Bid to Override Veto of Eastern Probe Fails : Labor: The House falls 21 votes short of passing a union proposal aimed at settling a bitter, yearlong dispute with the carrier.

In a major setback for organized labor, the House on Wednesday sustained President Bush’s veto of a bill that would have created a blue-ribbon commission to investigate the year-old Eastern Airlines strike and make recommendations for a settlement.

The 261-160 vote fell 21 votes short of the two-thirds majority needed to override the chief executive’s decision last November to reject the bill.

The vote handed Bush an easy victory in his second veto showdown this year. In January, the Senate upheld his veto of a bill to let Chinese students remain in the United States after finishing their schooling, a protection that Bush said he was providing without the legislation.

Labor unions had lobbied hard for creation of the special panel to help resolve the bitter dispute between Eastern and its machinists union, which represents about 8,500 mechanics and other ground service workers.

Supporters of the bill said the bipartisan, four-member commission would have been the “last, best hope” for ending the Eastern strike and reviving the bankrupt carrier, which is owned by the Texas Air holding company. The chairman of both Eastern and Texas Air is Frank Lorenzo, who has been accused by labor of engaging in union-busting activities.

Bush’s allies in the House, however, said that establishing a commission with a 45-day deadline to make non-binding recommendations would be unlikely to achieve what months of investigation and mediation failed to accomplish.

“Lay this controversy to rest,” urged Rep. John Paul Hammerschmidt (R-Ark.). “Don’t raise false hopes of salvation.”

Rep. Glenn M. Anderson (D-San Pedro), who argued in favor of overriding the veto, said Eastern lost a record $850 million last year and could not survive much longer if its dispute with the machinists union continues.

A total of 236 Democrats and 25 Republicans voted to override, while 13 Democrats and 147 Republicans supported the President.