The Washington times., 1934-06-19
STEEL FIGHT
SHOWDOWN
SEENNEAR
RiChberg Sees Barons in N. y!
Union Leaders Here for
ParIey With Perkins
BY 1ht.rnational Nows Service

ny EME9FHAEA0Dm1f N0Wb SeENlCO
Iabor-management relations il
the steel industry, which only las
week safely hurdled a threatene'
general strike by a narrow margin
neared a showdown today owe
the industry's willingness to "g'
along" on the unions propo5a
to set up q three-man mediation
board comprised Of presidential
appointees.
Briefly, the situation shaped Vi
aS follows:
l. Donald Richberg, NRA
counsel, was reported or re-
liable authority to be comforting
with steel masters In New York.
These conferences, it was be-
Geved, were motivated by the
desire either to persuade the
steel barons to accede to the
- union proposal, or to offer a
compromise acceptable to the
unions.
Sees Little Difference
2. Recovery A d m n strator
johnson voiced the belief that
there was very little difference"
between the unions proposals
and the provisions embodied in
the revised Wagner labor dis
puteS measure, now awaiting
the Presidents signature.
g.. Steel union leaders met
with Secretary of Labor Perkins
to carry out the mandate given
by delegates to the so-called
strike convention" at Pitts
blrgh last week. This conven-
ton authorized the leaders to
submit to the PreSident-pre-
Srlmably through Miss Perkins
the unions mediation proposal.
4. In an open letter to the
President, the union chieftains
outlined provisions of their
mediation proposal and urged
that their offer be submitted to
the steel masters, voicing the
hope that it would prove accept
able to the manufacturers.
Headed by Mike F. Tighe, cor
Servative president Of the unior
the workers delegation eXpresse
the hope their proposal for 1
three-man mediation board, to D
appointed by the president. woul
provide the ultimate solution o
the situation.
See Sec. Perkins
Other members of the delegation
which went into conference wit
Secretary of Labor Perkins toda
included Edward Miller, Thoma
G. GilliS and Louis Leonard. The
were Shepherded into Miss Perkins
office by William Green, A. F. o
L. president, following an earle
meeting of the union leaders a
the A. F. Of L. headquarters here
MIR. Green explained:
eve are simply carrying out
the instructions of the cOnven-
tion held in Pittsburgh last
week. We are submitting to
Secretary Perkins the counter
proposal Of the steel workers.
at is our hope that this
OOunter-prOpOSal will be sub
mitted by the Administration to
the steel operators for accept
ance and approval. If it is
accepted, it will avert q strike
and win establish cordial reIa-
tiOns between the workers and
the operators.
'1t seems incOnceivabIe that
the steel magnates should reject
. this counter-prop0SaI, which
provides that President ROOse-
welt would appoint three persons
who would have authority to call
elections among steel employees
to select bargaining representa-
tiveS. It would also require
steel operators to recognize for
collective bargaining purposes
the labor organization receiving
. . majority of empIOye votes in
any given plant election"
Although recurrent rumorS hav
indicated the union leaders woul'
confer with President Roosevelt
it was said at the White Hous
this morning that no such meet
ing was in prospect. The Pres
dent, however, was to confer witt
Secretary Perkins this Afternoon
and the assumption was tina
Miss Perkins would lay before he
chief the giSt of her discussion