United States · United States Congress · 18 January 1973
Provides a State is not precluded in the case of labor disputes involving a railroad industry primarily engaged in intrastate operations from invoking its own procedure and remedies for the settlement of such a labor dispute. (Adds 45 U.S.C. 165)
United States · United States Congress · 6 January 1973
Authorizes changes in the Navy F-14 aircraft contract as may be agreed upon by the Navy and the primary contractor in order to increase the ceiling price on the Lot V option for the F-14 aircraft to an amount equal to the cost of producing such aircraft without profit or loss to the primary airframe contractor. Authorizes the appropriation of $570,100,000 for use by the Navy in fiscal year 1973 for procurement of the F-14 aircraft pursuant to any such change as authorized by this Act.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1973
Emergency Public Interest Protection Act Title I: Amendments to the Labor-Management Relations Act Relating to Emergency Disputes in the Transportation Industry - Makes the national emergency provisions of the Labor-Management Relations Act applicable to all transportation industries by repealing the emergency procedures of the Railway Labor Act. Empowers the President to use, in addition to the basic emergency dispute provisions of the Labor-Management Relations Act, one of three new options for dealing with national emergency disputes in the transportation industries. Provides that these optional procedures could be used if a transportation national emergency dispute was still unresolved after the 80-day cooling-off period provided in the Labor-Management Relations Act. Directs that the basic 80-day injunction would have to be issued by a three judge court in the case of national emergency disputes in the transportation industries. Empowers the President to choose any one of these new procedures, but if the one chosen does not result in the resolution of the dispute, the provisions in current law for a report to the Congress would remain in effect. Authorizes the President to extend the cooling-off period, with continued bargaining between the parties, for a period of up to thirty days. Permits arranging for operation of only an essential part of the industry or by requiring production or service only to a critical class of customers. Authorizes the President to appoint a special board and to direct them to review the feasibility of partial operations. Permits any party or any member of the board to present to the board a plan defining the stike or lockout action that would be consistent with the public interest. Authorizes the board, after appropriate hearing in which the Government would be a party to protect the public interest, to adopt or modify the plan. Provides that before approving the plan the board would have to find that the partial strike or lockout is sufficiently extensive to encourage resolution of the dispute. Provides that the board's decision must be made within 30 days and during that period the status quo must be maintained. Limits partial operation pursuant to the board's decision to a maximum of 6 months. Requires the parties to submit their final proposals for full resolution of the controversy following the 80-day cooling-off period. Provides that the parties would be given 3 days in which to submit two final offers and that if any party failed to submit a final offer or offers, the last offer made during bargaining would be deemed its final offer. Directs that following this submission, to the Secretary of Labor, the parties would be required to meet and bargain for five days, with or without mediation by the Secretary. Provides that as a second step, the parties would be given an opportunity to select a panel to act as "Final Offer Selector" and that if the parties were unable to select the panel, a panel composed of three neutral members would be appointed by the President. Asserts that the panel would hold hearings and determine which of the final offers constituted the final and binding resolution of the issues. Provides that in reaching its determination, the panel could not choose any settlement other than those represented by the final offers. Specifies the criteria to be used by the panel in reaching its decision. Provides that the panel's choice would become the contract between the parties. Title II: Amendments to the Railway Labor Act - Phases out over a 2 year period the National Railroad Adjustment Board system and special boards of adjustment. Provides that the parties would be encouraged in their collective bargaining agreements to provide for grievance machinery terminating in final and binding arbitration, together with provisions for no-strike and no-lockout clauses. Provides that until such time as the collective bargaining agreements contain such provisions, "minor disputes" would be resolved by private arbitration with the arbitrator selected by the parties on the basis of consent or elimination of alternates until one arbitrator remains. Directs that no strikes over such minor disputes would be permitted during this period. Provides that the notice-of-contract modification or termination provisions would be changed so as to direct the railroad and airline industries to the form of contract reopening existing in industries subject to the Taft-Hartley Act. Requires the parties to serve written notice of proposed contract changes on each other at least 60 days prior to the contract expiration date. Provides special provisions for the transition to the new method of contract reopening. Asserts that at the expiration of the contract or of 60 days, whichever is later, the parties would be free to resort to self-help. Transfers the mediation duties of the National Mediation Board and its staff to the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service. Directs that the National Mediation Board would retain its function of determining the representatives of bargaining units, but its name would be changed to the Railroad and Airline Representation Board. Title III: Special Industries Commission - Establishes the National Special Industries Commission to study labor relations in those industries which the Secretary of Labor has determined to be particularly vulnerable to national emergency disputes. Empowers the commission to study all the factors affecting labor relations in these industries and to make recommendations to the President as to the best way of remedying the weaknesses of collective bargaining in the industries studied, including recommendations for legislation, if appropriate. Authorizes the Commission to study the operation of the revised emergency procedures. Title IV: Miscellaneous Provisions - Defines the jurisdictions in which such representatives of employees or carriers may be sued. Applies the judicial proceedings provisions of the Norris LaGuardia Act to the provisions amending the Railway Labor Act as well as the emergency disputes provisions. Repeals the provisions of the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act that makes strikers eligible for benefits if the strike is not in violation of the Railway Labor Act or the rules of the labor organization of which he is a member. Disqualifies railroad workers who strike from unemployment insurance benefits in accordance with criteria in State unemployment insurance law applicable to other industries.
