Evening star., 1941-04-14
u. ). Steel Accord Due
Today as Bethlehem
Grants Pay Increase
TroubIe-Shooter Sent
To General Motors; Coal
Shortage Growing

To General Motors; Coal
Shortage Growing
The Bethlehem Steel Co. today
announced a wage increase of 10
cents an hour for $4,000 workers, as
"some announcement" was expected
hourly from negotiations resuming
discussions of the C. I. o. Steel
Workers Organizing Committee re-
quest for a like raise for the 240, ,00O
employees of the United States Steel
Corp.
On other defense labor fronts,
10000 workers returned TO their jobs
at the Ford Motor Co.'S River Rouge
plant, the ONCE Of Production Man
agement sought to avert General
Motors strike and the soft coal war
fare dragged on.
With 100000 miners idle since
April l, the fuel shortage, hitting
defense plants, grew more serious.
From Detroit the Associated Press
reported that full-time production
on Ford assembly lines is expected
to get under way in 10 days or two
weeks.
The coal negotiations between
operators and United Mine Worker;
we're stalemated in New York anc
Southern mine owners were sched-
uled to meet here to draft a briei
for presentation to the National De-
fense Mediation Board if the cast
goes to that agency.
Mediator Sent to General Motors.
Assignment of Thomas F. Burns
one of its ace trouble shooters, tc
the threatened strike at General
Motors Corp, was announced by
the Labor Division of the Office oi
Production Management.
The U. A. VIC. I. o. has advised
defense authorities that a strike
will be called when the present con-
tract expires at midnight Sunday
unless the company grants wage
increases in new contract.
Mr.. Burns, former vice presiden
of the c. I. o. United Rubber
Workers, has been active in settle
ment of several important defenst
strikes including International Har'
vester Co, Bethlehem Steel Corp
and Harvill Die Casting Corp.
The Mediation Board held pane
hearings in efforts to terminal,
strikes at the Phelps-Dodge Coppel
Production Corp. plant at Bayway
N. j., and at the Snoqualmie Fall
CWashD Lumber Co. Panel hear
ings on the Snoqualmie case wer'
held several days last week.
The reopening of the Ford plan
at River Rouge, which ordinarl.
employees $4,000 workmen, founc
men in the production unit!
getting back on the job.
Meanwhile, regional officers of tn,
National Labor Relations Board con-
ferred with company and union Off.
cials on questions in connection with
an N. L. r. B. election to deter.
mine a collective bargaining agen
for Ford employees.
Frank Bowen, N. L. r. B. Detroi
manager, said he hoped the ballot.
ing would be held within a month
A. r. L. Sees Victory at Ford Plant
John j. Murphy, director of tn,
American Federation of Labor or.
ganization campaign among Fort
workers, issued statement las
night predicting "90 per cent vot,
in favor of the A. F. L." and as.
serted that the ''U. A. VIC. I. o
gained absolutely nothing" in tn,
strike action.
At the outset of the strike, which
began April /, the U. A. VIC. I. o
demanded a 10-oent hourly wage
boost. a contract with the company
and substitution of uniformed pro.
lection men for the Ford service de-
partment.
Fridays agreement made no men
ton of the demands and postponed
until after the election a hearing
Dy the N. L. R. B. on another unior
complaint against the company.
Steel Wage Agreement Seen.
AS the steel negotiators got to.
gether in Pittsburgh all indication,
were that the three-week- -old parley
had produced agreement on some
wage increase, although there wa.
no hint of the status of other unior
desires-principally a closed shor
and check-off of union dues from
the pay roll.
big Steel's" basic wage is nov
621a cents an hour. Phillip Murray
c. I. o. president and chairman Of
the S. w. o. c.. has estimated 10.
cent hike would add $4,000, 900 9
year to the corporations pay rol
covering SO plants in 10 States.
Some action is necessary by to.
morrow midnight when the present
agreement, twice extended from
April l, expires.
Bethlehem Move Follows Weir's.
Demands for a minimum 10-cent
hourly increase at Bethlehem were
submitted to the company Friday
by the S. w. o. c. The action is in
line with the increase granted by
E. T. Weir's National Steel Corp. g
week ago. Several other smaller
compsnie have since followed suit.
Basic pay for Bethlehem hourly
rate workers is 6215 cents an hour
S. w. o. c. spokesmen estimated
the increase would add about 81
a week to each employees pay roll
Or about $18,70O,00 annually for all
In Birmingham American Fedora.
ton of Labor unions at the Tennes.
see Coal, Iron g. Railroad Co. chal.
lenged an order by the S. w. o. c
that only c. I. o. members would bt
permitted into T. c. I. plants to.
morrow.
The S. W. o. C. has instructed it.
members to be at all plant gate'
tomorrow to "see that only those
who are members of the &C. I. o.
union go to work.
The plants, now working at capac.
ity on defense orders, employ ap.
proximately 1900 men. The unior
claims more than 30 per cent Of
the workmen.
Sheriff Holt Mcdowell declared
bic ofHoo mould Ia "roo Jv fo oct