Evening star., 1961-12-20
NLRB Blocks
Union Rule on
Subcontractors
BY LEE M. COIN
Star Staff Writer

The National Labor Relations
Board has put crimp in plans
by industrial unions to defend
members jobs against building
trades and craft unions.
In decisions released yester-
day, the NLRB outlawed agree
ments requiring employers to
give preference to outside sub
contractors organized by a par
ticular union.
If the NLRB extends 1t legal
reasoning beyond yesterdays
cases, involving st. Louis auto
dealers. industrial unions may
have to change their tactics in
manufacturing plants.
These unions are worried
about the contracting out"
trend in factories where they
represent production and
maintenance workers. Employ
ers have been taking mainte-
nance jobs away from their
own workers and hiring outside
contractors to handle this work
more cheaply.
AS a result, industrial unions
have been losing jobs and men,
bers to the building trades and
craft unions representing en-
ployes of the outside con- |.
tractors.
Turn to Organizing
Industrial unions are trying
to slow down this trend byl
writing clauses into contracts
restricting the right of factory
management to engage out
Siders to perform maintenance
work. In another effort, the
industrial unions last week
pushed through the AFL-CIO
convention a formula to arbi-
trate disputes with the build
ing trades and crafts over con-
tracting-out.
But some industrial union
lists acknowledge that the trend
toward contracting-out cannot
be stopped. They are starting
to turn to another defense
organizing the employees of out
side contractors in industrial
unions, instead of forfeiting
them to the building trades
and crafts.
BY organizing employees on
a factory's payroll and en-
ployes brought in from outside.
the industrial unions hope to
keep control of the labor stu
alton in plant.
Two unions in st. Louis
Local 618 of the Teamsters
Union and District 9 of the
International Association of
Machinists - tried a similar
system.
They won a contract agree
ment by the Greater st. Louis
Automotive Association, Inc.
an organization of car dealers,
to give preference to contrac-
tors organized by their unions
when subcontracting out work
normally done by regular en-
ployes.
Violated "HOt Cargo" Ban
When a car dealer engaged
a non-union contractor to do
body trim work. the unions
tried to enforce the preference
clause and the Greater St.
Louis Automotive Trimmers
and Upholsterers Association.
Inc. complained to the NLRB.
In yesterdays rulings, the
NLRB decided unanimously |
that the contract clause vio-
lated the legal ban ON "hot |
cargo" contracts. This prohibi-
ton. in the Landrum-G Griffin
Act of 1859, outlaws agree
ments by which an employer
refrains from handling the
ducts of any other
employer.
The NLRB ruled that the st.
Louis contracts violated this
prohibition by restricting the
auto dealers right to give
work to non-union contractors.
Two of the five NLRB men,
bers voted to dismiss the COM
plant on the ground that the
contract clauses were signed be-
fore the Landrum- Griffin Act
took effect. But the majority
ruled that the unions and the
car dealers reaffirmed the
clauses after the laws effective
date.
Appeal Possible
The NLRB ordered the
unions to cease and desist"
from enforcing the contract
clauses. The rulings and Or
ders can be appealed to the
Federal courts.
If the rulings are sustained,
if may be difficult for indus
trial unions to organize out
side contractors and force fac
tory managers to deal with