b'1000 Power &Light Bldg., Kansas f ity, Mis souri64705 SPECIALISSUE March,1977 COMMONSITUSPICKETING H.R.4- ~ ,.the19-7-7editionofLabo.-r \'s -CommonSitus.Picketing 2Legislation,ispendingbeforetheHouseEducationandWelfareCommittee. Thisbill,formerlydesignatedH.R.3500,differsinanumberofsignificantrespectsfromlastyear\'sbill whichpassedbothhousesofCongress butwasvetoedbyPresidentFord(followingWhiteHouserece i ptofmore than600,000letters,telegramsandcardsexpressingoppositiontothe bill). PresidentCarteriscommittedbycampaignpromisetosigningan "equaltreatment"situspicketingbillpassedbyCongress.But,his commitmentshouldnotbindhimtosignH.R.4250if passedbyCongress. \'LR.4250isnotan"equaltreatment"billbutrather,wouldbestow __specialprivilegesonconstructionunionsnotenjoyedbyanyother laborgroup,industrialunionorotherwise,inourcountry. Constructiontradeunionsclaimtheyneedsituspicketinglegislationinordertoreceive"equaltreatment\'\'withindustrialunionsasto strikesandpicketing.Withoutgoingintodetail,theconstructiontrade unionsclaimunequaltreatmentbecauseoftheDenverBuildingTrades decisionoftheSupremeCourtwhichlimitedpicketingtoaspecialgate setupforanon-unionsubcontractorwithwhomtheconstructionunionhad adispute.Theunionwasprecludedfrompicketingthegatesusedby em.91.Qy~o.f__t_heg~ ri.era1_cQntr.ac~o_rcll).dtn.eothe~~ ~actorsang\\:@. _u]ocont _thereforeunabletoputadditionalpressureonthesubcontractorwithwhom it hadthedisputebypicketingthegeneralcontractorandothersubsand therebyshuttingdownthejob.Theconstructionunionsclaimthatthe DenverBuildingTradesruleappliedtothemresultsinunequaltreatment ascomparedwiththepicketingrightsofindustrialunionsassetforth intheGeneralElectricdecisionoftheSupremeCourt.Inthatcase, anindustrialunionhavingadisputewithGeneralElectri cwaspermi tted topicketthegatesusedbyemployees ,ofcertainG.E.subcontractorsas wellasthegateusedbyG.E.employees.TheCourtheldthatbec~use certainofthesubcontractorswereengagedinworkwhichaidedG.E. \'s everydayoperations,picketingoftheirgateswaspermissible- nota prohibited"secondaryboycott". Constructiontradeunionsarguethatbecausetheworkofallconstrueionsubcontractorsisintegratedwithandrelatedtothegeneralcontrac\'for\'snormaloperations(constructionofsomething),whenaunionhasa disputewithageneralcontractoronajobsite,it shouldbeabletopicket allofthesubcontractorsofthegeneralcontractor.However,thisargument'