Imperial Valley press., 1941-04-06
Peace Promised in
Ford Strike Next
Week by Mediator

Some of the besieged workers left
the plant Friday night after med
!ators had assured them they would
not be harmed. 1t was estimated
that 1900 men. mostly Negroes
were still in the Ford plant. They
whiled away the time by forging
weapons. knives up to six feet long
They said they were afraid to
leave for fear of injury at the
hands of union pickets.
Meanwhile. I. 4. Capizzi, Ford
lawyer. left for Washington to lay
before War Secretary Henry l..
Stimson papers intended to prove
the strike was Communist inspired.
This charge was refuted by K. D.
Thomas. international UAW preSi-
dent. who said the evidence was a
complete falsehood.
Terms of the agreement under
which soft coal mines will reopen
will be announced Monday. 1t was
understood that a majority of the
operators in the eight-state Appala-
chan area had acceded to union
demands for a Sl-a-day wage in
crease and vacations with pay.
The agreement will affect most
of the $4,000 idle miners in the
area and 10000 more in outlying
districts.
End of the General Motors strike
in the Oakland area involved re-
instatement of "a out of 26 Fisher
Body works welders who left their
jobs in protest of alleged speedul
precipitating a dispute that led TO
Walkouts at the body works, the
GMC parts plant and the Chevro-
let truck and passenger car plants
Meanwhile. 5000 workers in the
Columbia steel plant at Pittsburgh
awaited action of Pittsburgh ne
gotiations before taking a strike
vote.
Differences between AFI machin-
lists union and members of the
California Metal Trades association
had not been solved and union Of
ficials stood pat on strike dead
line of Monday morning.
Two hundred and forty members
of the CIO United Rubber Workers
of America were on strike at the
Pioneer Rubber mills, at Pitts
burgh, Calf. demanding higher
wages, vacations, seniority and bar
gaining rights.
At Stockton, several hundred Fill
ipino members of the AFL FEEDER
ated Agricultural Laborers assoc
iation struck in the asparagus
fields. Heavy rains which halted
work in the San Joaquin delta fields
prevented determination of the
strikes effectiveness.
In other agricultural fields. 13
large packing firms of Santa Clara
county signed an agreement with
the CIO Warehousemen's union as
suring higher wages for some 5000
dried fruit and nut packing house
employees The contract provides
wage increases of 2l2 cents hourly
for women, cents for men, and
stipulates all new employees must
join the union
Secretary of Labor Frances Per-
kinS cert FLED three additional la
Dor disputes to the defense media
ton board Saturday, as it sought
to end the 73-day shutdown at the
Allis-Chalmers plant in Milwaukee
Certified to the board were:
The CoWleS Tool Co., Cleveland
O., strike which began on Feb. 27
affecting 80 workers. The strike was
called by the CLOS United Auto
mobile workers union to support
demands for increased wages, short
er hours and closed shop.
The Standard Tool Co. strike
also at Cleveland. which began Jan
27 and affects $50 workers. The
CIO UAW demanded increased
wages, renewal of an agreement
closed shop and seniority rights
The Seas Shipping Co. strike at
New York which began on March
% and has tied up two ships tbs
Robin Locksley and the RobinWood
The Marine Engineers tAFL) strucF
for an increase in bonus rates OF
voyages to south African ports.