Evening star., 1941-07-01

New Jersey ShipYard
Workers Won n'tStrike,
Union Official Says
WoIkout Is Threatened
At Cartridge Plant
Filling Defense Orders
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
A c. I. o. ofilcial gave assurance
today that there was no danger
whatsoever" of strike at Kearny
IN j. Shipyards, where workers
on 5 cruisers and 81 destroyers are
asking more pay.
The statement came from Peter
Flynn, vice president of Local 16,
Industrial Union of Marine and
Shipbuilding Workers.
The Federal Shipbuilding Corp
which operates the Kearny Yard
has $293 900 in Navy warship con-
tracts and orders for 81 Maritime
Commission merchant ships, costing
SAC, 900 900.
Because of these contracts, the
Defense Mediation Board acted hur-
riedly yesterday to avert what IL
said was threatened stoppage al
the yard. The board telegraphed
the management and the C. I. o
shlpbuilding union to "see that full
production Is maintained" pending
an inquiry by the board into the
issues involved.
Strike Deadline.
At the same time, the A. F. l.
Chemical Workers Union local at
the Alton GllD plant of Western
Cartridge Co., working on s1OO 000,-
900 of United States and British
contracts, set next Sunday mid
night as a strike deadline unless the
company meets its demand.
The demand is that the company
agree in writing to bargain with the
union. certified by the National La
Dor Relations Board as represent
ing SIS workers in the plants smoke
less powder division. The Media
ton Board recommended that the
company accept the N. L. r. B. GER
tiflcation.
The company, however, has chal-
lenged the N. L. r. B. .uling that
the division was separate unit to
be organized Independently of the
rest of the plant. which employs q
total of about 5000.
Kearny Workers Demands.
At the Kearny shipyard, a union
spokesman said the workmen were
asking for minimum of 70 cents
an hour in place of 621: cents in the
lower brackets, a weeks vacation
with pay, modified union shop snc
reclassification of workers. The yarc
employs $4,000 persons. The unior
spokesman declared that $4,000 oi
them were union members.
Hearing Set Monday.
Secretary of Labor Perkins certi-
fed the dispute to the Mediation
Board yesterday. and a board hear.
ing was set for next Monday al
Washington
The New Jersey shipbuilders' dis
pute fared up just as production
was rising back toward normal al
II San Francisco Bay yards which
had been crippled for weeks by q
walkout of A. F. L. and c. I. o
machinists. The San Francisco ma
chinists yesterday went on a 49,
hour week, which gives them eight
hours of overtime. Their old pay
rate has been 81 an hour. with dou-
BILE time for overtime. In ending
their walkout they agreed to accept
SLIP and time and one-half fol-
extra hours.
Storm clouds cleared away on
another defense front. The Broth
erhood of Scientific Instrument
Workers, an independent union, ac-
cepted compromise wage offer and
called of their threat of strike at
the Sperry Gyroscope Co.. Brooklyn.
The firm manufactures bombsights
automatic plane pilots and other
key defense equipment.
In place of the 20 per cent blanket
increase they demanded, the instru-
ment makers were promised classi-
fed increases ranging from 5 to Il
per cent. The basic rates Of pay
were not disclosed
White Motor Vote Tomorrow.
United Automobile Workers-C. I
o. made ready to vote tomorrow or
whether to strike at the White Mo-
tor Co., Cleveland, to enforce de-
mands for a wage increase Of lC
cents an hour. The present scale
was not disclosed. The company mas
orders from the Army for trucks
and "halftracs," a type of scout car
A demand for a 10-cnt hourly
wage boost also figured in the strike
called by the United Automobile
Workers-A. F. L. against the Elec-
trio Auto Light Corp. at Port Huron
Mich. The union also asked a pref