The Waterbury Democrat., 1933-08-24
Organized Labor is
 Facing Big Fight
tContinued from Page 1.)

Two trouble spots stand out in the coaly industry. They are in Pennsylvania and West Virginia and both involve the United States Steel corporation.
 The Pennsylvania strike situa- tion has been mediated but not settled definitely. It was reported here to-day that representatives of the H. c. Prick Coke company had informed an agent of the national labor board that the company, U. s. Steel subsidiary, would never consent to recognition of the United Mine Workers of America and would never operate under an MIRA code.
 While the Pennsylvania dispute held this potential dynamite, new signs of trouble appeared from Logan, Mingo and Mcdowell coun- ties, West Virginia. Those districts have been "closed counties" so far as the United Mine Workers are concerned and many heated battles over unionization have been fought through their rugged mountains.
 The national labor board has been asked to investigate reports that employees of the United States Coal and Coke company, also a subsidiary of U. s. Steel, has dis charged workers because of ac- tivities in behalf of the United Mine Workers. The reports said scores of workers had been evictcd from company ownd housejs.
 The labor board asked the com- pany for a report on the situation and was informed that no workers had ben evicted but that notices of dismissal had been given in some cases. The company declared the dismissals had no connection with union activities.
 The labor board must decide now whether to send investigators into the West Virginia coal dis tricts, traditionally hostile to out side interference. The boards de- far it is prepared to go In preserv- cision will be an indication of how ing industrial peace during the pe- riod of economic reconstruction.
 While little is being said about it, organization activities have started try. Steel, unlike coal. is under an MIRA code. The code carries the language on the recovery act calling for collective bargaining through representatives of the em- ployes choosing.
 The steel industry, which whipped the outside union in the great Homestead strike of 1893, and in the 1919 strikes has made it clear 1t will fight against renewed activity by the American Fedora tion of Labor.
 The steel disputes are not likely to come to a head as quickly as those in coal. The A., F. of l.. steel union has been. a craft union of skilled workers and is not ready to accommodate the great mass of steel workers.
 Union organization activities un- der the recovery act have caused so much discussion that Johnson decided an interpretation of the collective bargaining features of the law was necessity. The issue came up once previously, when he warned against activities of both employers and union organizers in interpreting the law during the early days of its operation. In his official statement Johnson said:
 "The law can mean only one 1 thing, which is that employees can choose anyone they desire to rep resent them, or they can choose | to represent themselves. Employ | CTS likewise can make collective bargains with organized employees, | or individual agreements with those who choose to act individu- ally; provided of course, that no such collective or individual agree ment is in violation of any state or federal law. But neither employ CTS nor employees are~required, by law, to agree to any particular contract, whether proposed as an individual or collective agreement.
 "The law provides that employees shall be free from the interfer- ence, restraint or coercion of em- ployers In the exercise of their rights established by the law. | Employers are forbidden to re- quire 'as a condition of employ ment' that an employe shall either l join company union or refrain joining, organizing or assisting 8 labor organization of his own choosing. The low does not pro- htbtt the existence of q local la- bor organization, which may be called a company union and Is composed only of the employees of one company. But 1t does prohibit an employer from requiring, as a condition of employment, that any employe join a company union and 1t prohibits the, maintenance of U company union, or any other or- ganization, by the interference, re- straint or coercion of an employ er." i,
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