79-12-A3
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Better Representation for Skilled Tradesmen
TranscriptOne of the tasks of the National Labor Relations board is to protect the workers' rights to choose union representation under proceedings which are fair and democratic. Yet a sizeable section of the American work force has discovered that the board is infringing on their rights instead of protecting them. Thanks to certain board rulings, hundreds of thousands of skilled tradesmen find themselves trapped in unwanted industrial unions for the purpose of collective bargaining. These are workers with special training with machinery, electrical systems and such. The effect of the board's recent rulings has been to lump these workers together, for bargaining purposes, with production workers. Skilled tradesmen feel that their interests and concerns get lost when they are represented by large industrial unions. Labor experts point to a particular ruling of the National Labor Relations board in 1966 as the source of the current problems. In that ruling, the board adopted new, restrictive criteria for allowing a particular craft unit to bargain separately with management. The board makes it extremely difficult for a group of specially skilled tradesmen to sever themselves from large industrial unions. This has disturbed Senator Orrin Hatch and others who view the board's decision as catering to big labor at the expense of the rights of skilled tradesmen to choose their own representatives. Hatch points out that since the board's watershed labor decision in 1966, it has received seventy-one requests for severance from groups wishing to form their own bargaining units. Of these requests, the board has granted only eight. As a result, Hatch has introduced a bill which would change critical wording in the National Labor Relations act. This would have the effect, Hatch says, of "unshackling the thousands of skilled tradesmen in our society who find themselves trapped in unwanted industrial unions for the purpose of bargaining ... They are in essence discriminated against in the selection of a bargain representative when compared to the treatment afforded other kinds of employees under the National Labor Relations act." Hatch's bill has been referred to committee. He anticipates strong opposition from organized labor. But this bill would be an important step in the efforts of skilled tradesmen to seek separate and more effective representation. Our skilled work force has been an important force in the productivity gains of the economy. In recent years, skilled workers have decreased in numbers. Demand for highly skilled industrial workers far outstrips the number of such workers available. Senator Hatch's bill would be a significant contribution towards creating a more favorable employment climate for skilled tradesmen. This is Ronald Reagan. Thanks for listening. |
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