b'1000Power8Light Bldg.,KansasCity, Missouri64105 SPECIALISSUE February,1978 LABORLAWREFORMLEGISLATION Orz.m1izedlaborissucceedinginits effortsob~passageofth La orLaw to-eoReform Actof1977.TheHousepassedthislegislation(R.R.8410)bytheoverwhelming marginof257to163.AttentionisnowbeingfocusedonthecompanionSenateBill (S.1883).TheSenateHumanResourcesCommitteeonJanuary25approvedthisbill bya 13to2voteafter having madeafewminorchanges,therebyclearingthislegislation forconsiderationontheSenatefloorthismonth. Thisisaverybadbill,madetheworsebecauseit pretendsthatit onlyprotects thelegalrightsofemployees.YoumustmakeyourvoicesheardSOONifthissession of Congressisnottoresultinsomelaborlawthatisagainstthepublicinterest.An analysisofthebillshowsthat it is designedtocreateanevengreaterimbalancein \'/labor-managementrelationsonthesideofunionsthanalreadyexists,andwill undermine bothresponsiblecollectivebargainingandtherightsofemployeesandemployers. Fin~tofall,thebill is misnamed.Itis nota"laborreform"measureatall. Themainobjectiveofthebill istohelpunionsorganize(unionmembershiphasbeen declininginrecentyears),topressureemployerstosign unioncontractsandto perpetuateaunionwhereit isalready organizedwithmorepowerthanever. WhataresomeofthemoreobjectionableprovisionsofS.1883? (1)Itrequiresthe NationalLaborRelationsBoard(NLRB)toconduct"quickie" representationelection;- ins omecaseswithin15d aysafterthefilingofaunion petition. COMMENT:Thisenablestheuniontomoreorlessdictatethetimingofanelection tothemostopportunedate.Itrestrictstheemployerinconductinganeffectivecountercampaignandin educatingtheemployeesonwhatunionismactually meanstotheworker. It wouldallowtheemployeeto hear,in effect,onlyonesideofthestory.Significantly, no"quickie"electionstakeplaceiftheemployerfilesapetitionforanelection. (2)Iftheemployertalkstoemployeesattheplantduringaunioncampaign ,union organizersareallowedtotalktoemployeesduringregularworkinghoursoncompany premises. COMMENT:Un9erpresentlaw,unionsnowhavesufficientaccesstoemployeesfor organizingpurposes.Organizersalreadymaysolicit employeesinsidetheworkplace underliberalizedrulesandoutsidethe workplacebyeverymeansofcommunication. Employersalso mustgiveunionsthenamesandaddressesofemployees,sothatunions'