The Nome Nugget

May Be Thrown Out By NLRB

WASHINGTON. (AP)--Robert N Denham, chief prosecutor of the Taft-Hartley act, conceded today that the law permits individual union members to use its privileges even if the union's officers refuse to swear they are not Communists. The situation came to light in connecting with a report by the national labor relations board showing that during the first six weeks of the new law 90 per cent of the unfair labor practice charges against employers were filed by individuals. "We know that a number of those cases were filed by individuals whose union leaders have failed to file the non-communist affidavits," said Denham, who is NLRB general counsel. "But there is nothing in the law to prevent an individual from bringing such a charge." The law requires that the union's officers must sign the affidavits before the union itself can bring complaints against employers or, in fact, use the NLRB's facilities at all. A summary of NLRB cases under the Taft-Hartley act up to October 1 shows individuals filed 305 charges of unfair labor practices and unions only 30. Denham declined to say what he would do if he had reason to believe an individual's complaint against an employer was inspired by a union's communist leadership. He has final authority on accepting or dismissing all complaint cases, and his decision can't be appealed to the courts.