Evening star., 1934-03-17
JOHNSON HOPEFUL
TO AVERT STRIKE
Intends to Conduct Vote
of Auto Workers in
Person.
Continued From First Page.)

Continued From First Page)
Tuesday morning or thereabouts,"
Knudsen said yesterday. He added IL
was his purpose to create some agen-
cy to avert not only the threatened
strike, but others In the future as
well.
I'VE have no understanding with
labor, nor have we made any COM
mitments," he said. 1T would be
deplorable II the strike were called.
Business has been good this year,
and we have so many men at work.
I want to assure you how we have
tried to comply with the national in
dustrial recovery act"
The labor men, frankly somewhat
irritated at the delay. adjourned late
yesterday to American Federation Of
Labor headquarters to discuss the
Johnson proposals and make their de-
cision whether the strike, already
scheduled to begin Monday or Tues
day, should be postponed.
They stood by their plan to leave
the city at AIS pm. to return to De-
troit and report to the union mem
bers.
There they will await whatever pro-
posal the Chambers Executive Com
mittee has to make on Tuesday and
will then meet to decide whether it
is acceptable or the strike shall be
called for Wednesday morning.
I'VE got the representatives (of the
unions) to agree to hold of until
Gen. johnson hears from the auto
mobile Chamber Of Commerce on
Tuesday" william Collins, chief or
ganizer for the Detroit area said.
$4,000 Men to Quit.
If the strike is called, Collins as
serted, $4,000 men in Cleveland and
st. Louis as well as in Michigan, will
lay down their tools. He made it
plain. however, the labor leaders
would welcome a conciliatory declara-
ton by the manufacturers and If such
we're forthcoming would be agreeable
to calling of the strike, despite the
uncompromiSing tone Of resolution
which was adopted. 1t said:
1T is the recommendation Of the
representatives of the Automobile
with the American Federation of
Labor, attending the hearing Of the
National Labor Board where the auto
mobile manufacturers defied the ad-
ministration of the national recovery
act, that work shall be suspended next
Wednesday morning at 9 am, and
that the suspension shall be continued
until such a time as the Government
entorces the law"
A separate resolution denounced
the attitude of the executives as "un-
fair, unjust, unwarranted, un-Amer-
ican and contrary to public interest"
II added:
We appreciate thoroughly our re-
sponsibility in this great crisis, but
we must and will remain loyal to the
interests of the thousands of ex-
plotted men and women of this great
industrial autocracy. We therefore
solemnly direct our people to proceed
as only free men have proceeded in
the past when their rights have been
denied them.
I'VE appeal to the great American
public to understand that our strug-
giles is but the struggle Of poor men
and women to protect and preserve
the free institutions of our great re-
public
Statement by Johnson
Johnson's statement follows:
"An automobile strike threatens the
whole industry.
"The gentlemen before the National
Labor Board represented only two
companies.
"In conference between the board
and N. r. A. it seemed wise to all
concerned to make an attempt to
give the self-governing code authority
Of the whole industry an opportunity
to act in its proper function to try
to settle the trouble-not only as
to the two companies and not only
as TO this occasion, but as to all COM
panies and other occasions that might
arise.
That code authority was not as
Sembled. but. after several telephone
conversations with individual men,
bers. it seemed very probable that
proposals suggested by the Labor
Board and N R. A. as fair to all
might be agreed to by both sides
To make these proposals definite and
official for the whole industry the
Executive Committee of the code au-
thority with power to act will meet
in New York on Monday In the
meantime, federation officials have
agreed to postpone aggressive action
Senator Wagner and the administra-
tion are both hopeful of peaceful
and satisfactory solution in full COM
pliaQce with the law"