United States · United States Congress · 3 January 1973
Consumer Protection Act - Title I: Office of Consumer Affairs - Creates an Office of Consumer Affairs, within the Executive Office of the President, to coordinate Federal consumer protection activities, serve as a clearinghouse for complaints, and publish Government consumer information. Provides that the office shall be headed by a Director appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate, and gives the Director powers to carry out the objectives of this Act. Requires the Director to transmit to the Congress and the President an annual report of the activities of the office during the preceding year including a summary of complaints and the need for additional legislation to protect the interest of the U.S. consumer. Provides that it shall be the function of the office to: (1) coordinate the programs and activities of all Federal agencies relating to the interests of consumers in order to achieve effectiveness and avoid duplications and inconsistencies; (2) encourage and assist in the development and implementation of consumer programs and activities in the Federal Government; (3) assure that the interests of consumers are taken into consideration by appropriate Federal agencies both in the formulation of policies with respect to consumers and in the operation of programs that may effect consumer interests; (4) cooperate with and, when requested, provide assistance to the Administrator of the Consumer Protection Agency; (5) advise and make recommendations to all Federal agencies with respect to general policy matters concerning the effectiveness of programs and activities relating to the interests of consumers; (6) submit recommendations to the Congress and the President on the means by which programs and activities relating to the interests of consumers can be improved; (7) conduct conferences, surveys, and investigations concerning the needs, interests, and problems of consumers which are not duplicative in significant degree to similar activities conducted by other Federal agencies; (8) encourage, initiate, coordinate, and participate in consumer education and counseling programs (including credit counseling); (9) encourage, report, and coordinate research and studies leading to improved products, services, and consumer information; (10) cooperate with and give technical assistance to State and local governments in the promotion and protection of consumer interests, including programs relating to the arbitration of disputes between consumers and businessmen and producers; (11) cooperate with and assist private enterprise in the promotion and protection of consumer interests; (12) publish and distribute in a Consumer Register material which will include notices of Federal hearings, proposed and final rules and orders, and other useful information, translated from its technical form into language which is understandable by the public; and (13) keep the appropriate committees of the Congress fully and currently informed of all its activities, except that this paragraph is not authority to withhold information requested by individual Members of Congress. Title II: Consumer Protection Agency - Establishes as an independent agency within the executive branch of the Government the Consumer Protection Agency, headed by an Administrator appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate, to advise the Congress and the President as to matters concerning consumer interests and to protect the interest of consumers. Gives the Agency powers to carry out the objectives of this Act and sets out specific functions for the Agency. Asserts that the functions of the Agency shall be to: (1) represent the interests of consumers in proceedings before Federal agencies and courts; (2) encourage and support research, studies and testing leading to a better understanding of consumer products and to improved products, services, and consumer information; (3) submit recommendations annually to the Congress and the President on measures to improve the operation of the Federal Government in the protection and promotion of the consumer interests; (4) publish and distribute material developed pursuant to carrying out its responsibilities which will inform consumers of matters of interests to them; (5) conduct conferences, surveys, and investigations, including economic surveys, concerning the needs, interests, and problems of consumers which are not duplicative in significant degree to similar activities conducted by other Federal agencies; (6) keep the appropriate committees of Congress fully and currently informed of all its activities, except that this paragraph is not authority to withhold information requested by individual Members of Congress; and (7) cooperate with and, when requested, provide assistance to the Director of the Office in the carrying out of his functions. Allows the Agency to intervene and represent the interests of consumers in Federal agencies investigations or hearings where the interests of such consumers would not otherwise be adequately protected. Authorizes the Agency to intervene as a party in a proceeding in a court of the United States involving the review of Federal agency action in a rulemaking proceeding in which the Agency had participated in or an adjudicatory proceeding in which the Agency had intervened, and to the extent that a right of judicial review is otherwise accorded by law. Authorizes the Agency to institute a proceeding in a competent court of the United States to secure such a review. Authorizes the Administrator to request the Federal Agency concerned to initiate such proceedings or to take such other action as may be authorized by law with respect to such agency, when the Administrator determines it to be in the interests of consumers. Authorizes the Office of Consumer Affairs and the Agency to receive information disclosing a probable violation of any law, administrative order, Federal judgment, or other trade practice affecting consumer interests and to take action to prohibit any further violation. Requires the Agency and Office to develop and disseminate data concerning the function and duties of the Agency and Office, consumer problems, and trade practices detrimental to the interests of consumers. Authorizes the Agency to encourage and support development and application of methods and techniques for testing consumer products, to recommend to other Federal agencies with respect to such information within their authority which would be useful and beneficial to consumers, and to investigate and report to Congress on the feasibility of establishing a National Consumer Information Foundation. Authorizes the Agency to conduct studies and investigations of the scope and adequacy of measures employed to protect consumers against unreasonable risk of injuries which may be caused by hazardous household products. Provides for limitations on disclosures to the public of information collected by any instrumentality created by or under this Act. Title III: Consumer Advisory Council; Protection of Consumer Interest In Administrative Proceedings; Miscellaneous Amendments - Establishes a Consumer Advisory Council consisting of 15 members to advise the Director and Administrator on matters concerning consumer interests and to review the effectiveness of Federal programs relating to consumer interest. Requires every Federal agency taking any action affecting consumer interests to provide notice of such action to the Office or Agency and to take action to consider the interests of consumers. Authorizes necessary appropriations to carry out the purposes of this Act.
![Official portrait of Rep. Wydler, John W. [R-NY-5]](https://www.congress.gov/img/member/w000780_200.jpg)