Evening star., 1933-02-07
STRIKE IS CALLED
IN HUDSON FACTORY
Body Plant Workers Demand
20 Per Cent Raise and
Overtime Increase.

By the Associated Press
DETROIT, February 7.-Ofhcials of
the Hudson Motor Car Co. announced
today that 5000 employees of the Hud-
son body plant had gone on strike. de-
manding a 20 per cent wage increase
and time and half for overtime.
The body plant reopened Monday
after weeks shutdown.
THE officials said they had a con-
siderable stock of bodies on hand which
would keep the assembly plants in op-
Grafton for several days, but reported
they would be forced to close the en-
tire plant if the strike continued more
than day or two.
Communists Blamed.
Insisting the walkout, which occurred
shortly after 10 am. today, was due to
Communist agitation, the officials said
they hoped to have the men back at
work in day or two-as soon as We
can get in communication with them"
The demands included 20 per cent
increase in day-rate wages and bonus
of $50 per cent on the basis of volume
produced: a 30-per cent increase in
all hourly-rate wages, with an addition
al cents an hour for night workers.
time and half for overtime, and ade-
quate number of relief men on assembly
lines, recognition of a grievance COM
mittee in all departments, and ade-
quate ventilation in all departments.
Says Wages Are High.
Max Wollering, vice president in
charge of manufacturing, said the wages
in the plant already are better than
20 per cent above those paid in other
body plants" He declared the list of
demands indicates an unfamiliarity
with the plant"
This disturbance is by agitators who
are outsiders and members of the
Communist group" he said. Our own
older employees have been reluctantly
forced out. The Hudson Co. has been
almost free from labor trouble for
nearly IS years. There have been no
previous walkcutS or strikes"
Other officials said the 5000 men who
walked out did so following march
through the plant this morning by n
email group Of leaders who shouted,
Gene en-, we're going out" They Said
the wGlk-out came suddenly, without
advance information by employees. About
5000 men still are employed in the
assembly plant.
Plant Closed January 80.
The Hudson body plant was closed
January 80, when officials said they
would await the arrival Of sufficient
orders to keep the plant in steady oper
alton fer several weeks. They declared
the shutdown had no connection with
labor troubles at the plants of the
Briggs Manufacturing Co., where 5000
men walked out two weeks ago, fore
ing shutdown of the Ford Motor Co.,
for which the Briggs plant supplies
bodies. Briggs officials today reported
they we're operating at full strength
producing bodies for the Ford Co.,
while officials said some of their branch
plants had reopened, in preparation
for a return to production.
Another Setback Met.
Arbitration between the Briggs Off
cials and the striking employees received
another setback yesterday when the
company natified Mayor Frank Murphy's
Fact Finding Committee that strikers
demands, submitted through the COM
n1ittee, could not be met.
The demands included minimum of
As cents an hour for women, so cents
for men, fve-day week and nine-hour
day and recognition of shop commit
tees.
Walter o. Briggs, president, wrote the
committee that ito accede to such de-
mands would be to bring ruin
TOT only to the automobile INDUSTRY,
but to other industries in this city"
He also reiterated the charge, repeat
edly denied by the strikers, that the
walkout was Of Communistic origin.
Briggs wrote that the stated causes
for which our employees were induced to
leave our plant have been eliminated;
that the "So-called 'dead-time'" has
been abolished and that employees now
are guaranteed a minimum hourly wage
mo man or woman on the Briggs gay
roll' he wrote, is now receiving less
than minimum guaranteed basic rate
OF 30 cents an hour"