INCHING TOWARD THi: MtTRK SYSTEM, 1959-79 4gl 



Scheuer and Brown urged stronger language directing the Board 



to come in with what Scheuer described as "an orderly, disciplined and 



intelligently structured timetable for the total conversion of American 



industry and commerce." Symington satisfied everyone by suggesting: 



I think that kind of signal can also be given in the report. 



The full committee then unanimously voted out the bill. 



LABOR PRESSURES RENEWED 



But the committee soon discovered it was not yet out of the woods 

 so far as organized labor was concerned. Thomas Hannigan of the 

 International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, who had testified 

 along with other labor representatives on April 30, was horrified to 

 discover that although the language of the bill itself was generally 

 acceptable to labor, the committee report contained far stronger lan- 

 guage than labor could stomach. In an internal memorandum, Hanni- 

 gan wrote: 



This report will confuse and complicate the administration of the legislation, 

 permitting a wide range of interpretation and the opportunity to pressure unwilling 

 and reluctant organizations into converting. 



Hannigan pointed out that the committee report "weakens Congress's 

 commitment to providing Federal subsidies for workers' tools." 

 He said labor objected to the report language: "To declare a national 

 policy of converting to the metric system" which it contended did not 

 conform to the policy statement which had been altered in the bill to 

 read "coordinate the increasing use of the metric system." The labor 

 representatives stormed over to the Rayburn Building and held a series 

 of acrimonious meetings with Symington and the committee staff. 

 ' 'The bill is acceptable. The report is a disaster * * *. We've been double- 

 crossed on the deal," Hannigan complained. Loud and angry words 

 floated out of Symington's office as the labor representatives threatened 

 to withdraw their support of the bill. Symington offered to move to 

 soften the title of the bill to read: "To declare a national policy of co- 

 ordinating the increasing use of the metric system in the United States, 

 and to establish a United States Metric Board to coordinate the volun- 

 tary conversion to the metric system." He also offered to meet labor's 

 objections through a series of "clarifying" statements on the floor. 

 Early on the morning of September 4, the day the committee appeared 

 before the Rules Committee, these offers were transmitted to the AFL- 

 CIO. The concessions were acceptable to the AFL-CIO. Labor agreed 

 not to oppose the bill either in the Rules Committee or on the floor. 



