Evening star., 1941-09-17
Trade Journal Says
Labor Trouble PeriIs
Steel Production
Strike in Captive Mines
And Union Dues Drives
Declared Dangerous
By the Associated Press.

BY the AksOCttLe0 PreSS.
NEW YORK, Sept. 17.-Current
labor troubles are described as a
threat to continued high-rate steel
production in the magazine Iron
Age today.
Calling of the C. I. o. strike in
captive mines producing coal for the
Nations steel plants at midweek
seemed so dangerous to the national
defense program that it could not
be permitted to continue. In the
same CLASSIFICATION are union dues
drives such as that which on Tues
day struck at the heart of the steel
production in the Pittsburgh area.
the vital by-product coke works at
Clarion, Pa. The stoppage began
when operators of coke oven bat
teries sat down, refusing to work
with non-dues paying men.
Still another danger to continued
high steel production lies in unpub-
licized strikes and slow-downs in
various plants. One steel manu-
facturer this week told the Iron Age
that since January /. l94l. the steel
industry has lost the equivalent of
one months production from these
wildcat strikes, which often are
called without the approval or
knowledge of union leaders.
Most Vital issue.
But the most important develop
ments in the labor situation are likely
TO come in the current negotiations
between the Steel Workers Organ
izing Committee and some of the
large little steel companies. such as
Bethlehem Steel Co. Republic Steel
Corp, Inland Steel Co. and Youngs-
town Sheet e. Tube Co. One de-
mand being made by the S. w. o. C..
here is the most vital issue in man
agement-labor dealings in these
timeS-is for the union shop.
Opposing the c. I. O's Industrial
Union Of Marine & Shipbuilding
Workers in its demand for union
shop at Federal Shipbuilding 81 Dry
dock Co.'S Kearny IN. j. shipyards,
the Federal company "a United
States Steel subsidiary recently lost
the management of its shipbuilding
business to the Navy. II the Ma
tional Defense Mediation Board,
which supported the ship union.
stands its ground and upholds the
c. I. O's Steel Workers Organizing
Committee in its request for union
shop in the steel industry. a new
chapter in union history is open
ing.
With demand for steel ever ris-
ing, ingot production this week de-
clined II, points to 96 per cent from
97l7 per cent last week. chiefly be-
cause of a fve-point decline to 95
per cent at Pittsburgh and a one
point drop to 100 per cent at Chi
cago.
Cold Weather Fears.
The S. w. o. C. strike and furnace
repairs. plus the pig iron and scrap
deficiency. ere responsible for the
Pittsburgh decline. Steelmakers In
Northern plants are already plagued
| with fears that cold weather will
weaken open hearth schedules by
slowing scrap collection. Scrap sup
plies needed to maintain the con-
tinued high steel melting rate are
not being built up as is usual at this
season.
While September steel shipments
covering American and British de-
fense needs are running more than
so per cent of the total tonnage
shipped, recent orders from Wash
ington granting additional priority
ratings are likely to push the total
of defense-rated business in October
shipments to from 70 to rs per cent
When September tentative ship
ments were analyzed. such business
as warehouse requirements. steel
drum needs, repair and maintenance
specifications and farm equipment
did not carry an 0. P. M. rating
symbol, although many companies
considered such steel business a.
indirect defense effort.
The shortage of steel plates Is
holding freight car production to
% per cent of capacity against q
backlog of 10000 cars. and is slow
ing ship production, particularly on
the West Coast, where four yards
report delay due to inability to OBJ
tain steel in the proper sequence.
Fabricated structural steel
awards, including 7,040 tons for a
subassembly shop at the Brooklyn
Navy Yard, dropped to 15,60o tons
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