The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1950-05-04
Senate Group Told
Union Shop Viii!
HALT Free Riding

w dSHliiB SOh VII n - llBt Idii-
way unions want Congress to auth
orize union shop contracts so "free
riders" won't be taking union-won
benefits without assuming union
responsibilities, George NJ. Harr-
ison, president Of the Brotherhood
Of Railway Clerks-AFL, told the
Senate Labor committee May /.
Harrison was testifying on a bill
amending the Railway Labor Act,
which now bars the union shop for
rail workers. The bill is sponsored
by eight members Of the Senate
Labor committee and Rep. Robert
Crosser Cd, Ohio) in the House of
Representatives. Senatorial spon-
sors are Democrats Ebert Thomas
of Utah, Herbert Lehman Of New
York, Hubert Humphrey Of Mime
sofa, Matthew Neely Of West Vir-
ginia, James Murray Of Montana,
Lister Hill of Alabama and Claude
Pepper of Florida; and Republican
Wayne Morse Of Oregon.
Only opposition encountered by
Harrison came from Sen. Forrest
Donnell, the diehard Missouri Re
publican who recently introduced a
bill outlawing railroad strikes. The
Clerks president flustered Donnell
by saying he was from Missouri
too, which might be the reason he
couldn't see why "free riders"
should get union benefits without
paying dues. Harrison cited Sup
RENE Court decision which imposes
on rail unions the duty of bargain
| ing for non-members wherever a
ma ajority of the workers want to be
represented by the union.
Donnell apparently wanted to
prove the rail unions undemocratic,
but the veteran AFL leader caught
him at every turn. He told Donnell
that under the Railway Labor Act
union must be supported by the
majority in any craft or class be-
fore it can be the bargaining agent.
He also told Donnell that the mem
bers of the Railway Clerks had been
trying to get the union shop since
1922; that pressure for the union
shop had been especially strong
among all rail unions since 1894 ;
and that there had been a concen-
trated drive for the union shop in
the war year of 1943. Harrison
spoke not only for the Railway
Clerks but also for 20 other labor
organizations affiliated with the
Railway Labor Executives Associa-
ton.
The Clerks leader admitted to
Donnell and Sen. Lehman that four
rail unions at present do not ac-
cept Negro members but said his
own union long ago abolished dis
elimination. He added that continu-
ed education would in time break
down the bars in the unions which
SIlll nave IIlG COIOI Ddli' UhOlCONCA; !;
| he said, the union-shop bill would
protect Negroes now working in
the jurisdictions of the unions prac-
tising discrimination, because it
protects the jobs of "employes to
whom membership is not available
upon the same terms and condi-
tions as are generally applicable
to any other member"
Harrison was forced repeatedly
to spar with Donnell who, as he has
before, displayed more buster than
understanding He told the Sena-
tor that the 20 per cent of rail
workers who did not belong to
unions fall into three classes. They
are Cd "too cheap" to pay dues, or
(2) prejudiced against "the color
of the presidents hair" or (3)
they believe the union isn't radical
enough. Harrison made no bones
about informing Donnell that rail
labor needs the union shop for dis
ciplinary reasons. He said that
otherwise the unions will continue
to be held responsible for wildcat
strikes and other unauthorized
actions by non-union members.