00:00:01.340 - 00:00:23.560

One of the real challenges facing this session of the Congress is whether or not we will be able to pass any meaningful labor legislation. Most of the people in Florida wants some kind of labour legislation this year. The young man that has done most to help us meet this challenge is the able senator from Massachusetts, our friend Jack Kennedy.

00:00:24.240 - 00:00:39.740

Jack, I'm delighted to have you on this program, and I've already talked about the fact that you were the author of the Kennedy Irwin Bill which has passed the Senate, and the question I want to ask you now, Do you think we will be able to pass the labour legislation this year?

00:00:39.750 - 00:01:02.560

Yes. I'm confident that the House of Representatives is going to take action in this field in the next few days. I think that any deal that passes that Congress should include at least five basic provisions one a public reporting and safeguard for all union expenditures with making it a federal crime to embezzle union funds, making it a crime to destroy union books and make false center.

00:01:03.440 - 00:01:32.080

Secondly, a provision for secret elections, democratic procedures and protection of the democratic rights. Yeah, third prohibitions against employer payoffs where an employer may pay off a union leader in order to sell out the right working men and women in a company. And then, fourthly, there should be a limitation of trustee ships by which the international seizes control of a local union and therefore destroys the rights of the members in the local and fifth, a prohibition against felons.

00:01:32.090 - 00:01:56.680

As Union office characterized, some degree too profit. Now you can pass a bill, which is going to say Jimmy Harper will cease to be the leader of the teams. You can pass a bill which will protect the rights of the members and the general public. And if the union members themselves an honest businessman and the public at large will meet their responsibilities, such a bill would be a great step forward.

00:01:56.690 - 00:02:15.060

Do you think this House bill that has thus far been discussed? Do you think that is as strong a bill as the bill that we've passed in the Senate? Yes, I do, because it does have all of these provisions. In addition, it keeps the provision in the bill, which you placed in on the Senate floor, the so called prohibition against hot cargo.

00:02:15.440 - 00:02:31.910

Hot cargo doctrine is a complicated provider, but it's one of the techniques by which the Teamsters dominate the trucking. And then any time they want to put an employer or his employees out of business, they pretty nearly they can enforce what they call the hot cargo.

00:02:31.910 - 00:02:54.650

Now you offered an amendment with appropriate penalties that has been kept in the House bill. I think that, most important, do you believe that Jimmy Harper, in fact, tends to form a large transport workers union where he not only has the Teamsters and the truckers, but the airlines, the railroads and the Merchant Marine and all the rest?

00:02:55.040 - 00:03:09.570

Is that his ambition? Well, I think he would like to dominate everything that moves in this country. I don't think the railway unions are going to join him. They've been very opposed to him, but he has formed an alliance with Harry Bridges on the That's the longshoremen on the West Coast.

00:03:09.570 - 00:03:28.440

He wants to form a close alliance with the longshoremen on the East Coast, and therefore he hopes someday to provide that when you're the hospital which takes your mother to the ambulance when you're born, the hearse which takes you to be buried and all everything you get in life will be under the control of Jimmy Hoffa.

00:03:28.440 - 00:03:43.760

That's against the Nash. And I therefore think it essential that this session of the Congress not go home, not adjourn until we passed a worthwhile bill. And I know George from the work that you did on the fall when this was before the Senate that you hold the same view right now.

00:03:43.760 - 00:04:01.030

You've traveled practically in every state in the country here in the last few months. What do you find people are talking about with respect to this type of legislation? And I think they want to build out that's going to liquidate trade unions. And I'm against that and I've been on the Labor Committee of the Congress is for 13 years.

00:04:01.030 - 00:04:21.350

I think they want a bill which will provide protection for the public and union members. And I think they agree that Jimmy Hoffa and the work that he is doing and this group of racketeers that he surrounded himself with, and I say that as a member of the McClellan Committee since its inception, that they are against the public interest and against the interests of the ordinary member of the Teamsters union.

00:04:21.740 - 00:04:37.780

They dominate and control the use of illegal methods and many. But that's what we want to try to do something about the legislation which were considering because of the wonderful job that you and the rackets committee has done in exposing some of the racketeers and Jimmy Hoffa's union.

00:04:37.780 - 00:04:51.930

Do you have any fear that he's going to take some Reprisals against? You know, he's announced that he's going to put up a list of those that he's going to be against next year and in the future, I think you're going to be in the list and I'm going to be on it, definitely, he denounced.

00:04:51.930 - 00:05:06.450

I'm proud to be on that list because I think it's divide. It's a badge of honor in many respects. Thank you very much for Senator Kennedy for these comments and thank you very much, ladies and gentlemen, for looking and listening. And I hope you're looking again at this same