St. Paul recorder., 1962-11-23
File Actions:
RaiIro0d & Three
Trade Unions Are
Accused BV NAACP

w IOAAs III a 1AOAAEAA oE-
tack on barriers to Negro employ
ment and job promotion, the Ma
tional Association for the Ad-
vancement of Colored People today
TUESDAY Oct. 16) filed a series
of actions - two in regional Of
fees of the National Labor Rela-
tons Board and one in a United
States District Court - designed
to halt racial discrimination by
three trade unions and one railway
company.
In addition, Robert L. Carter,
the Associations general counsel,
announced the entry Of the NAA-
CP into a third NLRB case orig
inally filed by a Jim Crow local
Of an independent union in Hous-
ton, Texas.
The NAACP, Mr.. Carter said,
has filed a petition for recision of
certification of the Seafarers In
ternational Union Of North Amer
lea, AFL-CIO. The petition, filed
with the NLRB's San Francisco
office, is the first action to call
for recision Of certification Of a
union on racial grounds.
In Atlanta, charges Of unfair
labor practices were filed with the
regional NLRB against Local 2401
Of the United Steelworkers Of
America, AFL-CIO. At the request
Of Local No. 2, an all-Negro unit
Of the Independent Metal Workers
Union in Houston, Mr.. Carter will
represent the unit in its complaint
Of unfair labor practices against
the unions all-white Local No. 1
at hearing scheduled for Nov. 8,
1852, In the regional office of the
NLRB at Houston, Texas.
The Brotherhood Of Railroad
Trainmen, AFL-CIO, and the st.
Louis-San Francisco Railway Com
pany are named in a suit filed with
the United States District Court
in st. Louis.
In each instance, the NAACP
lawyer explained, the complaint
was filed only after efforts to
secure remedial action through
negotiations with the union had
failed. Most Of these efforts were
made by Herbert Hill, the Associa-
tons labor secretary.
Recession Of Certification Asked
The petition for RECESSION Of cert
ification Of the Seafarers Union al
leges that the union has refused
to allow Negro seamen to register
for and meet preliminary qualifica-
uons for more skilled jobs con-
trolled by the union. Original cert
ification of the union was protest
ed by the NAACP because Of the
Seafarers' long history Of discrim-
ination.
At that time, the NLRB express
ly provided that Should it later
be shown, by appropriate motion,
that equal representation has, in
fact, been denied to any employee
in the unit because of his color,
the Board will consider revoking
any certification which may issue
herein"
Negro members of the union,
through the NAACP, are now ask
ing for revocation of certification.
Separate Lines Challenged
The United Steelworhers Local
No. 24O1, the NAACP complaint
alleges, has created different job
classifications and different wages
for Negro and white employees
who do the same work. Even with
in the same category, there are
instances of wage differentials.
The locals collective bargaining
agreement provides for separate
lines of promotion with the Negro
line being severely restricted.
Transfer from one line to another,
even in the same department, is
at the cost Of loss of eniority.
Submitted with the complaint Is
an affidavit Of a Negro worker