DALLAS RETAIL MERCHANTS ASSOCIATION, Senator TнOS. W. CONNALLY, Senate Office Building, Washington, D. C. DEAR SENATOR CONNALLY: The following resolution regarding the return of the Federal Government Employment Offices back to the States was adopted at a meeting of the board of directors of the Dallas Retail Merchants Association, held on Friday, February 8, 1946. Whereas the public employment services of the various States were loaned to the Federal Government in 1942 with the understanding that they would be returned as soon as the emergency was over; and Whereas the placement of unemployed individuals is a local problem; and is, therefore a State, not a national function; and Whereas the Congress has gone on record favoring the early return to State control; and Whereas the unified control at the State level of both unemployment benefit payments and employment services is necessary to efficient public administration and the continuance of the merit rating plan of financing the system; Now, therefore be it Resolved, That the Dallas Retail Merchants Association urges that State control of the public-employment services be reinstated at the earliest possible time through further congressional action; further be it Resolved, That a copy of this resolution be signed by our president and mailed to our representatives in Congress. FRED C. MARTH, President, Dallas Retail Merchants Association. DICTAPHONE CORP., Hon. JAMES E. MURRAY, Bridgeport 5, Conn., February 20, 1946. Chairman, Education and Labor Committee, DEAR SENATOR MURRAY: I hope you will use your influence to return the United States Employment Service to the States. I understand that the Ramspeck bill H. R. 4437 is now being considered and that this embodies the provision of the Dirksen bill. I hope that you will support this bill. Sincerely yours, Hon. HARRY F. BYRD, Senate Office Building, Washington, D. C. T. H. BEARD, Vice President. DIXIE FINISHING CO., INC., Emporia, Va., November 9, 1945. DEAR SIR: It appears from the newspapers that the return of the United States Employment Service to the States is imminent. We would appreciate you supporting Senate bill S. 1510 in this matter. As the service rendered us by the Employment Service during the past years has been very helpful and satisfactory, we would like to see it continue the same way. Very truly yours, Hon. HARRY F. BYRD, Senate Office Building, Washington, D. C. DIXIE FINISHING CO., INC., EMPORIA MANUFACTURING CO., DEAR SIR: It is immaterial to us whether the United States Employment Service is returned to the States or remains Federal. However, in case of its return to the States we would appreciate your supporting Senate bill S. 1510. Very truly yours, EMPORIA MANUFACTURING CO., By H. T. BLAKE. ILLINOIS MANUFACTURERS' ASSOCIATION. H. R. 4437 Returning Employment Services to States. Chairman, Educational and Labor Committee, Senate Office Building, Washington, D. C. DEAR SENATOR MURRAY: On behalf of the Illinois Manufacturers' Association, which embraces 4,000 firms-large, small, and middle-sized engaged in practically every type of production, we wish to express approval of the above-entitled legislation which is now pending consideration before your committee. We submit the following reasons in support of our recommendation for the return of the Employment Services to State control: 1. Efficient handling of unemployment requires that the same agency which dispenses unemployment compensation should also be responsible for assisting the unemployed to obtain jobs. 2. The State employment services were operated efficiently by the State before the war and were simply "loaned" to the Federal Government for the “duration." 3. The continued operation of the employment services by the Federal Government will make it more and more difficult as time goes on to have these services returned to the States. Continued Federal operation will eventually result in federalization of the entire unemployment compensation system with the loss of experience rating provisions in the State laws and the imposition of a flat rate of tax. 4. The employment services do not provide jobs; they provide the means through which employers who have a job to offer can communicate with the unemployed, and employers will cooperate with a State employment service operated in conjunction with the unemployment compensation system. 5. The continued operation of a wartime agency on a Federal basis has in it the possibilities of its being changed from a service organization in a free labor market to a police organization in a planned economy. 6. Up to September 30, 1945, over $1,056,000,000 was collected by the Federal Government under the 0.3 percent Federal unemployment tax and only a little over $440,000,000 was returned to the States for administration of the unemploy ment compensation systems, leaving a net income to the Federal Government of well over $615,000,000 which went into general revenue. 7. Job placement and counseling of veterans is primarily the problem of the community to which the veteran returns. Veterans will run into less red tape under State-operated employment services. 