The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1939-03-16

dispute to mean controversy in which the dsput-
ants have the relation of employer and employees
and which directly concern wages, hours, or work
ing conditions of the employees of the particular
employer directly involved in the controversy The
majority of the employers employees must be in
volved Specifically excluded from the definition
are disputes between organizations, or groups OF
employees to which should be the collective bar
gaining agency. Workers or their unions are for
hidden any process Of lawful unions-". buying
selling, transporting, receiving, delivering, manu-
featuring, harvesting, processing, handling, or
marketing of any agricultural or other products.
Picketing is unlawful except in labor dispute,
defined in the initiative petition. BoycOttmg OF
an employer not directly involved is prohibited
Furthermore, unions are prohibited from col
lectng dues in excess of the ordinary and legltl-
mate requirements of the organization. Unions
must keep accurate records itemizing receipts and
expenditures and the purpose of such eXpendl-
lures Any member may, at reasonable times de-
mand an accounting and inspect the books and rec
ords. No person or organization shall directly or
indirectly interfere with any person seeking en-
ployment OF any employer desiring to employ such
person. This law is to be enforced by the State
Circuit Courts with power to issue restraining
orders, temporary and permanent lnjunctions.
BY this legislation Oregon turned back the
pages of labor legislation to the period of yellow
dog contracts preceding the Norris-LaGuardia
Act, ignoring the National Labor Relations Act,
fnng the rights of workers to union membership
to promote their economic welfare.
The immediate issue upon which Oregon's en-
poyers were made to realize the disadvantage OF
turning state labor laws back several decades was
Unemployment Compensation. The Federal law
provides as a condition for approval Of state law
by the Social Security Board to allow credits for
state payments against the Federal per cent tax
on payrolls and for certificaton for Federal pay
ment Of state administration costs that compen-
saton shall not be denied in such State to any
otherwise eligible individual for refusing to &C
cept new work under any of the following condi-
tions (a) If the position offered is vacant due di
rectly to strike, lockout or other labor dispute
(b) If the wages, hours, other conditions OF the
work offered are substantially less favorable to the
individual than those prevailing for similar work
in the locality; (c) If as a condition of being en-
ployed the individual would be required to join a
company union or to resign from or refrain from
joining any bona fde labor organization
Clearly the Oregon Initiative petition set up
special limitations which restricted labor disputes
to something very different from the conditions
stipulated by the Social Security Act. The Social
Security Board in accord with it's legal duty in De-
cember held hearing to determine whether the
Oregon Unemployment Compensation Act could
again be certified in view of it's modi icaton by the
initiative law.
The discovery that if the Board did not certify
their unemployment compensation law, they would
nave To pay per cent on payfOllS 10 Jne fedefa
Government in addition to 2.7 per cent to the State
and in addition meet administrative costs by state
taxes, came rs an awakening shock to those who
had sponsored the initiative measure.
On January 26 the Oregon Legislature adopted
retroactive amendment to the Unemployment
Compensation law, declaring that the provisions
on labor disputes have the same meaning as those
of the Social Security Act. This amendment set
tiled the issue SO far the Social Security Act was
concerned but the workers Of Oregon are still de-
nied rights generally accorded them us a matter
of social Justice.
The Initiative Law is in conflict with public
policy as formulated by Congress and is clearly un-
1t must either be repealed or car
IiCd to the Supreme Court.