Evening star., 1934-02-05
WE|RT0N STEEL
THREATENS SUIT
Plans to Seek Injunction to
BaIk Labor Boards Poll
of Workers.
BY the Associated Press.


PITTSBURGH, February 5.-Tht
Weirton Steel Corporation threatened
to seek court injunction today
should the National Labor Board at
tempt to start a poll of its 10000
workers to determine if they are salts
fed with their present collective bar
gaining system, the employees repre-
sentation organization.
Fred Keightly, Labor Board inves-
tigator who had been reported in
WeirtOn arranging for the poll, issued
with the Weirton case. but said he
thought men assigned to it will ar
rive in Pittsburgh during the day
Il have been assigned to the Pitts
burgh Labor Board helping with their
work." he said Il have nothing to
do with the Weirton labor situation
and do not think I will have any
thing to do with It,"
He added he was in Philadelphia
over the week end and not in Weirton
The Regional Labor Board sched-
uled meeting for late today. but a
spokesman said it had nothing to do
with the Weirton poll.
officials of the company said the
Labor Board has no bona fide list OF
its employees. that they could hardly
furnish one at this time" and would
resist any attempt to canvass without
one.
Reports from Washington of an i'm.
pending presidential reorganization OF
! the Labor Board to increase its effec-
tiveneSS caused some observers to pre-.
dict further delay in the boards
action at Weirton.
President Displeased.
The President was represented a.
not at all pleased by misinterpre-
tation Of his latest executive orde,
clothing the board with more power
which was given out by the N. r. A
press service. He was said to fee
that 1t aroused misunderstanding
and antagonisns in the steel industry
that were unnecessary.
The "interpretative" statements in.
ferentially branded the company
union program as movement tC
Illustrate section IA of the recovery
act, and said all workers of a COM
pany would be bound to abide by =
bare majority vote in an election. II
was corrected in a supplementary
statement Saturday night.
E. T. Weir, chairman of the Weir
ton Steel. conferred with President
Roosevelt last Monday and discussed
the taking of poll, an official said
Weir was represented as telling the
President he believed such a step
would only confuse the situation and
that his concern already had pledged
its faith and was under contract with
the present employees representation
group.
Weir's attorneys have assured him
the Labor Board is without power
to enforce orders, but can only
mediate, conciliate and arbitrate'
industrial disputes.
Holds Employees Are Satisfied.
The company contends its employees
are satisfied with their present
union basing this on claims that
more than IS per cent of them par
ticipated in the recent company
union" election.
OfhclalS OF the Amalgamated Iron,
Steel and Tin Workers say they have
more than 5000 cards signed by pro-
fessed Weirton workers pledging in
tent as to join their organizations,
an A. F. of L affiliate. They charge
the company has forced its employees
to take part in the present collective
bargaining set-up by threats of dis
missal, of closing down plants and by
other methods.
The company in turn claims the
union obtained the pledges and forced
strike at its mills last October by
violence and threats of violence It
claims to have numerous affidavits
from workers who were allegedly tor
tIred or threatened with torture by
the union business agents.