Evening star., 1953-08-05
Virginia Sues
Plumbers Over
Union Shop Pact
Right to Work Law
Violated, Petition for
Injunction Asserts
Rv the Associoted Press

RICHMOND, Va, Aug. g.
Charging widespread" violations
of Virginia's right to work"
law, Attorney General j. Lind
say Almond, jr., has filed a
petition for an injunction
against a Richmond plumbing
union and group of plumbing
contractors in the Richmond
area.
In seeking the injunction yes
terday at the direction of Gov.
Battle. Mr.. Almond charged the
groups were entering into union
shop" agreements in violation
of the law that provides that
no employment should depend
on membership in a labor organ
| ization.
Talks With Governor.
He acted after talking by tele-
phone Sunday with Gov. Battle,
who is attending the national
Governors conference in Seattle.
Mr.. Almond reported wide
spread" violations of the act, and
on Monday he received this tele-
gram from the Governor:
"On the basis of your report
of July 81 indicating widespread
violation of Virginia's right to
work act in the building trades,
I hope you will take such legal
action as may be appropriate
to correct these conditions and
to protect the rights Of Virginia
citizens who are ready and able
to work in their chosen trades"
A formal request for a tenn
porary injunction that may be
later merged into permanent
injunction" was made in Rich
mond Law and Equity Court
and was tentatively scheduled
for a preliminary hearing Fri
day before Judge Thomas c.
Fletcher.
Presumably, a full-scale hear
ing would follow the preliminary
session in the Richmond court.
First Action Under Law.
This is the States first action
to enforce the law. whitehall
though it sets public policy
does not provide criminal pen
alties. Cases may be prepared
against other segments of the
building trades if this test case"
does not end the alleged viola
tions, Mr.. Almond indicated.
while we have for some time
past received information of vio-
lations of the right to work act
in this and other fields of indus
try, this is the first case in which
we have been able to obtain
facts on which to predicate an
action of this nature" the Attor-
ney General declared. II trust
that similar actions involving
others will not be necessary"
Named as defendants in the
States petition:
Local union No. 10, AFL
United Association of Journey
men and Apprentices of the
Plumbing and Pipeftting Indus
try of the United States and
Canada; it's business agent, H.
B. Boyd; its president, Leo j.
Tolker, and its recording secre-
tary, Lewis c. Ford.
Plumbing and Heating Con-
tractors Association of Richmond
and its executive manager. Ber-
tram Y. Kinney.
Information From Association.
Twelve Richmond plumbing
and heating firms and one in
Hopewell.
1t was indicated from an
affidavit filed with the petition
and the commemorative exhibits
that the Richmond division Of
the Tri-City Association of Me-
chanical Contractors had made
complaints and supplied infor-
nation to the attorney general.
Informed sources said the
group, much like the contractors
association named as a Defend
ant, is a rival of the other organ
ization and represents contrac-
tors in negotiations with en-
ployeS
Bitterly opposed by labor or
ganizations and some legislators.
the so-called right to work" law
was passed at the urging of for
mer Gov. William M. Tuck at a
special session of the General
Assembly in 1947.