8. The States have worked out an efficient system of handling interstate claims for compensation and can cooperate in the same manner in making known job opportunities in other localities. We earnestly hope that the Senate Education and Labor Committee will report this legislation with a fovorable recommendation. Cordially yours, JAMES L. DONNELLY, Executive Vice President. INDUSTRIAL ASSOCIATION OF QUINCY, INC., Senator JAMES E. MURRAY, Senate Committee on Education and Labor, DEAR SENATOR MURRAY: The Industrial Association of Quincy would like to call your attention to Senate bill 1456 in view of the hidden dangers included in this broad proposal. Senate bill 1456 is designed not only to establish United States employment facilities, but, in our opinion, is a subterfuge. We notice specifically the following: 1. In spite of Senate and congressional decisions this act is intended to establish the Fair Employment Practices Commission, and travels under the misnomer of a Unted States Employment Service tag rather than its true name. It has been recognized that the principles of the Fair Employment Practices Committee are matters which cannot be legislated but which must be absorbed in given communities according to intellect and educational concepts of each community. 2. The United States Employment Service is restricted from serving the needs of a community in an elastic fashion because of barriers against referrals or skills. It is not always possible in a community to up-skill or up-grade individuals. The fortunes of our economy do not always permit a rising demand for jobs. 3. Additional complications and confusion are injected into the field of labormanagement relations by the provisions of this act which are already adequately covered in the Wagner Act and to the Federal legislation. 4. The United States Employment Service would be disbarred from referring persons to organizations who in their opinion did not meet certain standards of the community. We already have wage and hour inspectors, Department of Labor inspectors, and many other Government agencies passing on the conditions of employment, and certainly with the great percentage of persons in the United States Employment Service who are lacking in any industrial experience, such judgments on their part are not to be considered as expert in any sense of the word. We are fundamentally opposed to the establishment of more bureaucracies, more deep-seated Government intervention in the affairs of industry, and, furthermore, feel that any such service should be responsible to local authorities insofar as that is possible. We urge your committee to study the effect which this bill would have on our national economy. Such study, we are sure, will lead you to the conclusion that an act of this type would not benefit as much as it would harm the harmonious adjustment of community problems in the field of employment. Sincerely yours, C. H. MERIDETH, Executive Vice President. BRIDGEPORT, CONN., February 20,, 1946. Hon. JAMES E. MURRAY, Chairman, Senate Education and Labor Committee, Senate Office, Washington, D. C.: The official position of the undersigned association in reference to future status of employment services is that they should be returned to the States by June 30, 1946, and in accordance with the other Dirksen provisions of amended bill H. R. 4437. Hon. JAMES P. MURRAY, MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION, Executive Vice President. MONONGAHELA POWER Co. Fairmont, W. Va., March 15, 1946. Chairman, Senate Committee of Education and Labor, United States Senate, Washington, D. C. DEAR SENATOR MURRAY: The USES offices in our territory have been quite helpful and cooperative during the past years, and we are interested in assuring a continuance of the services being supplied. You have before your Committee on Education and Labor several bills relating to USES. One of these, H. R. 4437, provides that USES shall be returned to the various States by June 30, 1946, without restrictions or qualifications. Another bill before your committee, S. 1510, provides that USES should be returned to the States by June 30, 1947, and places quite a number of restrictions upon the return to the individual States. We believe the June 30, 1946, date contained in H. R. 4437 may well be too early a date, and we also believe that some restrictions should be provided to minimize the loss of experienced personnel when the various USES offices are turned back to the States. On the other hand, we feel the transfer date should not be delayed until June 1947, and that the restrictions placed upon the return to the States should not give the Federal Government such control over USES under State operation as would in effect eliminate State authority. In other words, we feel that the final bill which your committee should recommend should be some where between the extremes of H. R. 4437 and S. 1510, with as little Federal control over the State-operated USES as feasible. Very truly yours, A. C. SPURR. NORTHEAST PHILADELPHIA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, To the Chairman and Members of the Senate Committee The board of directors of the Northeast Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce at its regular meeting on Tuesday, March 5, 1946, authorized approval of H. R. 4437 returning administration of employment service to the individual States on the date of June 30, 1946, and authorized the Senate Committee on Education and Labor being advised of same. Yours very truly, FRANK T. WILSON, Executive Director. PIQUA, OHIO, March 20, 1946. Hon. JAMES E. MURRAY, Chairman, Senate Education