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Show March 1971 UTAH FARM BUREAU Page 7 Suit Filed Over Compulsory Unionism William F. Buckley, Jr. noted as an editor, cyndicated columnist and commentator announced he has entered legal suit in New York City, January 12 stateing What is involved here , is a fundamental civil and human right, and unless this country has lost hold of its reason, the Supreme Court will acknowledge, as I am confident, it will, the right of the individual to exercise his rights as guaranteed under the first Amendment, even if he declined to join a union.' Mr. Buckley summits that requiring union membership denies his right to work on public airways. He asks how many other members of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) considered that it is only their union card that permits them to express their opinions over the air.". The National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation has offered assistance to Mr. Buckley in this matter. The Foundation has a record of accomplishment and successes in areas of right to work. For example, the Foundation has obtained relief from forced dues that go for political purposes to allow correction through the courts bureaucratic rather than the of the National Labor quagmire" Relations Board. Worthy of note also is a decision by the Virginia Circuit Court against irrevocable checkoff" requlrlngthat stop deducting dues employers for employees who voluntarily withdraw from union membership. Kansas Courts - ruled that discharged employees for reason that dues to a union were not paid cannot be denied unemployment compensation. Finally, an injunction was obtained against firing employees in the City of Detroit under agency shop provisions for refusing to pay money to the un- ion. And speaking of the agency shop, Utah legislators in the Utah House of Representatives have passed such a bill. It is not thought to be acceptable to the Senate however. In as much as this Right to Work" idea has been of interest to Utahns for many years and because Farm Bureau has a policy in support of such, some ideas from significant Utah leaders who understand the deepest meaning involved with such matters will be presented. "Agency" Requires Tribute Farm Bureaus policy is wry brief and to the point. We suplaw. The port the right current proposal in the Legislature will require of employees un-to- -work der the agency shop concept to dues" to the union although not Interested in joining are they the union. These payments, or more accurately described, -are supposed to cover costs of services rendered, such as obtaining higher wages, better pay He said, Preserve the right when and where we choose. No free man should be compelled to pay tribute in order to realize -work this privilege." Rob Independence Joseph F. Merrill made this significant statement, The very foundations upon which this country has been built to become great and mighty are gravely threatened and her bals principle of personal liberty are fast fading away. Time will permit of mentioning only one of these. But it is the most basic of all, the one em- phaslzed in the Declaration of right to life, and the pursuit of hap-- N liberty, we When plness." deny an man 'the right to work God-giv- en able-bodi- ed we rob him of his Independence and destroy his happiness. It is this denial that faces myriads of willing workers in America today, because a new tyranny--on- e never dreamed of by the founders has arisen, that of 'closed shop" including the checkoff system..." Appearing in the Deseret News February 9, 1961 was an article editorial outlining some interestrk ing points since the right became law in 1955. Efforts were being made to repeal the rk at the time and the article suggested one obvious fact to be considered by supporters of repeal. No one has yet been rk able to show that the law has been harmful to labor, to business, to the public, or to. Utahs economy." No Harm from RighMo-Worf- c to-wo- Rlght-to-Wo- Quite the contrary seems to be In the six years since compulsory unionism was outlawed in Utah, this state and its workers have enjoyed unprecedentel growth in employment, in economic growth, and in Income of the in- true. dividual worker." It would not, of course, be accurate to say this growth is necessarily due to the Right-to-wo- rk law; many other factors are involved. But it is obvious that the law has not hindered growth, as its critics claim. Compara- tive figures show that in the Mountain West, Right - to - Work states have fared much better than compulsory states." membership For example:" Production workers in Utah averaged $76.63 a week in 1955 when the Right - to - Work law was passed. This was the lowest in any of the eight mountain states. Today the average is $99.70 a week second only to Nevada among the Mountain States." Preserve Right The Mountain West has three Right - to - Work states -- Nevada, workworking conditions, fringe benefits Utah, and Arizona. Factory 28.4 a states in those ers enjoyed and costs of prolonged strikes or whatever may be the expenses of a boost in Income between 1955 and rk 1960. The five state without union. IthasbeenthoughtbyUtahns laws Idaho, for years that if a union is in ' fact working for the benefit of Montana, New Mexico, and Wyoming-av16 increase." members the employee in the great eraged Rlght-to-Wo- In this way union leaders will be responsive to the desires of the membership. When com- tarily. pulsory means are used to obtain membership leaders need to pay attention .to employee inter- ests. The late President of the LDS Church, David O. McKay has indicated that members should not affiliate himself with groups or organizations that use coercion or force to deprive one of his freedom of choice. It is understood, of course, that any person is free to join a union, when to do so favors his best Interests; but no one should be compelled to join, or be deprived of any rights as a citizen, including