Evening star., 1947-08-03

listen to whatever the employers
have to offer.
The new law says that both en-
ployers and unions must bargain
in good faith" This is the first Tins
that unions have been so required,
although the Wagner Act of 1885
said that arrangements must do so.
But, such good faith" bargaining
| is very limited.
Bulletins Advice
e.. the hurdle and hazards of
contract with an employer under
the responsibilities, restraints, CO.
ercions and handicaps of the TIL
(Taft-Hartley Law" asserted one
of the bulletins to locals, appear
to make contract entered into
after August 20 wholly undesirable.
"A closed shop contract made be-
fore that date may be desirable.
You do not know at this time
whether YOU want even a closed
shop contract between now and
August "a. However, you must bar
gain anyway. If you do submit q
proposal. make 1t contingent upon
acceptance and becoming effective
before August 22' Make it plain
the offer will be void after August 20.
Bargaining In good faith can
consist of waiting for such proposals
and inducements from the employer
as may convince you that contract
would be desirable.
After August %, you should not
offer proposals. The points a union
would like to establish as conditions
of employment can be the subject Of
bargaining, but all formal pro-
posals should come from the en-
ployers and be submitted to the ITU
before any commitment or accept
ance of such proposal is made"
Upon expiration of the 60-day
bargaining" period required by law
the printers would compile their
conditions of employment" based
in part on what the employers may
have indicated In the talks they
would be willing to concede. EN-
ployers would be appraised of the
conditions" informally. perhaps by
the printers individually.
Then, whether the printers would
continue to work or not would de-
pend on acceptance of the condi-
tions. The union says 1t is as SIM
pie as that.
All of this is not new. Union
officials said century ago printers
worked on their own self-imposed
conditions. The last few years the
device has been used to maintain
closed-shop conditions in States
adopting anticlosed-shop laws. The
union says 1t has worked success
fully.
The ITU says the following fund
amental rights" remain "inviolate"
under the Taft-Hartley law and in
structed members to memorize them:
I'VE cannot be compelled to
make contracts with employers.
I'VE cannot be compelled to work
against our will or under conditions
unsatisfactory to us.
Fundamental Rights"
1--WE can collectively promulgate
the specific conditions under which
our members will work after expira-
ton Of existing contracts.
I'VE can collectively refuse to work
for any employer refusing to meet
our union-promulgated conditions
of employment.
1--WE can issue We do not patron
lie lists.
ITU bulletins describe the Taft
Hartley Act as "damnable" and the
union shop provided for in the law
as snare and a delusion." The
union shop Is where a person does
not have to be union member to
get job in shop but must join
the union within specified period
after employment. OF the process
for getting the union shop under
the new law a bulletin says:
Even after we stultify ourselves
through two elections tbesides suf-
fering the indignities of the pro-
cedure) we still could not attain the
so-called union shop unless the
employer wanted to give 1t to us in
collective bargaining
Even then If the employer wanted
to give you the so-called union chop
he could not do so in those States
which have adopted anticlosed shop
laws"
More OF the unions objections to
the Taft-Hartley union shop are
contained in another bulletin. 1t
states:
If your union called for an elec-
ton Tin a heretofore closed shop to
be designated bargaining agent and
then if your union called for a certi-
fication (another election) to ask
your employer for a so-called union
shop and If your union was so des-
ignated, and certified, the employer
could still employ non-union help
and dare you to do something about
1t.
Some Possibilities
Both the employer and the rat
union mani could sue your
union for damages If you did any,
thing about it. Also you could ex-
pect injunctions both against the
union and the individual members
thereof.
The employer could gradually re-
place a union force with non.
union force. When the non-union
members were In a majority a COM
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