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17 Gavel 1 (1972)

handle is hein.barjournals/gavel0003 and id is 1 raw text is: THE GAVEL MM7=L THE PRESIDENT'S LETTER Recent developments at the Constitutional Convention here in Bismarck must be brought to your attention. The controversy involving the so-called Right To Work law, and whether it should or should not be included in the tonstitution, has become quite bitter; and in boiling over, raises some problems. A proposal has been introduced carrying an absolute majority of the convention delegates. This proposal, in summary, provides that no one should be prohibited from practicing any trade or profession by reason of membership or non-membership in any labor union or professional association. Fears have been expressed that this language strikes down our integrated Bar Apsociation. Summarizing our current legal structure, the North Dakota State Bar Board in the State agency which issues the licenses. The Bar Board collects a license fee, the amount of which is fixed by the State Bar Association, within a maximum and minimum structure established by the Legislature. The State Bar Board retains a portion of the license fee, and the balance is turned over to the State Bar Association as dues. On our recent plebiscite, a 3 to 1 majority of those responding indicated that they favored retention of the current Right to Work Law, in the new Constitution in the same form as it appeared in the old The proposed'new language, through the inclusion of professional associationputs us in the impossible position of favoring a right to work law where it applies to labor unions, but not favoring it where it applies to our Bar Association.- As of this time, no final action has been taken. The judicial article as proposed by the committee is very well done. It contains many ccmpromise@ between proposals made by Hugh McCutcheon and Herman Weiss and the present language. If adopted, the net result would be to increase the powers of the Supreme Court in administration and of the legislature in making future reforms and modifications. Perhaps the most striking Vol. 17 No. 1 January 1972