and Labor Committee, United States Senate, Washington, D. C.: We urge your support S. 1510 as written and affirm petition circulated by business group headed by John J. Carson. We oppose return of USES to State control before January 1, 1947. Upon eventual return to State we request adequate safeguards be provided of personnel and operating standards with recapture clause for Federal operation upon States default. LABOR COMMITTEE, LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE, OHIO CANNERS ASSOCIATION. Hon. JAMES E. MURRAY, PEERLESS WOOLEN MILLS, Rossville, Ga., February 15, 1946. The United States Senate, Washington, D. C. DEAR SENATOR MURRAY: Bill H. R. 4437, as amended, providing for return of employment services to the States by June 30, 1946, scheduled for hearings before your committee next week, is essential to the interest of public welfare. United States Employment Services were "loaned" to the Federal Government for the duration of the war emergency. There is no longer any justification for keeping them under Federal control. Return of employment services to State operation will facilitate and speed up reconversion, provide more effective unemployment administration, enable more efficient operation at less expense. We, along with practically every other employer, feel it is in the best interest of all that these services be returned to the States at once and with no strings attached. We know that in our own case it would be much better to have these services operated by the States, where we feel they properly belong. Sincerely hope you share our viewpoint and will do everything you can to help get this legislation enacted. Yours very truly, Hon. JAMES E. MURRAY, Senate Office Building, Washington, D. C. PEERLESS WOOLEN MILLS, REYNOLDS WIRE Co., Dixon, Ill., February 5 1946. DEAR SENATO:: We note with satisfaction that the House of Representatives have rejected the proposal to continue Federal control of employment services. This was done by the passage of H. R. 4437. It is our feeling that the Senate should take the same action and return this employment service to the States where we believe it belongs now that the war is over. We hope that your influence will be exerted in favor of this House bill and we will appreciate your comments at your convenience. Yours very truly, REYNOLDS WIRE CO., L. G. MACDONALD, Vice President. Hon. JAMES E. MURRAY, Chairman. ROCKFORD NATIONAL FURNITURE CO., Senate Committee on Education and Labor, Washington, D. C. DEAR SIR: We wish to register our opposition to the continuation of Federal control of employment service. Primarily we are opposed to the continuation of any of the Federal controls taken over as wartime measures. In this instance State employment services were simply loaned to the Federal Government for the duration of the War and the longer the Federal Government retains control the more difficult it will be to have these State employment services returned to the various States. Retention of the control of employment service will result in the loss of experience-rating provisions in the State law. There is nothing that the Federal Government can do to provide more jobs through retaining this control and as the service is primarily a localized State service the control should be returned to the various States. Therefore, we register our opposition to Ramspeck bill, H. R. 4437, and ask you to vote and work against passage of this legislation. Yours respectfully, ROCKFORD NATIONAL FURNITURE Co., Hon. JAMES E. MURRAY, SMITH FROZEN FOODS, Lewiston, Idaho, March 8, 1946. Chairman, Senate Committee on Education and Labor, United States Senate, Washington, D. C. GENTLEMEN: During the past 4 years we American business employers have been immensely aided by the good offices of the United States Employment Service which we feel should be maintained. During the war the services were greatly improved to meet industries' unprecedented labor demands. Today these offices are more capable of providing better service to both employer and employee than at any previous time. Personally, I feel that to change any method or system would be playing with disaster. My own personal desire is that the United States Employment Service remain under Federal control, however if it is necessary that the USES is returned to the various States, it is imperative that a number of essential legislative provisions be maintained. First, on June 30, 1947, if it is necessary at all to return this operation to the States; second, adequate safeguard for the transfer of personnel to the States to prevent deterioration of services to employees and to employers because of loss of experienced personnel; third, subsequent personnel appointments under merit plans, for specific standards for programs of administrative efficiency; fourth, Federal responsibility to operate the employment office system in any State which defaults under the act in view of the fact that the Federal Government is assuming 100-percent financing of State operations. These provisions are all in Senate bill 1510, the Murray bill, and are not in H. R. 4437, the Dirksen bill, which passed the House on January 29. Permit me to urge you to support legislation as provided in Senate bill 1510 and to reject compromises which do not contain what I believe are minimum legislative provisions. Very truly yours, SMITH FROZEN FOODS, |