from Northwestern University. I was admitted to practice in Illinois in 1929. I have discovere to my regret, should I say, that I am the second oldest man in the Cabinet designated by the President-elect. Of part tent of economy particula In bot nation o I am a member of the Bar of the State of Illinois, as well as of the Bar of the District of Columbia, and the U.S. Supreme Court. I married then Miss Dorothy Kurgans on July 18, 1931, and have two children, Barbara, who is a graduate student at the Unive in the C sity of Chicago, and Robert, who is a sophomore at Amherst College I practiced law in the city of Chicago until 1948, with the exceptic of the war years during which I served as a major in the U.S. Am assigned to the Office of Strategic Services. Laber Walsh Labor th of Labo In 1948 I came to Washington where I have served as gener counsel of the CIO while the CIO was in existence before the merge I wis and of the United Steelworkers of America. forcem Since the merger of the AFL and CIO, I have served as specarously counsel to the AFL-CIO as well as general counsel to the Industr and co Union Department of the AFL-CIO and the Steelworkers Union. I have been the senior partner in the Washington law firm of Gowa berg, Feller & Bredhoff, which has represented various labor organite zations, as well as in the Chicago firm of Goldberg, Devoe, Shad & Mikva. to have Effective January 1, 1961, I have resigned as special counsel The the AFL-CIO, as general counsel to the Steelworkers Union, and Sen the AFL-CIO Industrial Union Department, and I have terminate be mu my connection with both law firms. These resignations are firm and final. I have also resigned from the various foundations and boards e which I have served. hold no positions in any organizations except one. As of the moment, I have no connection with any law firm, and he mi spons If resigned my position as a member of the Board of Overseers of th Following what I believe to be an illustrious precedent, I have Amos Tuck School of Business Administration of Dartmouth College tions of the Department of Labor and the manner in which I propos & I have already stated in public my view with respect to the fune if confirmed, to fulfill my responsibilities as Secretary upon confirmation. My view, briefly stated, is that our society is not a class societ and the Department of Labor is not and should not be a clas department. States. T me The Department of Labor is charged by statute with the respo sibility of promoting the welfare of the wage earners of the Unite but in so doing I do not believe the Department should be regarde As Secretary, I will attempt fully to implement that polic as the representative of any special interest group but as a Departa ment representing all sections and interests in our society. It is my firm belief that although each department of governmen necessarily must place special emphasis on the sphere of activit promote the welfare of all Americans and not any special grou If I am confirmed as Secretary of Labor, I intend to administer the Department in accordance with that belief. or class. Of particular concern to me, if I am confirmed, will be the improveaent of labor-management relations and the growth of the American conomy. Both of these areas I believe to be vitally important and of articular concern to the Department of Labor. In both areas I propose to act as the representative in this adminisration of the public interest as I am sure all of my future colleagues 1 the Cabinet likewise feel obligated and committed to do. The Congress of the United States has given to the Secretary of abor the responsibility of administration and enforcement of various aws. These include not only the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Valsh-Healey Act, the Davis-Bacon Act, and others, but also the abor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act of 1959. I wish to make perfectly clear that if I am confirmed as Secretary f Labor I shall do everything in my power to enforce these laws vigrously, fairly, and without fear or favor, and in the spirit of humanity nd commonsense which I believe should characterize all law enorcement. I want to thank you, Mr. Chairman, and the members of this comnittee, for the opportunity you have given me to express these views, and I, of course, am anxious to answer any questions which you may ave. The CHAIRMAN. Thank you, Mr. Goldberg. Senator Goldwater has another very important committee at which e must be present at 11 o'clock, so, if there is no objection, I am oing to ask Senator Goldwater to proceed with any questions which e might wish to ask. Senator GOLDWATER. Mr. Chairman, I would like to say my responsibilities at the other committee are only those of introducing my onstituent, Mr. Udall, who is going to be Secretary of Interior. That vill not take very long. If other members of the committee have questions, I might go to 1. My questions are not numerous, but I do not know how long we vill be in discussing them. The CHAIRMAN. I thought you might get started. Senator GOLDWATER. I might do that. The CHAIRMAN. With great respect to the other committee, they night not start on time just as this committee did not start on time his morning, due to the fact that there are so many committee meetngs simultaneously. Senator GOLDWATER. All right, Mr. Chairman. First, I want to say that Arthur Goldberg is probably Senator Kennedy's most outstanding choice of a Cabinet member. We know that Arthur and I do not agree all the time, but we disagree in a gentlenanly way, and I have very high respect for your technical knowledge ind for the devotion to your country that you have exhibited in this statement. I congratulate you for it. Mr. GOLDBERG. Thank you. Senator GOLDWATER. The questions I have are merely perfunctory ones which I as a member of the minority party would feel remiss in my duties if I did not ask, in order to have the record clear. Mr. Goldberg, the Democratic platform declares: The right to a job requires action to break down artificial and arbitrary barriers to employment based on age, race, sex, religion, or national origin. |