Evening star., 1947-11-01
UnionsComp|y
With.labor Law
AT Last Minute
Hundreds Qualify for
NLRB Recognition in
Beating DeodIine
By james Y. Newton

Hundreds of unions filed last
minute compliances with the
Taft Hartley Act, but the Ma
tional Labor Relations Board
said today it will take sometime
to determine how large a part Of
organized labor had decided to
go along with the new law.
Last midnight was the deadline
set by the NLRB for the filing Of
registration data by unions and nom
Communist affldavits by union off,
GERS, both required by the new law
before labor organization can have
recourse to the board The cases Of
noncomplying unions which were
pending when the Taft Hartley Act
took effect now will be tossed out.
1t was known that at least three
of the largest unions still were boy
cotting the NLRB and the law.
These are John L. Lewis United
Mine Workers and the CLOS United
Steelworkers and United Electrical
Workers. The three unions have
combined membership of about
100000.
Auto Workers Comply.
The CIO United Auto Workers de-
cided to comply at the last minute.
The UAW Executive Board late yes
terday reversed its earlier stand and
advised the NLRB that it would file
registration papers and the nom
Communist affldavites as soon as
possible. The union, however, wrote
Paul NJ Herzog, NLRB chairman,
that its position of complete OPP
position to the Taft-Hartley law
had rot changed.
The SteelWokers, headed by CIO
President Philip Murray, challenged
the authority of NLRB to dismiss %
labor law cases which it has pending
even though the union has not COM
piled with recognition provisions OF
the new law.
The % cases involve union petit
tion for collective bargaining elec-
tions at various plants. The union
challenge is expected to lay the
groundwork for a court test of the
NLRB's power to make its non-
Communist rule stick.
Petition Is Filed.
The Steelworkers filed petition
with the board declaring that dis
missal of the cases would be illegal,
invalid, based on improper con-
struction of the National Labor Re-
lations Act and the powers and
duties hereunder, and unconstitu-
tional.
Eugene Cotton, assistant counsel
of the union, said that "at some
stage" of the challenge the union
will contest the Communist and
registration requirements of the
labor law.
An NLRB spokesman said it may
require weeks to check and count
the hundreds of papers filed by
unions in the rush to beat the dead
line. The last count showed the
NLRB had nearly $500 old cases on
| its docket which were subject to
dismissal unless the initiating unions
complied with the law.
Daugherty Describes Custer.
! Meanwhile, in San Francisco,
James L. Daugherty attributed his
dismissal from the Executive Board
of the CIO Utility Workers Union
to his insistence on following the
wishes of his union members and
the policy of CIO President Murray.
The union board ousted Mr..
Daugherty here Thursday for refus-
ing to sign a Communist afi-
davit.
Mr.. Daugherty, California region
al director of the union since 1910,
said he was no Communist and that
he had notified the board he had put
the question of whether he should
sign the affidavit up to his West
Coast members. The locals instruct
ed him not to sign, he said.
Before he could act further, he
said, the board ousted him.