Massachusetts Question 7, Procedure for Labor Strike Initiative (1948)
| Massachusetts Question 7 | |
|---|---|
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| Election date |
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| Topic Labor disputes and strikes |
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| Status |
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| Type Indirect initiated state statute |
Origin |
Massachusetts Question 7 was on the ballot as an indirect initiated state statute in Massachusetts on November 2, 1948. It was defeated.
A “yes” vote supported requiring a majority vote by secret ballot of all union members employed at a specific business or unit before calling a strike, with voting rules set by the Labor Relations Commission, mandatory reporting of results, and penalties for coercion, false reporting, or failing to report. |
A “no” vote opposed requiring a majority vote by secret ballot of all union members employed at a specific business or unit before calling a strike, with voting rules set by the Labor Relations Commission, mandatory reporting of results, and penalties for coercion, false reporting, or failing to report. |
Election results
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Massachusetts Question 7 |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
| Yes | 653,932 | 36.76% | ||
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1,124,818 | 63.24% | ||
Text of measure
Ballot title
The ballot title for Question 7 was as follows:
| “ | Do you approve of a law summarized below which was disapproved in the House of Representatives by a vote of 95 in the affirmative and 110 in the negative and in the Senate by a vote of 14 in the affirmative and 18 in the negative? | ” |
Ballot summary
The ballot summary for this measure was:
| “ |
This measure prohibits the calling of a strike by a labor organization in any business or plant or unit thereof, except when authorized by the vote of the majority of all the members of the organization employed in the business, plant or unit thereof. Such authorization is to be expressed by a secret written or printed ballot at a meeting called for that purpose. The Labor Relations Commission is authorized to make rules for the con- duct of the voting. Within twenty-four hours after the voting the labor or- ganization conducting it shall make a written report of the result to the commission, which shall be a permanent public record. If no report is filed the vote taken shall be void and a person making a false report shall be guilty of perjury. Coercion and intimidation of members of a labor organization in connection with such voting is made a penal offense. | ” |
Path to the ballot
Before 1952, citizen-initiated ballot measures in Massachusetts required a fixed number of signatures. In 1950, voters approved a constitutional amendment changing this to a percentage-based system, tying the number of required signatures to ballots cast in the most recent gubernatorial election. Before 1952, the signature requirement for indirect initiated state statutes was 20,000, with an additional 5,000 if the Legislature rejected the proposal and proponents wanted it placed on the ballot.
See also
External links
- William Francis Galvin Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, "Massachusetts Statewide Ballot Measures: 1919-Present"
- Athol Daily News, "LEGAL NOTICE," October 25, 1948
Footnotes
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