Evening star., 1934-02-04
STEEL CRITICISM
BASED ON ERROR
N. R. A. Denies Any Intention
to Imply All Company
Unions Dominated.
Continued From First Paee)

tContlnued From First Page.)
to round up enough members to vote
them.
1t was expected last night that
President Roosevelt, having furnished
clear-cut authority for the board to
act. would seek to have its machinery
adjusted to function properly.
Labor Contract Phase.
The Johnson -Richberg statement
pointed out that neither the indus
trial act nor the Presidents order
granted workers Q right to a labor
contract:
The right Of collective
bargaining Is not the right to obtain
specific contract. because a contract
must be the result of an agreement,
ana neither employees nor employers
can be compelled to enter into a spe-
clfc contract. But it is to be as
sumed that If both employer and en-
ployeS are assured that the repre-
sentatives of the employers have been
selected freely and without coercion
10 represent the desires of a majority
OF those affected, then any contract
resulting from such collective bar
gaining will stabilize employment
conditions and produce the most sat
ls1actory relations possible between
employer and employe."
Unofficial explanations were that
N. r. A. will feel the law has been
complied with on the part of the
employer when he honestly negotiates
with representatives of majority of
MS workers. Further. officials believe
that the acknowledgment by an en-
ployer Of the right of the representa-
tlVes to speak for the workers as re-
CURED by law. constitutes a recogni-
ton OF the employees organization and
gets past the really big difficulties In
the way Of agreements.
Text of Statement.
Text of the Johnson -Richberg
statement follows:
because OF an erroneous press in
depreciation issued Friday of the exec
utlVe order Of the President. which
empowered the National Labor Board
10 supervise the conduct of elections
to determine emp!oye representation
IN certain cases. it is desirable to ex-
plain what is and what is not COW
cred by the executive order.
Il. The executive order provides
a method whereby any specific group
OF employees or all the employees of
plant or OF one employer may select.
by majority vote, representatives
clearly empowered to act for the ma
Jorlty in their relations with their
employer
y. This selection of ma joritv rep
reSentatlveS does not restrict or
qualify in any way the right Of minor
ity groups of employees or Of individual
employees to deal with their employer.
3. Section Z ta) affirms the right
OF employees to organize and bargain
collectively through representatives of
their own choosing. and such con-
certed activities can be lawfully car
r1ed on by either majority or minority
groups. organizing and selecting such
representatives in such manner as
they see fit. Also, in affirming this
right OF collective action the law laws
no limitation upon individual action.
a. The joint statement issued by
the administrator and the general
counsel on August "a. 1893, concern
ing section Z ca provides an inter-
probation of this section. which has
not been changed and is not modified
by the executive order.
a. The purpose of the executive
order is to provide definite workable
method for the selection by the
majority Of any group of employees of
their representatives. who will there
upon be entitled to recognition as the
representatives Of the will of the
majority Of the employees eligible to
join in that selection.
Most Important Question.
e. As a practical proposition the
National LABOR Board would find it
impossible to deal with every contro-
versy that might arise between rival
groups of employees. each seeking to
represent a fraction of employe opin-
ion, or to conduct thousands of cleo
tions SO that every little group of
employees could select representatives
to represent every fraction of employe
opinion. Nor could any employer
maintain satisfactory relations with
his employees through unlimited nego-
tiations with an indefinite number of
employe representatives expressing
every possible variety of opinion. The
most important question to be solved
in carrying out the purpose of sec
ton (a) is to determine who are
the representatives of the majority
of the employees affected It is for
the purpose of solving that problem
that the executive order was issued,
which in no way excludes the exercise
of rights by minorities or individuals.
~. AS has been pointed out fire.
quently the right of collective bargain
ing is not the right to obtain a Spe-
cific contract, because a contract must
be the result of an agreement. and
neither employees nor employers can be
compelled to enter into specific con-
tract. But it is to be assumed that if
both employer and employees are as
sured that the representatives of the
employees have been selected freely and
without coercion to represent the de-
sires of a majority of those affected,
then any contract resulting from such
collective bargaining will stabilize en-
ployment conditions and produce the
most satisfactory relations possible be-
tween employer and employees.
"8. In so far as the statement in
the press release might be read as say
ing that employees representatives in
all company unions are chosen by en-
ployers it was not so intended as there
is no evidence that such is the case
Nor is it true that employees if permit
ted to act in their own free choice
may not select a company union
(meaning local plant union). The
principal purpose of the order was to
insure that the choice be free-not to
influence the choice between any par
ticular form Of employe organization"
VINCENT ASTOR AMONG
DEFENDANTS IN SUIT