Evening star., 1934-03-21
Labor Leaders
Due in City
Tomorrow.
GROUPS VOICE
BITTER VIEWS
Rail Men Accept
Arbitration by
Eastman.
Ry the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press
President Roosevelt will confer late
today with representatives of auto
mobile manufacturers in move to
end the labor dispute which threatens
strike action.
Senator Couzens, Republican of
Michigan. said after comforting with
the President that Mr.. Roosevelt had
a proposal ready to offer in an effort
to end the dispute. He would not say
what it was.
Railroad labor today rejected Mr..
RooSevelts' proposal to continue the
existing wage agreement. but accepted
his offer for Joseph B. Eastman, rail-
road co-ordinator, to arbitrate the
dispute.
Mr.. Roosevelt will confer separately
tomorrow with the representatives of
auto labor who have threatened to
strike.
Pending tomorrow's conference. he
will ask the manufacturers to remain
in the city.
Says He Will Listen.
Before today's session Mr.. Roosevelt
said he was first going to listen to
what was proposed.
Whatever ideas he has in mind for
settlement of the dispute, he said,
would be reserved until he had heard
the facts in the case.
Hugh S. Johnson, recovery admins
traitor, who has been conferring in
New YorW with the manufacturers,
will go with them to the White House.
Mr.. Roosevelt sent word to Will
liam Collins. American Federation of
Labor representative in Detroit. that
he would be willing to have the l3
separate unions represented at tomor-
rows conference.
Meanwhile. it became known that
William Green, president of the Amer
ican Federation of Labor, will urge
representatives of automobile labor
to simplify their demands to two key
points before they confer with the
President.
Seeks Simplified Aims.
Green communicated with Detroit
by telephone and learned 80 of the
strike leaders would arrive in the Cap
ital on an early train tomorrow.
The labor program is to narrow de-
mands to creation of a neutral review
board to pass on charges of dlscrlm-
ination against union men and to
the immediate selection of employe
representatives for collective bar
gaining.
This plan was based on a belief
that, if reduced to these two points.
the President would have much
better chance to work out an agree
ment than with the seven or eight
demands so far pressed by the work
ers.
Authoritative indications we're that
Gen. johnson, in his New York con-
ferences with the automobile leaders.
obtained an agreement to only one
half of his proposal for strike settle
ment, namely. creation OF the I'M
partial board to pass on grievances.
The executives were represented as
standing adamant against any plan
for elections in their plants and re-
iterating their offer to deal with en-
ployes' SpokeSmen. whether union or
not. upon proof that the men de-
sired such representation.
Whitney Gives Decision.
The decision Of the railway labor
representatives was presented to Mr.
Roosevelt in a letter from A. F. Whit
ney, chairman of the Railway Labor
Executives Association.
Railway executives already have
agreed to continue the present 10 per
cent wage cut for another six months.
The labor leaders held out for 20
per cent increase over what they are
now getting
The Whitney letter said
I'VE share your disappointment that
agreement has not been reached dis
posing of this controversy. however,
the economic plight of the employees
does not allow them to submit to the
demands OF the carriers.
We accept your proffer of the
services of the Federal co-ordinator
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