the right to honest labor, if he chooses not to become a. member of a union or specially organized group." (CR, April 1940, p. 118) Further As it appears there may be support for an agency shop bill in lieu of eliminating the Rlght-t- o Work for what ever reasons but it seems hard to fight against something that seems to have enjoyed such a record. The labor climate in Utah has certainly been rk less agravated under the than in areas where this Cache County Elects Hoffman lnst Cache County held their annual Banquet and elections in Edis Taggert was re-elect- Smith-fiel- d Smith-fiel- d. vice President with Steven Bodily commitee consists of returning as Ernest Speth, Lloyd Olsen, Earl Darley, Valden Pitcher. Elda Hilly ard selected to continue as women's chairman with Ann Mathews vice chairman and Ruth Hansen as secretary. The Banquet was well attended byfarmersand leaders throughout the county totalling approximately 400 in all. Guest speaker for the occasion held at the Skyview High School was Dr. Edwin Peterson. Secretary-Treasure- r. Slavery Forbidden But labor is not compelled to work. Slavery is forbidden by the Constitution it would be monstrous to have a society where this was not true." The opposite of this principle is equally true: Every man has a right to work. As President 'The right McKay once said: to work is a divine right. No man and no group may destroy divine rights and escape the pun- The Executive ishments that follow. A society' where the right to work is denied is a society of anarchy and chaos. It was further pointed out what labor may not legally or in wisdom do. Some of these were listed as follows: Coecion Destroys Society Recently Salt Lake County women and membership chairman met to go over plans for reaching their membership quota and disem-inatin- g information to members through the womens program and telling the consuming public about agriculture. Pictured I. to r.: LaRue Hamilton, Women's chairman, Orion New-bolMembership chairman, Florence Gardner, Secretary and Mrs. Orion Newbold. Labor may not legally, nor in wisdom for labor, intimidate or coerce the worker. The worker must l)e left free to work when he will, be idle when he will, and to work for what he wishes, and where he wishes. Intimidation and coercion spell plain slavery which destroys free society." Pres. Joseph F. Smith d, in added these comments: If we are to have labor organizations among us, and there is no good reason why our young men might not be so organized, they should be formed on a sensible basis, and officered by men who have their families and all their interests around them. The spirit of goodwill and brotherhood, such as we have in the Gospel of Christ, should characterize their conduct and organizations. For be it known, the religious note is and should remain the dominant 1903 note of our character and of all our actions." Protection of Property While there is not reason why workmen should not join together for their own mutual protection and benefit, there is every reason why in so doing they should regard the rights of their fellows1, be jealous of the protection property, and eliminate from their methods of warfare, boycotts, sympathetic strikes and the walking delegates.Man Entitled to Liberty Young Farmers and Ranchers pose for picture in DeMolnes, Iowa. The leadership conference in DeMoines Iowa was reportedly a very successful training school. Providing inspiration motivation and entertainment for all attending. Back row I. to r. Stuart Johnson, Chairman, YF&R Committee, Dennis McDougal, Newell Norman, Robert Johnson, Outstanding Young Farmer Winner and Ray Bert Hansen. Front row: Pauline McDougal, Linda Norman, and LaRue Johnson. - The unions are forcing our peo- ple into an inconsistent and dangerous attitude when they comSaints within the pel Latter-Da- y union to make war upon their bre-th- en who are without the union, and thereby. denying the most sacred and God given right of one v DEMOCRACY in the UNirED THRU TAXATION.. may gain some advantage over a third party person,thelr employer. Such conduct is destructive of the liberty which ever y man is en- Right-to-Wo- rk . state WILL LAST UNTIL THOSE IN POWER LEARN THAT THE CAN PERPETUATE THEMSELVES class of Saints that another class titled to enjoy, and will lead in the end to the spirit of a contention and apostasy." The Latter-Da- y Saints, whether in the unions or out of them, know very well whether individual or united demands are argitrary and unjust, and they will lose noisnt the case. thing by a manly refusal to violate their sense of justice." Much Some final ideas in favor of more could be said about this were presented the issue but it seems inconsistent to as early as 1941 as set forth as pass laws on one hand that are direction for church membership. designed to protect civil rights" Alluding to a Deseret News Ed. and on the other hand pass legitorlal of September 26, 1941 and islation that so denies statements of President Joseph a worker of such clearly a fundamental F. Smith in 1903 the following right. As more and more presincludes some of their statements: sure is generated for the likes of agency shop laws the implicaNo one at all conversant with tions to agriculture and every industrial history and practices 'citizen should be clearly can deny that in many places and right-to-wo- A. Alton Hoffman, February. out work." right-to-wo- Tribute majority will recognize the benefits and be willing to join volun- under adverse conditions labor must have some organization in order to protect its members exploitation. Furthermore, labor is entitled to a fair return for its work. What is a fair return is not a fixed sum, but is dependent upon the economic conditions of a given time and in a given place. It can never be an amount that does not leave some profit to the owner else the owner closes up and labor is with- - French philosopher T ALEXIS DE T0CQUEVILLE after visiting i U.S.in 1851-- 2 j |