Evening star., 1941-04-27
MediationBoard
nsDeferment
OF 6. N. Strike
Reasonable Delay
For Negotiations Is
Agreed to by Union

BIZ the Associated Press.
The threat of an immediate strike
in 81 General Motors plants was
removed Yesterday after the De-
fense Mediation Board stepped into
the situation with a request that
production be kept going during
negotiations.
The c. I. o. United Automobile
Workers, in reply. said strike action
would be deferred for a reasonable
period On its part, the company
promised to make any agreement
arrived at with the union retroac-
tive to tomorrow.
The board set a hearing or the
dispute for Friday.
Encouraged by the response, the
board then asked James F. Dewey,
Federal labor conciliator, 70 con-
tinue efforts to obtain at least a
narrowing of the issues" before the
hearing date. Mr.. Dewey. repre-
senting the Labor Department. has
been in Detroit through much of
the negotiations between the COM
pany and union.
Shutdown Cancels Roosevelt Trip.
At the same time, the White
House announced that President
Roosevelt had Cancelled plans for a
trip to Warm Springs. Ga, because
of the shutdown in soft coal mining
A panel of the board was at work
trying TO bring the dispute to an
end, while coal shortages threat
ened to curtail steel production,
close a number of plants and pre-
vent full operation of the railroads.
After an all-day meeting, the coal
conferees recessed shortly after 6
pm. for dinner. They agreed to
resume at a night session.
This session broke up at 1:35
o'clock this morning with APPARENTLY
scant progress made. No comment
was available from any OF the con-
ferees.
Meanwhile, at the Capitol. Senator
Norris, Independent, of Nebraska.
one of organized labor's most stead
fast supporters. suggested that the
administration introduce legislation
empowering the President to take
over the mines or other strike bound
industries. Such move would have
a good psychological effect he
said.
In San Francisco. virtual settle
ment of the 21-day strike of A. F. l..
machinists. affecting 148 shops,
1900 workers and an estimated
s27500,000 in defense orders. was
announced by the California Metal
Trades Association.
Both sides, it was said, agreed on
all provisions of a work contract in
a day-long emergency conference.
All struck shops were expected to
reopen tomorrow morning. The
emergency meeting was called after
notification that the Mediation
Board had failed to effect a con-
citation. The agreement provided
15-cent wage increases to S1.15 per
hour. double time for all overtime
and bonuses.
Defense Workers Not in Strike Vote.
The threatened General Motors
strike was certified to the Mediation
Board Friday night soon after an
announcement by the U. A. w. that
local unions in go of the company's
81 plants had voted for a walkout.
General Motors employs some 160,-
900 workers and has about $700,-
100000 worth of defense contracts.
Defense workers in scattered de-
partments of these 81 plants were
exempted from the strike vote. In
addition, the union took no vote in
13 other General Motors plants de-
voted entirely or largely to defense
work.
Union ofheials said that if the
strike actually developed, men en-
gagged in defense production would
not be affected. Company spokes-
men said, however, that it would
be impossible to segregate defense
workers from the rest of its en-
ployes.
Issues are union demands for a
wage increase of 10 cents an hour.
a closed shop, changes in the shop
(See STRIKES, Page A-4D