Evening star., 1937-01-03
Strikes
Continued From First Page.)

workers are idle now. Stop orders
sent to parts suppliers threaten to
cause additional closings.
Union officials, headed by their
youthful president. Homer Martin.
completed plans tonight for meeting
in Flint tomorrow of union repre-
sentatives from 10 cities in which
General Motors has plants. The
meeting is to consider collective
bargaining contract, which, union
officials said. is to be used as the basis
for negotiations with General Motors
Thus far General Motors has de-
clined to negotiate such an agreement.
asserting that agencies already have
been set up for that purpose and that
wage and working condition differ
ences should be negotiated with in
dividual plant managers.
Spread of Strikes Anticipated.
Martin said today: UNLESS General
Motors agrees to negotiate. both on
the strikes and the demand for a
general collective bargaining agree
ment. we anticipate the spread of the
present strikes.
SHOULD Mr.. Knudsen and his Off
cial associates fail or refuse to join
us in our efforts to head off further
walkouts, tie responsibility must rest
with General Motors"
William S. Knudsen, who Is execu-
tive vice president of General Motors,
had told Martin he was willing to
meet with him at any time, but re-
ferred him to plant managers for the
negotiation of differences. At the
same time he said that more than
135, 900 General Motors employees face
possible lay-offs due to the strikes
already in progress.
Martin replied in public statement
that plant managers were without
authority to negotiate on matters on
which the union is seeking q con-
ference.
At tomorrow's meeting of union
representatives in Flint, delegations
will be present from Detroit, Flint,
Pontiac and Lansing, Mich; Ander-
son, Ind; Norwood. Toledo and Cleve-
land. Ohio; GAINESVILLE, Wis, and st.
Louis.
John Brophy, director of John L.
Lewis Committee for Industrial Or
ganization, to which the automobile
union belongs. and Adolph Germer
and Allan Haywood, c. I. O. organ
izers. also will attend.
At Pittsburgh today, Brophy as
serted that "the supposed willingness
of plant managers to meet with the
union is an evasive method to frus-
trate collective bargaining"
No Disorder of Consequence.
The strikers remained in most Of
the affected plants over the week end,
themselves in various ways.
To date there has been no disorder OF
at any point. Knudsen in
his recent letter to Martin suggested
the withdrawal Of these workers before
any thought might be gwen to negotia-
tions. He said they were Illegally in
of the plants.
Card playing and dancing generally
was the diversion for most of the stay
ms" At the plant of the Guide Lamp
Co.. a General Motors subsidiary at
Ind, a 3o-piece orchestra
provided dance music for the idle
workers. Food was sent In by the
friends and relatives.
To date the drive of the Automobile
Workers Union has been concentrated
upon General Motors, and while
shortage Of supplies has been felt in
other units of the industry, only Gen.
eral Motors thus far has shown evi-
dence that it was seriously affected.
The present drive began with
strike at the Fisher Body plant at At
lanta on November IL. causing the
Fisher and Chevrolet plants to close
and affecting 1900 employees. Other
larger plants affected subsequently
we're:
Kansas City-Fisher and Chevrolet,
1000 workers.
Cleveland-Fisher Body, approxi-
mately 1000 employees.
Norwood, Ohio-Fisher Body and
1900 employees.
Flint, Mich.-Two Fisher Body