The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1941-07-10
Labor Fought .Against Un-
fuir Decision For three
Years
VOTE FOR CHOICE
No Voluntary Participation
In Bargaining Since
Split In 1887

Washington, D. C.-Climaxing with
victory three-year fight by the
American Federation Of Labor for the
democratic rights Of American work.
ers, the National Labor Relations
Board reversed it's Infamous decision
in the West Coast Longshoremen's
case.
Under the Boards new ruling, a
majority of the longshoremen in the
ports of Tacoma, Port Angeles and
Anacortes will be permitted to decide
for themselves whether they shall
have separate bargaining units or be
included in single coast-wide unit.
Under the Boards previous ruling
these workers, all members of the
International Longshoremen's Asso-
citation of the American Federation
of Labor were forced to enter against
their will a coast-wide unit and be
represented in collective bargaining
by Harry Bridges, CIO Commissar of
the West Coast.
For three years the American Fed
Grafton of Labor has fought against
this unfair Labor Board decision up
and down the land, in the courts, be-
fore Congress and before the Labor
Board itself. 1t pressed for amend
ments to the National Labor Rela-
tons Act to prevent such abuses in
the future and it campaigned against
the reappointment of the members OF
the Labor Board who were responsible
for the original decision.
The final strategy ultimately proved
effective. The two new members OF
the Board, Chairman Mills and w
M. Leiserson voted for the new rul-
ing. Edwin S. Smith dissented His
term expires this August and he is
unlikely to be reappointed.
The Bridges union, according to the
new majority decision, never had any
members in Tacoma, Port Angeles
and Anacortes, but Mr.. Smith insist
ed that the coast-wide unit was "the
only unit in which self-organizatior
has been effective, the only unit ir
which the longshoremen can negotiate
OH basis of equality with the EN-
ployers."
The majority decision stressed thai
the wishes of the men themselves anC
not those of experts" who testified
at the hearings had been taken int
| account. Elections in the three port
are to be held within thirty days. Th'
A. f. of l.. longshoremen may vot'
: if they like to be combined with th'
ClO unit in the other ports, but i
they vote for the A. f. of l.. th
NLRB will designate their own uniol
as their bargaining agency.
"Since the split between the |. L
longshoremen in Tacoma, Port An
geles and Anacortes have never bee
part Of the coast wide organization
of longshoremen," majority decision
said, "and have never voluntarily par
| ticipated in collective bargaining
within the coast-wide unit. They hav
maintained their own organizations
and, although they were invited t
send delegates to the 1888 |. l.. "
u. convention, they have not serve
nor been asked to serve on the nego
tiating committees which negotiate
the last two coast contracts, an
they have had no voice in the modif
cation, approval, or rejection of thos
contracts.
ain important particulars, the
have continued to exist as units apal
from the rest of the organized Ions
shoremen on the Coast. Thus the
have maintained their own represer
tatives on the port labor relation
committees and have negotiated wit
the employers concerning all grie'
ances arising over local working COZ
ditionS.
"In some instances, where the
; resolution of grievances has conilic
ed with the results reached by coas
wide arbitration, they have refused
abide by the arbitration awards. The
have continued to maintain and ope
ate their own hiring halls and hay
continuously controlled the hirir
; and dispatching of all longshoremt
in their own ports. In 1910 they r
sorted to strike action Independent
of the rest Of the Coast.
1t can hardly be doubted that Il
longshoremen at these ports ha
considered themselves apart from Il
rest Of the coast-wide unit. Nor
over, in important respects, they ha
been so considered by the |. l..
u. the employers and the arhitr
tors"