Evening star., 1944-05-23
House Inquiry Is Told
Ward Dispute Raised
Most Explosive Issue
BY ]. A. O'LEARY.

The Montgomery Ward labor
dispute case in Chicago has
given rise to "the most explosive
issue" in labor relations in long
time, that of providing some
method for employers to petit
tion the National Labor Rela-
tlons Board for elections, Gerard
D. Reilly, NRLB member, today
told the special House commit
tee investigating Government
seizure of the company's Chi
cago plant.
Mr.. Reilly also asserted that the
mail order firms background of
unfair labor practices" in other
cities in recent years, combined with
the company's nonco-operative at
titude toward the War Labor Board,
were important contributory factors
to the Chicago unions resentment
when this latest dispute arose, and
1t was this feeling which played a
large part in causing the union to
strike"
Mr.. Reilly suggested that if the
committees purpose Is to make rec
concentrations to Congress, it might
examine further into the new prob
lem of giving employers some meth
cd of originating petition to the
NLRB.
Labor Against Rule Change.
The witness pointed out that all
labor representatives have strongly
opposed the boards proposed new
rule to give employers involved in
cases before the War Labor Board
the right to petition for an election
among their employees within five
days.
Mr.. Reilly said the firms labor
law violations were In the Kansas
City. Portland, Greg, and St. Paul
plants. He declared that the COM
pany:
/. Attempted to form company
union in Kansas City and sought to
prevent success" of other unions.
2. Refused to bargain sin goood
faith" at Portland and provoked a
strike by "stalling tactics
g. Maintained "a system of
espionage involving employment of
labor spies" at st. Paul.
Earlier in his testimony. Mr..
Reilly answered criticism of the
NLRB for not having ordered new
election of the firms Chicago en-
ployes before the Government took
over by pointing out that the boards
rules at that time did not provide
for employer petitions, except where
an employer was faced by conflict
ing labor organizations.
Union Didn't Invoke Remedies. j..
The union in this case did not in
woke the remedies it possessed, Mr..
Reilly said, adding: Consequently,
we had nothing before us until
month after the WLB issued it's
order of January 49,"
Mr.. Reilly testified that the board
formulated the proposed new rule
allowing employers to ask for elec-
tions two weeks ago to avoid delays
in wartime disputes, which mark
the history of the Montgomery
Ward case"
The proposal is that the en-
ployers may take the initiative "if
they entertain a bona fide doubt
with regard to the legal right of
the union to be recognized as bar
gaining representative for the pur-
pose of negotiating new contract"
1t was brought out at yesterdays
opening session by War Labor Board
Chairman William H. Davis that:
l. The CIO won an election in
the plant originally and the COM
pany later challenged whether the
union had majority and demanded
a new try.
2. Mr., Davis prevailed on the
union to ask for another ballot, al
though this, he said, was perhaps
going beyond the WLB powers.
3. This got the case to the point
where Mr.. Davis said he wanted it
once the unions status was estab-
lshed there was chance in his
opinion to settle the other ques-
tions without a work stoppage.
Details of the plant seizure, who
ordered it and under what legal
conditions, will be developed by the
committee tomorrow when Attorney
General Biddle is questioned