Evening star., 1934-11-22
N. R. A. Head UphoIds Right
OF Individual to Pick Own
Representative.
LEGALITY OF LIMITING
UNITS TO ONE DOUBTED
Roosevelt Aide Disagrees With
Parts Of Houde Decision, but
Terms It Basically Sound"
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
Any idea of one big union In which
minority Of workers in plant would
have to go along with the majority
whether they wanted to or not, has
been dealt blow by Donald r. Rich
berg, widely known as President
Roosevelt's mo. J" assistant.
The Interpretation which the d.
rector Of the Executive Council placed
last night on the celebrated ma jority
rule" decision Of the National Labor
Relations Board aroused wide interest.
Many labor leaders and industrial
lists have understood the boards rul-
ing. given in the Houde case, as
meaning than an organization winning
majority of votes in an election with
in a group or plant shall represent all
employees in the group or plant, for
purposes of collective bargaining.
Workman Held Sole Judge.
But Richberg, speaking to the Asso-
clated Grocery Manufacturers in New
York, laid down the opinion that only
workman himself can decide what
voting unit"-plant, craft or other
grouping-he shall enter. Only after
he has associated himself with such
unit voluntarily can he be bound
by the will of the majority.
mo one has been given any author
ity under the law" he said, "and /
doubt whether any one could be given
legally the authority, to herd all the
employees. or any number of en-
ployes, into a voting unit and then
to compel them to select their rep-
resentatives by a majority vote.
The right of self-organization GER
tainly includes the right of each man
to decide for himself with what man
he desires to be associated. I submit
that there would be serious question of
the constitutionality Of any law which
sought to compel men to unite for
the protection of their private inter-
ests with those with whom they were
unwilling to associate ."
Declaring the Labor Board itself
laid down no rule as to the proper
unit Tor voting, he also said his inter-
probation was entirely consistent"
with the principles Of the American
RECREATION of Labor. The theory OF
craft unionism, he said, calls for rec
ognition of the right of men to asso-
ciate with their fellow workers as they
please"
Decision Termed Sound.
Although disagreeing with some in
terpreations of the Houde decision, he
called the decision itself absolutely
sound"
IF vote is held" he said, in
which men voluntarily participate for
the purpose of selecting their repre-
sentatives. then, unless those chosen
by the majority are to be accepted
as representing the entire electorate.
there can be no orderly method of
collective action"
Though Richberg emphasized he
voiced only his own views, his position
lent much significance to his remarks
on one of the most complex contro-
versies involving Section Ia of the
recovery act. The whole act comes up
for overhauling in the next Congress,
and observers wondered whether Rich
berg's views pointed the future atti-
tude of the administration.
He deplored coercion by employers
or labor leaders and said the domi-
nant purpose Of Ia lis to protect in
dividual liberty and voluntary collec-
tive action"
The Houde decision has aroused
bitter opposition by industrialists.
The American Federation of Labor,
pleased with the ruling. has an
nounced in its official magazine, Amer
lean Federationist, that ''all unions
must insist on their rights under this
decision to represent all employees in
any particular plant, craft or other
group when it has been shown that
they represent a majority ."