I have signed into law H.R. 4774, a bill amending the National Labor Relations Act to provide, among other things, that employees who have conscientious objections to joining or financially supporting a labor organization shall not be required to do so.
In signing H.R. 4774, I want to emphasize that the language in this bill defining conscientious objection is not to be construed in such a way as to discriminate among religions or to favor religious views over other views that are constitutionally entitled to the same status. To put any other construction on this definition would, in my view, create serious constitutional difficulties. I have invited the Chairman of the National Labor Relations Board to consult with the Attorney General on the proper interpretation of this language.
Note: As enacted, H.R. 4774 is Public Law 96-593, approved December 24, 1980.
Jimmy Carter, National Labor Relations Act Amendments Bill Statement on Signing H.R. 4774 Into Law. Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/250895