Evening star., 1941-04-26
Settlement Is SOUGHT
By Mediation Board
In 6. N. Dispute
Case Certified as u. A. w
Locals in so Plants
Authorize Strike
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
The Defense Mediation Board
strove today to avert a threatened
strike against General Motors Corp,
turning immediate attention to
selection of panel to hea- the
case. ~
Labor Secretary Perkins certified
the dispute to the board last night,
shortly after the C. I. o. United
Automobile Workers announced in
Detroit that local unions in go of the
corporations 81 plants over the Ma
ton had voted to authorize walk
out. There are about 10000 work.
ers on the General Motors pay roll.
The General Motors dispute re-
wolves around union demands for a
closed shop, 10-cents-an-hour
wage increase, revised powers for
a labor umpire and changes in the
shop steward system.
The C. I O.-U. A. w. called
meeting of its international exec
utive board in Detroit tomorrow to
act on the threatened strike. When
r. j. Thomas. international presi-
dent of the union, was asked If GER
tifications of the dispute to the
Mediation Board had averted the
threat. he asked "how could it?"
Federal Mediator Active.
There was no immediate comment
from the company.
Michigan authorities have noti-
fed the union that under a State
law 30-day cooling of period must
elapse before walkout. A Federal
mediator has been active in the
case since union and company nego-
tiators found themselves unable to
agree on terms of contract to re-
place one which expired April 20.
The 30-day cooling-off period
would expire May 49, However. union
officials have questioned validity of
the orders of the State Labor Me-
diation Board, which imposed the
waiting period. and have indicated
they would not be bound by it. The
State law provides five-day waiting
period before any strike is made
legal and authorizes the board to
impose a 30-day period in disputes
affecting the public interests.
81 Plants in Michigan.
Union officials said that 81 G. M.
plants in Michigan, employing about
100000 workers, were involved in the
strike vote.
General Motors has about S7OO.-
000,0 900 in defense contracts Union
officials have said that workers on
defense jobs would not be called
out In event of strike. but COM
pany executives assert it would be
impossible to segregate defense and
non-defense work in the plants.
officials of the Glenn L. Martin
Aircraft Co. at Baltimore, manu-
facturers of war planes for the
United States and England, re-
ported that plant operations were
continuing despite the calling of a
strike by the c. I. O.-U. A. w.
Spokesman for the union said the
c. I. o. local had signed up 5000
OF the 1900 workers at the big
Martin plant. The strike was called
after rejection of the demands of
n drop-hammer workers for a 10
cent-an-hour wage increase.
Direct Negotiations Ordered.
The Mediation Board announced
that hearings on a strike affecting
81 plants in the San Francisco area
had adjourned with the understand
ing that the firms would resume
direct negotiations with the union
in California looking toward a set
tlement of the controversy within a
few days"
The strike against firms affiliated
with the California Metal Trades
Association was called by the Inter-
national Association of Machinists
"a. F. L. in a controversy over
wages and rates of overtime pay.
A Mediation Board panel worked
late yesterday attempting to obtain
a settlement of the strike at Ameri-
can Car & Foundry Co., Buffalo, N.
Y, which has halted production on
$4,000. 900 worth of shell parts. The
dispute, involving rival claims OF
FRATERNAL NOTICES.