Evening star., 1941-04-09
Strike Issues Vital to Public
As Well as Ford and CLIO.
Result Expected to Have Important
Influence on Future of Unionism
By CHARLES G.. ROSS.

DETROIT, Mich. April 9-Union
labor and Henry Ford. ruggedest of
individualists. are locked here in a
struggle of supreme Importance to
both and to the public. If Mr.. Ford
wins, he will have dealt a terrific
blow to the organized labor move
ment. If the union-in this case,
the United Automobile Workers of
the c. I. OWNS, organized labor
will have preached a citadel against
which for years it has battered in
vain.
The union has put forward various
demands, but the basic issue can be
expressed in a word. 1t is trades
unionism itself. AS seen by the
union, the great underlying question,
to which all the other issues of the
current strike at the River Rouge
factory are subsidiary. is whether
or not Mr.. Ford is to be brought into
line with the labor policy set out in
the National Labor Relations Act.
What may turn out to have been
an advance toward that goal was
made yesterday when a representa-
tive of the company, Harry H. Ben
nett, its personnel director, went into
a conference at the River Rouge
plant with Federal and State medi-
ators and Philip Murray, president
of the C. I. o. 1t was the first time
in the 38-year-life of the Ford Co.
that any of its representatives had
negotiated directly with a union
leader
Before yesterdays meeting. all the
negotiations over the River Rouge
strike had been conducted by me-
diators shutting back and forth be-
tween unionists and company
spokesman. The latter, moreover
had been second string officials.
Mr.. Bennett is power in the Ford
Co. in all matters pertaining to
labor.
Defense Contracts Tied Up.
1t does not follow that the Ford
citadel will fall, but union officials
are saying today that at least they
have cracked one of its bastions.
The strike at the River Rouge
plant, the largest integrated factory
in the world, began week ago
today. At this plant $4,000 men
were thrown out of work and the
execution of $128,OOO,0O0 of defense
contracts was halted, although the
Army service cars, known as "blitz
buggies," were the only defense item
in actual production. The union
offered to send men back into the
plant to work on the defense jobs,
but, it says, received no response
from the company. Closure OF other
Ford plants throughout the country
because of their inability to obtain
parts has brought the total of idle
Ford employees to 10000.
The ultimate causes of the strike
reach far back into the history OF
the embittered relations between
Henry Ford and labor unionism. The
immediate cause was the discharge
of eight workers who, according to
a statement by Mr.. Bennett, had
run rampant in the plant, cursing
people who didn't feel of the same
mind as they did about the union. y
These workers had previously been
laid off and then reinstated at the
solicitation of James F. Dewey, a
Labor Department conciliator. Mr.,
Bennett has said that no matter
what happens these eight men will
not be taken back into the plant.
Spokesman of the union contend
the company let the strike come at
this time in the hope that the men
would get their fill of striking
and so be less inclined to vote
with the c. I. o. in the plant elec-
ton which, it was known, was to be
ordered by the National Labor Re-
lations Board to choose a collective
bargaining agency for the River
Rouge workers. This election has
now been ordered and will be held
within As days from last Monday.
Policy Reversed.
Whatever may have been the COM
pany's intention, it appears that il
did suddenly, a day or so before
the strike, reverse a policy under
which, for several weeks, it had
been dealing with grievance COM
mittees set up by the c. L o. The
company had not recognized the
union, but had negotiated with C
I. o. members as individuals. Short
work stoppages, for one reason Of
another, had been occurring anc
Mr.. Dewey had worked out the com.
mittee system as a preventive
Suddenly, it is said, the compan!
stopped all negotiations and go
tough" The firing of the eight c
I. o. men was the spark that Sc
off the conhagration.
Events moved fast thereafter. o.
Tuesday afternoon, April /, the me
fin the rolling mill stopped work, an