The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1939-03-23
AnnuIling A. +. Of L.
Contracts BY Labor
Bourd vioIdfes Act
Boord Continues Policy Of
Strengthening C1O At
Cost TO HFL
ACTIONS STUDIED
Full Report To 1889 Conven-
ton Made BY Executive
Council

The manifest bias and prejudice to-
ward the American Federation of La
Dor which the National Labor Re-
lations Board has exhibited in it's ad-
ministraton Of the National Labor
Relations Act is indubtably shown by
the boards well-defned policy to an
nul agreements which A. +. of l.. af-
tiliates have negotiated with employ
ers.
This arrogated power, not confer
red by the act itself, has been definite
ly used by the Labor Board to for
ward it's well defined plan to build up
unions affiliated with the Committee
for Industrial Organization, now call
ed the Congress of Industrial Organ
iZations, and at the same time weaken
American Federation of Labor unions
One of the recent activities of the
Labor Board in this field is the nulIi-
fication of an agreement between the
Brotherhood of Railway Carmen Of
America and the Mount Vernon Car
Manufacturing Company of Mount
Vernon, Illinois, which had been in
harmonious operation for a number of
months. The board coupled it's nulli-
lication with an order requiring the
company to bargain collectively with
the c. |. O. Amalgamated Association
of iron, Steel and Tin Workers, one Of
the unions whose charters were re-
voked by the A. +. of l.. for member
ship in the dual c. l. O. organization.
Following careful study of this
agreement notification policy Of the
Labor Board, the Executive Council
of the American Federation Of Labor
made the following general indictment
Of this particular form of maladmin-
istration in it's report to the 1888 A.
+. Of l.. convention:
"The National Labor Relations
Board has in many cases built up a
straw-man by the use of the word
favoritism' by the employer, as re-
suit of which, it has violated the
sanctty of contractural obligations be-
tween employers and American Fed
GRAFTON of Labor unions, has invali-
dated contracts and virtually disestab-
lished existing American Federation
of Labor uninnsR's
In amplifying this charge, the Ex-
ecutive Council made this significant
statement, which was adopted by the
convention as its own declarations:
"Precedentmaking decisions have
been handed down in which contracts
between employers and American Fed
GRAFTON Of Labor unions have been in
validated. This has been accomplish
ed by the Board by adopting a rule
termed favoritism' by the employer
for the American Federation of La
bor unions in the matter or organiZa-
ton. The Board has accomplished this
| by rulings in which it ascribed to en-
| ployers acts Of favortism toward the
American Federation of Labor unions
| in the matter Of organization.
"rhe Board has applied these rul-
ings in such a way that if a foreman
or a minor supervisory employe who
has no right to hire or fire but who is
| eligible to membership in the c. |. 0.
and A. +. of l.. unions, makes, without
authorization from any official of the
employer, a statement favorable to
The American Federation of Labor
union of which the employe in ques-
ton is member, such statement is
sufficient to invalidate contracts law
fully entered into between the employ
er and the A. F. of l.. union.
"rhe following cases, which do not
include all the cases on the subject
are proof of the foregoing charge:
Consolidated Edison Company
Serrick Corporation; National Motor
Bearing Company; Zenite Metal Cor
poration; Carollton Metal Products
Company; National Electric Products
Corporation; Electric Vacuum Clean
er Company.
1T is interesting to note that in sew
eral instances, the United States Cir.
cult Courts of Appeals have con-
demned this rule of the Board and
failed to approve it. Two such cases
recently decided are the Ballston-
Saltwater knitting Co., Inc, decided
in the month Of August, 1898, by the
u. S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the
Second District On. W, and PENN
Sular and Occidental Steamship Co.
decided in the month of August, 1888
by the u. S. Circuit Court of Appeals