Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-11-08
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REGULATIONS EFFECT SOON
What 10 Expect Under the New Labor Law

to 60 when the .NLRB. swamped
with major disputes, refused to
accept their cases.
Stote Lows Revival
Assistant Secretary Gilhooley
says a whole body Of State laws
which grew UP in the field Of labor
disputes before the passage Of the
1885 Wagner Act-and then were
left to gather dust when the Fed
eral Government moved into the
labor picture-wiI now be revived
on the State and local level.
Effective next Friday, Novem-
Der 1870 days after President
Eisenhower signed the new law
on September l4-are some Of the
acts most highly controversial
features. These include tight
curbs on secondary boycotts, "hot
cargo" agreements. and recogni-
ton and organizational picketing.
Secondary boycotts. long q thorn
in the side Of industry, have the
effect Of dragging an employer
who has no direct quarrel with a
union into the unions dispute
with another company.
The law sets an outright ban
against "hot cargo" pacts in which
a trucker, for example, refuses to
handle cargo from another truck
err If the union labels it hot" or
forbidden cargo.
The statute further outlaws ex-
tortion or "blackmail" picketing
where a union agent, using the
picket line as a weapon, attempts
to shakedown an employer for
personal gain.
It also prohibits an outside I'M
ion to picket in an attempt to
organize workers Cd where an
other union has already been
lawfully recognized, CD where the
outside union has lost collective
bargaining election in the last IL
months, and go where picketing
has been conducted for "a reason
able period" not exceeding 80 days
and no election has been asked.
Rules on Pieketing
However, the law says a union
may picket longer than 80 days
without an election if the picket
ing doesn't halt deliveries to the
picketed company, or If the COM
pany has entered into a collusive
sweetheart" contract with an
other union.
The overall goal is to substitute
peaceful persuasion for violence,
threats and coercion on both sides.
For the little guy"-the 18 mil
lion rank-and-flle union workers
the most important section may
be the bill of rights" spelled out
under title of the act.
The section is designed to re-
store democratic rights to union
members where high-riding union
bosses-according to testimony on
Capitol Hill-have in many in
stances exploited and intimidated
them.
Among other things, the "bill
Of rights" and other sections of
the act provide for secret ballots
in union elections, machinery for
ousting crooked union officials.
and ban against arbitrary raising
of union dues or assessments with
out a secret-ballot vote by the
members.
The act also prohibits unfair
disciplinary action against union
members and guarantees the right
of individual union members to
sue union officers. In the past.
union members have been fined
as much as $1,000 or expelled for
suing union officials.
In addition, the law provides
equal privileges to rank-and-file
members in the conduct of union
meetings and electionS-enforce-
able by civil suit in Federal courts
and protects their right to speak
out against dictatorial union
bosses.
1t remains to be seen, however,
how many little guys" will exer-
else the right to speak their piece
in the face of powerful opposition
by those leaders who are ready
with Strong-arm tactics.
Whether, Congress went too far
or fell short in this first major
revision of the Nations labor laws
in II years will be endlessly argued
in the months ahead.