NONUNION GROUPS OFFER WORKERS VOICE IN POLICY MAKING.

Byline: Karen Testa Associated Press 

Mark Phillips works a four-day week, getting an early start on the weekend. David Burton is able to slip out of the office for a couple hours to run errands, and he still gets paid.

What made these schedules possible at Efco Corp. were committees where the company's entirely nonunion work force can sit down with managers to make suggestions, discuss benefits and encourage policy changes.

``If we've had a problem, we've always been able to voice our opinion,'' said Phillips, an engineer at the 1,300-employee maker of aluminum windows, doors and storefronts in southwest Missouri.

But these meetings have been illegal for 60 years, and an administrative law judge has told Efco it violated fair labor practice. Efco appealed to the National Labor Relations Board, which has yet to rule.

In the meantime, employees continue to convene and keep their eyes on Congress, where the Senate gave narrow support to the nonunion cause Wednesday.

The Senate voted 53-46 to amend the law to make clear that employers can convene groups of nonunion workers to discuss such issues as health and safety, productivity and efficiency. The House passed a similar bill.

Opponents include the Clinton administration, which has promised to veto the bill on grounds it undermines the nation's long history of collective bargaining, puts management in control of employee involvement and encourages ``company unions.''

But others say the climate of the work force has changed, and such dialogue makes sense.

``This town and this company have come up from a philosophy that everyone is our neighbor and you can go talk to them,'' said Burton, an Efco salesman. ``Why should we need a third party to go in and create friction for us?''

Efco President Chris Fuldner, who testified before Congress on the issue, said limiting discussion hurts American industry at a time when employers are trying harder to incorporate employee feedback.

``It's almost impossible to do if you're limited to talking to one person at a time,'' he said.

Efco got into hot water over the committees in 1992, when the International Brotherhood of Carpenters was stymied in its efforts to organize a membership drive. The union, which had represented the employees from 1963 until 1972, complained to the NLRB.

``We believe the best way to have a real voice is to have a union where representatives are selected by employees and participate on real terms without fear of employer reprisal,'' said Peg Seminario of the AFL-CIO in Washington.

Efco employees, however, say they no longer need a union, and they deny the committees are there to keep unions out.

``If we feel things aren't going the way we set these committees, we could still form a union,'' Phillips said.

So far, they say, the committees have worked well, yielding a voluntary, four-day workweek and personal time for employees.

At Tuesday's meeting, the committee discussed getting mileage reimbursement raised from 20 cents to 31 cents.

The prospect of having to disband such committees worried many employees.

``We've gone so far now,'' Phillips said. ``It would be a giant step back.''

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Photo

Photo: Dave Burton conducts a policy review committee meeti ng at Efco Corp. in Missouri. Such groups are illegal under current labor laws.

Associated Press