Evening star., 1937-08-29
Corporation Accused of De-
nying Employees Right
to Organize.
COERCION DURING STRIKE
is CITED IN COMPLAINT
Hearing Sept. 8 to Determine
Whether S. W. 0. c. Shall
Be Agency for Workers.
BACKGROUND

C. ]. O. union by United States
Steel, greatest American corpora
ton. FOLLOWING lead OF big steel"
more than $50 steel companies
entered into contracts Nth union.
Block OF Independents, including
Republic. Bethlehem, Youngstown,
Inland and National held out.
Strikes in first four ,Dere broken.
Since then practices OF all haze
been under inquiry by Labor
Board
Py the Associated Press.
The National Labor Relations
Board issued a complaint yesterday
accusing the Bethlehem Steel Corp
of unfair labor practices intended to
deny its employees the right to organ
ize and bargain collectively.
The board announced it would con-
duct hearing at Franklin Boro. Pa,
September regarding the complaint
which charged the corporation and
the Bethlehem Steel Co. subsidiary
dominated an organization in their
IA plants known as the plan Of EN-
ploye representation
Company-domination of unions is
forbidden by the Wagner labor ela =
tons act.
The complaint, mailed yesterday
further charged that other unfair
practices were employed at three
plants
To Determine S. W. o. c. Status.
The board said its hearing also
would involve a petition requesting it
to determine whether the 55 900 Beth
lehem employees want the Steel Work
ers' Organizing Committee to repre-
sent them
The committee is allied with John
L. Lewis and his Committee for In
dustrial Organization.
II the board decides that evidence
received at the forthcoming hearings
Is suff1cient to justify its complaint,
it could then order the companies to
refrain from the alleged unfair prac-
tices.
If the companies We're to disregard
such an order, the board might seek
an injunction against the practices in
a Circuit Court Of Appeals.
Workers led by the S. w. o. C. went
on strike at plants of Bethlehem.
They demanded signed contracts
recognizing their union as the exclu-
sive bargaining agent of Bethlehem
workers. Bethlehem gradually re-
opened plants without settlement of
the dispute.
The boards complaint said in part
The respondents, through their Of
flcers, agents and representatives dur
ing the strike of their employees
at Johnstown, Pa. engendered, ex-
pressed and publicized opposition and
hostility to the union, its leaders
organizers and members and conduct
ed so-called back -to-work' move
ment Of respondents employees in q
manner to interfere with, restrain and
coerce its employees in the exercise OF
their rights guaranteed by section of
said Wagner labor relations) act;
Cites Armed Men on Streets.
Caused the streets OF JohnstoWn
and surrounding communities to be
patrolled by armed men for the pur-
pose of interfering with, restraining
and coercing their employees;
NJ
izers to be unjustly arrested, detained
and sentenced
Caused union members to be bru-
tally attacked and beaten in its said
plant; and thereby, and by other ac-
tions and means, interfered with, re-
strained and coerced their employees in
the exercise OF the rights guaranteed
in section 7 of said act
The board said S. w. o. c. first filed
charges OF unfair labor practices in
connection with alleged domination
of the employe representation plan by
the companies.
Later, it said, the union accused
the company, during the strike. of
using spies, of interfering with peace
ful picketing, of intimidating en-
ployes by maintenance of an arsenal
and of acting "in collusion with Mayor
Daniel Shields of Johnstown. Pa"
The board related additional ale
cations of unfair practices at the
Bethlehem Sparrows Point, Md, plant
Domination Charged.
Its complaint said the company had
dominatSl and contributed f1nan-
cially to the employ plan at plants
at Johnstown. Bethlehem, Steelton,
Lebanon. Rankin and Leetsdale, all
in Pennsylvania; Blasdell and Lacka-
wanna, in New York; Sparrows Point,
Md; at Los Angeles, South San Fran
cisco, Oakland and Vernon, in Cali
fornia, and at Seattle, Wash.
In other respects, the board said
the complaint is confined to "events
since July l, 1886" at Bethlehem
plants at Johnstown, Bethlehem and
Sparrows Point.
There. the complaint said, the COM
pany threatened to discharge employes
for joining the union and in MANY
instances discharged. denote and
otherwise Disseminated against union
workers"
The board charged the companies
used spies to discover whether en-
ployes joined the union, exhibited
manifest hostility to the union and
maintained arms and hired guards.
The board said Franklin Boro where
the hearing will be, is community
adjacent to the steel companys Cam
bria plant at Johnstown, Pa.