Evening star., 1943-07-31
First Poll Called
Under Wartime
Antistrike Act
NlRB Orders Vote
OfWorkers at
Aliis-ChuImers
By the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
The Nations first strike ballot
under the Antistrike Act was Or
dered today under a Justice De-
partment opinion opening the
way for such votes on the motion
of a minority union as we'll as
one already certified as repre-
senting the majority of a plants
workers.
The act provides that the strike
votes may take place after 30 days
notice. The first ballot will take
place Wednesday at the Spring.
field Gll) plant of the Allis-Ch
mers Manufacturing Co.
The National Labor Relations
Board announced the election today,
and released an opinion by Attor-
ney General Biddle holding that
under the act "the preventative of
any group of employees may file a
notice of labor dispute"
DiuuIC 1HtCTpTctS ACt.
Mr.. Biddle said there is nothing
In the Antistrike Act to support
the view that notice required by
section of the act providing for
strike ballots in private plants is
to be filed only by the representa-
tive Of a majority of the employees
In an appropriate bargaining unit.
Labor disputes Threatening SER
iously to interrupt war production
might arise with groups of employees
other than those comprising an ap-
propriate bargaining unit" Mr..
Biddle said Therefore, the pur-
pose of Section might be defeated
II no representative other than
representative of a majority of en-
ployes in an appropriate bargain
ing unit could give the notice pro-
vided for in Section g."
John L. Lewis United Mine Work.
ers, District so, is challenging the
right OF CIO union, already GER
tilted by the NLRB as representative
of the Springfield plants workers,
to continue in that representation
Balloting at the plant will be
conducted on the 30th day follow
ing the filing of notice of a labor
dispute by District so.
The board said that in June, 1912,
the CIO United Farm Equipment
and Metal Workers of America won
a board-conducted election and was
certified as the bargaining repre-
sentative for the approximately
1000 workers at the Springfield
plant. The present dispute arose
when District SOS petition for an
investigation and certification of
representatives was dismissed by
the board June 9, 1943, on the
grounds that the contractual rela-
tionship between the company and
the CIO union barred an election.
M. Biddle's opinion resulted from
request by the NLRB on whether
the new law requires the board to act
only on strike notices filed by repre-
sentatives Of majority of the en-
ployes or also in those instances
where minority group files a notice
OF dispute
The Attorney General declared the
legislative history of the act shows
that the Secretary of Labor and
other officials pointed out the pos
sible disturbing effects of taking
strike ballots in plants where labor
relations had been stabilized by COL
lective bargining agreements and by
the 'no-strike' pledge. The Presi-
dent, in his veto message on the bill,
gave a similar warning"
Cites Congressional Policy.
Notwithstanding these warnings"
added the Attorney General, "the
Congress enacted the legislation and
in so doing expressed the congress
sional policy that the taking of
secret ballots would tend to retard
strikes and to prevent serious inter-
ruptions of war production"
The board said the ballot to be
submitted to the workers contains
the following statement of the major
issue.
The objection of the Allis-
Chalmers workers, District so, United
Mine Workers of America, to COM
pliance on the part of this war con-
tractor with an order of the Ma
(See STRIKE VOTE pace Al