Evening star., 1934-03-17
JOHNSON HOPEFUL
THREAT Of STRIKE
MAY Be SETTLED
Intends to Conduct Vote
Of Auto Workers in
Person.
MAY ATTEND SESSION
OF INDUSTRY LEADERS
Mass Meetings Tomorrow Will
Decide on Walkout Delay
Until Wednesday.
By the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press
Hope that he can work out a COM
promise that will avert the threat-
ened automobile strike has been ex-
pressed directly to President Roosevelt
by Hugh S. johnson, the N. r. A.
administrator.
Meanwhile, it became known john
son intends to go to Detroit TO SUPER
wise personally whatever worker elec-
tlons result from his plan for settling
the strike threat.
President Roosevelt is leaving the
dispute in the hands of his industrial
administrator.
johnson made plans today for a
week end trip TO New York, but a
final decision was deferred due to the
press OF business at his Office.
Follows Developments.
The administrator told the White
House he probably would 60 to New
York on Monday to attend a meet
ing of automobile manufacturers
there to consider his proposals for
preventing the strike.
johnson followed all DEVELOPMENTS
in the strike picture closely, his aides
keeping him informed particularly Of
the actions on the labor side.
Mass meetings in the Michigan
automobile center tomorrow were ex-
pected by N. r. A. to give the actual
decision on whether the planned strike
will be held off until Wednesday at
9 am, and then made conditional
on the action of the automobile execu-
tives in New York.
No one at N. r. A. would estimate
how many men actually might GO on
strike. A figure of $4,000 to $4,000
was claimed by the Federation OF
Labor leaders, while automobile execu-
tives were confident the total that
could be called out would be much
smaller.
Unless the n R. A. program is met,
labor leaders intend to start a strike
that will last until the Government
does enforce the national recovery
act" 1t would be called throughout
Michigan, and in Cleveland and st.
Louis.
If the executives announce accept
ance by Tuesday, the walk-out will be
called of.
Whatever the motor car executives
may have said to the administrator
Of N. R. A. and the National Labor
Board members who assisted him,
they made no public promise to ac-
cept the johnson program.
William S. KnudSer's word-given
as the executive officer of General
Motors-was that the Executive Com
mittee of the automobile code author
ity would try to work out plans in
line with the Johnson program. which
calls for elections or for creation i'm
mediately of an impartial board to
pass on employe complaints.
Should the plan be turned down,
the Government might undertake
court action to protect the rights Of
employees
The automobile situation, held to be
the most threatening to the recovery
program and most acute of all the
developing labor disputes, is just the
first of series which Johnson hopes
to clean up this Spring.
He arranged yesterday that the
long standing controversy at the E. G.
Budd Manufacturing Co., in Phila-
delphia, an automobile parts firm. bs
disposed of through an election Tues
| day. The men who went on strike
! last November will be allowed to vote,
together with present employees.
George Buckley. one-time publisher
| of the Chicago Herald Examiner and
now a special assistant to Johnson,
will supervise the balloting. to which
Budd. a persistent foe of the Labor
Board, has given full assent.
Company Union Is Issue.
The Labor Board has produced an
| other serious case which might head
for the courts. by deciding that
workers of the Republic Steel Co. in
Alabama should have a board-super.
viSed election Immediately to decide
| whether they want an A. F. of l..
| union or the company union to speak
for them with the management.
JohnSon's comment last night on
the automobile situation was that
he desired the industry to exercise its
elf-governing powers for settlement
and that he and Senator Wagner,
Labor Board head, hoped for "a
peaceful and satisfactory solution in
full compliance with the law"
The principal issue involved is the
company union. American Federation
of Labor officials asserted the right OF
| organization set forth in the recovery
act had not been permitted by tho
employers of the industry.
Instead, they contended, the en-
| ployers have sought to establish COM
pany dominated unions and have used
| coercion and discrimination to pre-.
vent their employees from joining
other labor organizations.
Knudsen was understood to have
| rejected Johnson's election idea and
| to have found some fault. too, with
Johnson's suggestions TOR concilia-
ton board.
The Executive Committee of the
automobile chamber. which will meet
in New York Monday. consists OF
Alvin Macauley, Alfred P. Sloan, jr,
and Walter Chrysler.
The Executive Committee will re-
| port with some proposal Tor action
II