Evening star., 1933-12-15
COURT ACTION is SEEN.
Weir's Action Held Clear Cut Violation
of Industrial Law.

BY the Associated Press.
Court action on the Weirton Steel
Co.'S refusal to let the National Labor
Board supervise an election among It's
employees became virtually unavoidable
last night
After publication of a pointed warn
ing from Hugh S. Johnson that If
the concern proceeds with a company
dominated" election the full penalties
of the industrial law will be sought,
Ernest T. Weir, executive head of the
concern, said he had talked to the
N. R. A. leader by phone and I'VE
both agreed that it was a matter for
the courts to decide"
the assertion:
with our employees holding the election
their bylaws"
Johnson's associates said they did no.
believe the telephone conversation with
Weir had materially altered the NJ R. A
chieftain's conclusions on the case, and
Senator Wagner, chairman of the Labor
Board, remained firmly convinced that
what the Weirton concern was doing
constituted a clear-cut violation of the
industrial law.
Regarded as Challenge.
N. r. A. officials also regarded Weir
as challenging the Labor Board by
going back on an agreement entered
into months ago to let the board super
wise free election among his Weirton
employees to determine whether they
wished to be represented for collective
bargaining by the company union. OF
by the American Federation of Labor
Union of Steel Workers.
Wagner already had asked Attorney
General Cummings to take charge of
the case and had recommended an in
junction to prevent the company from
interfering with its election. Cum
mings than ordered investigators to
the plants at Weirton and Clarksburg,
w. Va, and Steubenville, Ohio, to see
what was going on.
The board postponed the election It
had called for today. but the COM
pany union heads announced they
would proceed to elect delegates any
way Before this, employees of the COM
pany had told their foremen they would
quit work before engaging in a fight
against the Government. Weir then
issued letter to them to the effect
that the labor board dispute did not
alter the company's compliance with
N. r. A.
Johnson's telegram. however, cut
straight across that. In the meantime,
he said, he would call an open hearing
to determine whether Weir should be
denied code privileges and have his
Blue Eagle taken down.
The proceeding. time and place unan-
nounced. will be held in all probability
by the National Compliance Board, of
which w. H. Davis is director.
The Weirton case is the most serious
challenge yet flung at the labor arbi-
tration branch OF N r. A. In view of
it and of the great volume of work
devolving on the board, Wagner is
planning legislation for the next session
of Congress to give the tribunal a
permanent independent status He has
talked this over with President
Roosevelt
Wagner said the executive order
creating the board conferred upon it
all the legal powers of the N. r. A. for
labor arbitration, and that the Weirton
company attitude was, in his opinion,
in clear violation Of the provision in
the industrial law which requires that
employers shall not in any way inter-
fere with their workers attempts to
organize and select whatever repre-
sentatives they choose to speak for them
in collective bargaining with the
management.