Evening star., 1946-09-22
ITU Representatives
To Seek Agreement
On Printers Contract

A representative OF the 1nterna-
tional typographical Union, possibly
President Woodruff Randolph, will
seek to bring the Columbia Typo-
graphical Union and the Graphic
Arts Association together in a con-
tract agreement this week and thus
block potential work stoppage OF
500 printers.
Informed by the ITU executive
council that the ITU was sending 9
representative who would assume
command for the union, Columbia
President Jesse B. Manbeck said the
local would hold in abeyance 9
meeting scheduled today to con-
slider what course to take.
Negotiations between the union
and employers association were
broken off Friday Next Wednesday
will mark termination of a 45-day
period since expiration of the pres
ent contract, which provided this
period for negotiations before any
work stoppage.
Insist on JurisdictiOnal Clause.
Progress toward signing a new
contract ended Friday when the
unions scale committee refused to
continue the discussions unless the
employers agreed to this jurisdic-
tional clause:
The union reserves to its men,
bers jurisdiction over all composing
room work or any machinery or
process appertaining to printing and
the preparations therefor, wherever
performed"
The stand taken by the ITU
representative on insistence that
this clause be included is expected
to determine whether the parties
can get along with their negotiat-
ing. The ITU is known to back the
clause as national policy.
Mr.. Manbeck said the ITU would
Supersede any local action from now
on. The local has filed formal
notice Of strike. If the ITU
executive council calls for a strike
the issue will go to the local mem
bership, needing a majority vote for
approval.
Thirty Shops Are GAA Members.
Thirty of the approximately so
District commercial print shops are
members Of the GAA and do about
go per cent of all the commercial
printing. The other shops. most of
them small and hiring only a few
printers, usually go along with the
GAA in its contract terms.
In a newspaper advertisement
Yesterday, the GAA said that ac-
Heptance of the disputed clause
would extend the jurisdiction of the
typographical Union to all depart
plents and operations in a printing
plant -.
1t Is the associations position
that, since it has valid and binding
contracts with other American Fed
Grafton OF Labor unions represent
ing employees in the bindery, press
room, stereotype, electrotype. photo
engraving and other crafts, it would
ce violation of the National Labor
Relations Act, as we'll as a breach
OF these other contracts, for it to
sign a contract with the Tvpo-
graphical Union containing the
.urlsolctional paragraph"
The clause as proposed bv the
union would replace this one in
GUIDED in the present contract and
proposed by GAA for the new
agreement:
1he union reserves to its men,
perS jurisdiction of all work in the
composing room except as is pro-
Vioed in any existing agreement
between the association and any
other union which has been prop
erly recognized as a collective bar
gaining agency. Pending any sub
Sequent negotiations covering copv-
holders, they may be employed in
accordance with the practice pre-
vailing heretofore"
Manbeck Issues Statement.
Accusing the GAA of attempting
. lnstlgate jurisdictional union
lght. Mr. Manbeck, in a statement,
enled the unoin intended to ex-
end jurisdiction over other crafts.
he statement said
During the u meetings held
Ince July 10 with the Graphic Arts
association, closed shop division.
or the purpose of negotiating
new collective bargaining agree
ment to replace the two-year COM
nercial printing contract which eX-
pred on August 10, it is emphat tic
ally denied that any member of
the Printers Scale Committee or
any OF its officers ever made any
statement demanding the abroga-
ton of any other unions contract
or asking the commercial printing
employers of Washington to recog-
nize the Topographic Union as the
collective bargaining representative
Tor anybody other than the union
printers employed in their compos-
ing rooms. The printers union
once representing all the printing
crafts, but gave up their rights to
represent other than printers as
long as 40 years ago.
This is the first in the 1872 years
continuous history of Columbia Ty-
biographical Union, Americas oldest
labor union, that its authority to
define its own jurisdiction has been
questioned by a Washington en-
ployer. The definition of the print
ers' jurisdiction has been the same
for more than 80 years, and is
clearly defined in their national
law.
Legal Decision Up to NLRB.
Under the Wagner Act. the print
ers' union can only make an en-
ployment contract for composing
room work; that's all the printers
union has ever done and all that
they are doing today.
I'm any question of Jurisdiction
the legal deciding body is the NLRB
No labor union has filed any protest
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