The Labor Reform Act of 1978 has been shelved – at least for the present. Utah’s Sen. Orrin Hatch, key leader in the Senate filibuster which halted action on the measure, thinks it may be dead for this session of Congress. Six times proponents of the bill called for Senate votes on cloture to stop debate and force a vote on the question. But opponents, of which Sen. Hatch is a co-leader, mustered the votes to beat back the attempt. They apparently lack the votes to kill the measure outright. The 19-day debate came to a halt when Senate Majority Leader Robert Byrd sent the bill back to committee for further study. An amended bill may be presented some time after July 15, but possibly would face another tieup in filibuster. The socalled reform, sought by Big Labor, is designed to speed enforcement in cases of labor law violations, increase the size and authority of the National Labor Relations Board, make it easier for unions to organize companies, and provide union organizers ”equal access” to plants and other company property. Our intent here is not to get into specifics, but a sponsor of the bill said a major point of opposition was the provision allowing imion organizers access to company property – and this is understandable. A general theme of opponents of the legislation seemed to be that the bill’s main focus is on the rights of unions – as unions, not as representatives of workers. Sen. Hatch seemed to put his finger on a major defect when he said. “instead of strengthening the powers of employees to choose for themselves on union activities, it (the bill) would weaken the ability of both employees and employers to protect themselves from the excesses of organized labor.” It is hoped that if this controversial bill is brought back for further consideration, its provisions will be drastically improved in this regard.