III. The union shop is, of course, not new to the steel industry or to industries related thereto. The record in this case indicates that, of a total of 2,200 contracts with this union covering production and maintenance units in basic steel and fabricating plants, union-shop provisions have been agreed to by employers in 994 (45 percent). It also appears that, of 66 companies operating basic-steel plants with which the union had contracts in October 1951, 27 had agreed to either the full union shop or some modification thereof beyond maintenance of membership. Furthermore, while most of the major steel-producing companies have not agreed to the union shop in their contracts with this union, several of them have included such clauses in agreements with other labor organizations. The steel companies which own and operate coal mines, for example, entered into union-shop agreements some years ago with the United Mine Workers of America. More recently, several of the railroad subsidiaries of the steel companies have adopted union-shop clauses covering railroad employees, prior to and without recommendations from any Government board. Recently an emergency board recommended the union shop for all the railroads of the country. A list of companies with union-shop provisions in contracts with the steelworkers, follows. It was union exhibit No. 17A in Board case No. D-18-C. List of companies with union-shop provisions—United States Steel Corp. List of companies with union-shop provisions, interdistrict |