The Waterbury Democrat., 1937-02-11

rom Page D
 his bed on pillows with medicines on c table at his elbow.
 The formality of the conference chamber quickly dropped away and the men soon arrived at c jovial and intimate basis of understanding.
 Lewis Was Joking
 At one point, Lewis reportedly said jokinely
 ''Mr. smith:, you and I know that 1t all gets down to this: I am cut to do you and you are out to do me-"
 Smith replied:
 "You are right, Mr. Lewis"
 Across the rumbled bedsheets. points that had baffIed the con- ferees began to straighten them- selves out.
 It was understood that their first task was to clear many minor points. In three meetings at Lewis bed during the evening, these in- cidental but obstructive questions were settled ::
 Voluntary evacuation of plants held by sit-down strikers; cessation by General Motors of injunction suits against the sit-down strikers and union leaders; establishment of machinery to resume operations in all 6o plants.
 Things Are Getting Hot By SOS D. m. Federal Conciliator James F. Dewey was able to say: Things are getting hot" and by 7:43 p. m., Murphy felt justified in the more conservative, i've are moving forward.
 The speed with which Lewis and Smith were disposing of questions which have been matter for fruit less pickering day after day, caused Murphy to summon a general con- ference for 9 p. m. By 9:55 p. m. he had all the con- ferees for both sides except Lewis in the presidential suite of the Ho- tel Statler.
 Twice after that he, Dewey and Smith went to Lewis, four floors below. Finally an agreement was per- fected and put into four pages of typewriting.
 Murphy summoned the press. His voice was hoarse, his manner almost dejected as he began.
 "An agreement has been reached" he announced, under terms Cf which the union agrees to end the strike. ,,.... Triumphant Moment
 Then he began realizing. appar- ently, that this was his triumphant moment, that after repeated dis appointments he was announcing the settlement of one of the ti- tanic industrial struggles of these times.
 He raised his head, squared his shoulders.
 This, I believe, is an enduring peace" he asserted.
 The fatigue of days and nights of seemingly intermiable pickering fell away from him as he made this happy statement.
 Here was his triumph, the justi- fication of his repeated expressions of optimism, of a dogged tenacity which had bound the rivals to 8 slender thread of conciliation when it seemed that the differences rep- resented an unbridgeable chasm. Strike on Doorstep Murphy, who gave up his post as high commissioner of the Philip pines to become the New Deal can- didate for governor last year, had found the strike on his doorstep when he took office Jan. l. The days before United Automobile Workers had occupied Fisher body plants No. 1 and No. 2 at Flint with sit-down strikes. In the previous week. sparodic sit-down strikes in various c. M. units elsewhere had broken out. Within the following few weeks, three more plants, in De- troit and Anderson, Ind, were oc- cupied by sit-down strikers. And. by the beginning of last week, the corporations 69 large and small plants from coast to coast were paralyzed by shortage of materials.
 Murphy began conciliation ef- forts immediately. On January "A he brought William 8. Knudsen, c. M. c. executive vice-president, and Homer Martin, union president, into conference in his office at Lansing. After IS hours, Murphy obtained truce under which the union agreed to evacuate the plants and the com- pany agreed not to resume produc- ton in the IT plants then closed directly by strikers. Truce Short Lived Collective bargaining was to have begun January IS. But that truse was short-lived. Late on Saturday night, Jan. 16, Knudsen released the text of a telegram he had sent to George Boysen, leader of group at Flint known as the Flint Alliance, which had been bitterly anti-union. Knud- sen said he would be happy to meet the Alliance for collective bargain ing also.
 The union already had withdrawn It's sit-downers from three plants and was scheduled to march the men out of the Flint plants to band music on Sunday, the next day.
 Sunday morning the union lead- CTS learned of Knudsens telegram The evacuation was countermand-