The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1934-06-15


the New Deal would have suffered
black eye, so General Johnson tackled
the problem energetically and per-
suaded Thomas F. Mcmahon, president
of the United Textile Workers Of
America, and George Sloan, head of
the Cotton Textile institute, to accept
a compromise, and the call for the
strike was revoked.
The employers are permitted to go
ahead with their program of curtailing
production % per cent, and the labor
ers have the promise Of an NRA inves-
tigation into the matter of higher
wages and other points Of difference.
The union also is assured of increased
representation on the industrial rela-
tons board Of the cotton textile code
authority and on the NRA advisory
board.
The next great labor trouble, the dis
pute between the steel masters and
the Amalgamated Association Of Iron,
Steel and Tin Workers, promised to
be more difficult for General Johnson
to handle, and it seemed that prompt
action by President Roosevelt would
be necessary to avert the threatened
strike. The men demand the right of
collective bargaining through the
union agents. Michael F. Tighe, pres
ident of the Amalgamated, declared it
was up to Mr.. Roosevelt to provide
prompt and unqualified enforcement
of the law" on this point. He said the
government had failed the steel work
ers and their patience is exhausted"
According to the American Iron and
Steel institute, the strike threats are
due to the activities Of union leaders
who seek government Intervention ito
maneuver themselves into positions of
power and domination over the steel
workers of the nation" In formal
statement, the institute asserted re-
lations of steel companies and great
mass of their employees are peace
full" and that the whole difficulty lies
with the Amalgamated association.
The "closed shop" is the one point
at issue, the statement says, and for
the employers to ''accede to such
request would be rank treachery."
Asserting that an overwhelming ma
jority of the 100000 employees in the
steel industry have refused to join the
union and do not want to strike, the
institute said:
1.-THE opposition of the steel indus
try to the closed shop is fully war
ran&ad no ito nvur ovporianca apd that
of other industries, where there have
been many instances Of jurisdictional
disputes, strikes, racketeering, exces-
sive dues, fines, penalties, limitation
of output, and intrusion of agents hav-
ing no acquaintance with the industry
or with the employees they claim as
their constituents.
mo issue exists between the steel
companies and the great majority Of
their employees. Since last June, more
than $4,000 workers have been added
to the payrolls. The eight-hour day
has been generally adopted. Average
hourly wages have Increased 81 per
cent, and they are now per cent
higher than they were at the peak
in 1929.
"The steel industry believes its en-
ployees generally will resist all efforts
to force them under closed shop DOM
nation"
The strike of employees Of the Elec-
trio Auto-Lite company in Toledo, that
led to fatal riots and threatened to
spread throughout the automobile in
dustry, was brought to an end, the
workers gaining per cent increase
and recognition of their bargaining
committee.