Evening star., 1941-08-10
NavyYard Labor
DisputeCriippIe!s
Fleet Program
Philadelphia Row
Reported Causing
Serious Delay
By the Associated Press.


Labor difficulties developed yes
terday at the Philadelphia Navy
Yard while the strike which has i'm
modified the huge Kearny, N. j.,
yards of the Federal Shipbuilding
& Drydock Co. showed no sign of
ending.
Navy officials said a work stop
page by 348 A. F. of L. carpenters
and dock workers had seriously de-
layed national defense work at the
Philadelphia yard. where some Of
the country's big fighting ships are
built.
The commandant referred the
case to the Navy Department. He
said the stoppage was due to re-
fusal Of the carpenters TO abide by
master wage agreement fixing a
uniform pay of time-and-a-half for
overtime and Saturdays.
Curtiss- Wright Asks U. S. Aid.
Curtiss- Wright Corp. appealed to-
day for Federal assistance in end
ing the labor dispute at its Caldwell,
N. j.. propeller plant after mass
picketing by strikers virtually halted
production on s100,000.000 of air.
craft defense orders.
Robert Earle, general manager,
said he asked several agencies in
Washington for help but did not
disclose which had been contacted.
He said the National Labor Rela-
tions Board had not certified any
collective bargaining agent for plant
workers.
A short time after Mr.. Earle made
his appeal, Albert Barnaud. repre-
senting the Labor Departments
Cancellation Service, arrived at the
plant and began series of meet
ings with management and workers.
officials of Local 703, Information
al Association of Machinists
"a. F. L., claimed 800 of the plants
1,493 workers had joined the walk
out and the company said two
thirds of the Saturday day shift of
1856 had not reported. A Curtis
Wright spokesman said all depart
ments were affected and that pro-
duction was almost completely
stalled.
Huge Ship Orders Tied Up.
No further word came from Off
cials who indicated Friday that the
Government was prepared to take
direct action to get production re-
sumed at the Kearny ShipyardS. but
it was learned that Chairman Will
liam H. Davis of the National De-
fense Mediation Board had cut
short a vacation and was hurrying
back to Washington.
The strike, affecting S493 900, 900
Of ship orders, centers around de-
mands by the c. I. o. Industrial
Union of Marine and Shipbuilding
Workers for union shop. The
company rejected Mediation
Board proposal that it agree to dis
charge employees who failed to main
tain good standing in the union.
About 1900 employees are idle.
On another labor front, the Asso-
citation of Communication Equip
ment Workers called for a strike
vote among its members employed
by Western Electric Go. in Is cities
from New York to San Francisco.
The union said a Stalemate had
developed over demands concerning
automatic wage increases, union
security. seniority and holiday pay,
but did not disclose details.
Armour Dispute Settled.
The Mediation Board announced
an agreement had been reached in
a dispute involving 14,000 workers
at the Armour plant in Chicago.
The board withheld details of the
settlement pending ratification by
the c. I. o. Packing House Workers
Organizing Committees. The union
demands concerned a closed shop,
(See STRIKES. Page ABB