Evening star., 1947-12-13
2ConditionsR Required
To Force Signing Of
Pact, ITU Head Says
BY the Associated Press

INDIANAPOLIS, Dec. 13.-Neith-
er the Wagner Act nor the Taft
Hartley law "compels the signing of
contracts unless two conditions are
established" Woodruff Randolph,
president Of the international Typo
graphical Union, said yesterday.
These two conditions, Mr.. Ran
dolph said in statement. are that
agreement between the parties be
reached and that at least one of
the parties request that the agree
ment be written and signed"
In complaint filed with the Ma
tlonal Labor Relations Board by
the American Newspaper Publishers
Association the ITU and the unions
executive council have been charged
with defying the Taft Hartley law
by attempting to coerce>1ocal unions
and publishers into violating the
law by adopting rules of working
conditions without signing formal
contracts.
Later the NLRB general counsel,
Robert N. Denham, who acts inde-
pendently of the board, charged the
union with unfair labor practices
and a hearing is scheduled to be re-
sumed in Washington on Decem-
ber 10.
Cranston Williams, ANPA general
manager. said in New York that
Mr.. Randolph's statement involves
one of the issues already on trial
before the NLRB. There will be
adequate opportunity for him to
tell his story to the judge"
Critical of Publicity.
The unions refusal to sign a con-
tract, Mr.. Williams said, was only
one of about dozen counts on
which the ANPA's charges we're
based. ~
Mr.. Randolph, In his statement,
said the kind of publicity being
given the ITU is getting a bit tire
some He added: Our employers
are proceeding on the theory that
We must sign an agreement with
them whether or not we agree with
their proposals"
The ITU president asserted that
faulty premise Of the Taft Hartley
law is to make collective bargain
ing agreements legal contracts and
to again use injunctions as the
of intimidating and coercing
unions"
The whole theory" of recent
complaints filed by the NLRB, Mr..
said, is that local unions
are prevented by ITU policy from
bargaining in good faith"
I'VE have bargained in good faith
with our employers and offered two
ways of getting along with them"
his statement continued. "One way
is to refrain from signing con-
tract. This is obviously legal since
no contract need be signed under
the law unless requested by either
party. The other way is to sign a
contract which would give the
union the protection it needs so
far as possible under the Taft
Hartley law.
Striking for Pay Raise.
Since some employers are refus-
ing necessary increases in wages un-
til we give them the kind of contract
they want. our unions are being au-
thorized to strike for more money.
There is nothing illegal about
1TU collective bargaining policy.
There is a great deal of confusion
about it because of the kind of pub
licity given it.
"1f by some stretch of the imagi-
nation the NLRB or some other
court should rule we have not bar
gained in enough good faith we
can still satisfy the most exacting
definition and confidently rely on
the fact that contracts are essen
TALLY voluntary undertakings.
When that time comes it will be
refreshing to note that even the
Taft-Hartley law states with regard
to bargaining in good faith: But
such obligation does not compel
either party to agree on a proposal
or require the making of a conces-
sion )"