Montana labor news., 1944-11-30
Billings UNION Gets
AWARD FROM WLB

Employees of the Eaton Metal Pro
ducts Company, Billings, Montana We're
granted standard, voluntary mainten-
ance Of union membership and eheckoff
of union dues, under a ruling of the
Ninth Regional War Labor Board, which,
however, denied a general, 17-cent hour
ly increase in wages and a 10 cents an
hour night shift d%ifferential, Chairman
J. Glenn Donaldson announced today.
The maintenance of membership
clause, with standard 15-day escape
period followed the request of the unit
ed %Steelworkers of America, CIO, for a
union shop. For eight years the com
pany maintained contracts with the In
%ternational Brotherhood of Boilermak-
lers, AFL, which provided for a closed
shop. The United Steelworkers won a
National Labor Relations Board election
on March "a, 1914, and based its claim
on the history Of union shop conditions
among company's employees.
Industry members of the Board, dis
senting from the maintenance of mem
bership and checkoff provisions, stated
in their opinion, signed by James p.
Logan; There is a complete absence OF
evidence indicating that the company
has ever attempted to interfere with the
right of self-organization or otherwise
opposed the continued existence of the
union. 1t should be remembered also
that the union in this case was asking
for the union shop and nowhere do We
find the request for union security in
the form Of maintenance of membership.
The majority opinion of the Board
signed by Chairman Donaldson, stated.
1.-THE public members Of the Regional
Board agree unanimously with the labor
members, however, that in view of this
background of labor relations, the APP
propriate form Of union security is the
standard maintenance of membership
provision with automatic checkoff. The
propriety Of the maintenance of mem
bership provision is too well established
to require argument. In the opinion OF
the Board majority, moreover, the auto
matte checkoff constitutes a desirable
experimentation of the standard main
tenance Of membership provision. mas
much as dues %arrearage is the principle
manner of losing good standing in a I'M
ion, the checkoff minimizes the task of
both parties in administering the mem
bership Requirements" Industry mem
bers had commended that the checkoff was
not justified in this case as existing con-
ditions did not make dues collections
difficult.
Accepting its panels recommendation
in the dispute, the Board based its denial
of general wage increases on the fact
that in the absence of a changed view by
the National War Labor Board, the Re
gional Board is bound by the Little Steel
Formula and that it is not within the
province of the panel to pass upon its
wisdom" The company was ordered,
however, to pay employees temporarily
assigned to drive trucks not less than rs
cents an hour. employees temporarily
assigned as painters and tank testers not
less than IS cents an hour; and to in
crease the hourly rate Of pay for watch
men from so cents to 65 cents.
The Board denied premium pay for
night work on the basis that the com
pany had never paid a wage shift diff
ferential other than an eight-hour days
pay for seven and n half hours work,
and that the shorter length of the shift
equals a 5 cent di%fferential.
Labor members dissented from the
denial of general wage increases and
night shift d~ifferentials.