Bargain on Pensions

Five months ago, the National Labor Relations Board ordered the Inland Steel Co. to bargain with the C.I.O. United Steel Workers on pensions--provided the union's officers signed non-Communist affidavits.

Both the company and the union appealed to the courts. The Wagner Act, said the company, did not stipulate that pensions were subjects for bargaining. The Taft-Hartley Act's non-Communist affidavits, said the union, were unconstitutional.

Last week the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago slapped down both company and union. It ruled 2 to i that the Taft-Hartley Act's requirement for non-Communist affidavits is constitutional. It ruled unanimously that management must bargain on pensions with qualified unions. Even employers who already have pension systems, said the court, will have to consult unions on any changes. Both Inland and the union will appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.