Evening star., 1941-11-28
Mine Arbiters Face
New Complication;
WeIder Strike Off
Labor Men Await G. |. O.
Reaction TO Presidents
Refusal Of designations
BY the Associated Press.

bN the Associated treSs
Labor circles watched with in
tense interest today for the reactions
of two high C. I. o. leaders to letters
from President Roosevelt stating
that he declined to accept their
designations as members of the De-
fense Mediation Board.
On the West Coast strike OF
shipyard welders was at least de-
ferred by Office of Production Man
agement intervention.
Philip Murray, c. I. o. president,
and Thomas Kennedy, secretary of
the United Mine Workers, resigned
in protest to the boards 9to-2 rec
ommendation against union shop
in the steel companies captive coal
mines. All c. I. o. alternate mem
bers of the board likewise resigned,
leaving the future status of the
mediation agency in doubt. The
board membership included three
public representatives, four repre-
Sentatives of employers and four of
labor. OF the latter group, two were
affiliated with the A F. L., two with
the G. l. o.
Following last weeks strike over
the issue Of requiring all employees
of captive mines to become men,
bers of the u M w. Mr.. Roosevelt
named a special arbitration board
which currently is holding sessions
in New York. A new complication
arose there yesterday-there were
published reports that Republic
Steel Corp. and the National Steel
Corp. were not committed to abide
by the arbiters' decision. The board
Immediately inquired of all major
steel concerns If they were prepared
to accept the boards findings as
final.
Welders' Strike Averted.
Unrest continued to prevail among
members OF the welders trade, al
though the possibility of a strike
among welding craftsmen in Los
Angeles shipyards was averted for
the time being by decision to hold
a mediation conference Monday.
The welders want autonomy and
q separate charter within the A.
F. L. They say they have had to
become members of several A. F. L.
unions in order to work at their
trade. The o. P. NJ, interested in
maintaining defense production. has
attempted to mediate the dispute.
The o. P M. worked out an agree
ment recently with A. F. L. officials
to permit the welders to hold only
one union card in order to work.
But the welders repeated their de-
mands for a separate charter, and
declared the one-card agreement
still left discrimination and
abuses"
Tugboat Strike Begins.
A Great Lakes tugboat strike, eff
fective this afternoon, was called
last night as the result of a dispute
at Buffalo, involving dismissal
of fireman. The Tug Fire
men, Linesmen and Oilers Protec-
tive Association directed their strike
against the Great Lakes Towing Co.,
which operates about 80 tugs. A
company official asserted that the
dispute was "squabble between two
A. F. L. unions" but union spokes-
man denied this.
A Federal conciliator attempted to
avert strike threatened by c. l. o.
employees of the Bell Aircraft Corps
warplane plants at Buffalo and Nj
agara Falls, N. Y. A union spokes-
man said that under present plans
a strike date would be set Sunday.
The union claims as members 80
per cent of the II 900 workers at the
two plants. The demands include
a blanket wage increase of 20 cents
an hour, a boost in minimum pay
from SO to IS cents an hour, dues
checkof and a union shop provision
which would require production and
maintenance workers to join the