Evening star., 1941-01-21
Murray Opens Fight
Today for Increase
In Steel Wages
C.I.O. President Expected
To Ask Closed Shop and
Grievance MACHINERY
- the Associated Press.

- the Associated Press.
PITTSBURGH, Jan. 21.-With the
attention of the steel world riveted
on the scene, C. I. o. President
Philip Murray prepared today to
lay the demands of his union for
higher pay and other contractural
rev1sions before the giant United
States Steel Corp.
Mr. Murray. who went to work at
the age of 10 in a Scottish coal mine
and came to America six years later,
will visit the skyscraper office of
William Beye, lawyer son of an
Illinois grocer who is director of
industrial relations for Big Steel"
with its 240,00O employees. There,
In what has been described as an
informal, friendly" discussion, the
TWO will strive to reach an under
standing
10 Per Cent Boost Sought.
Points expected to arise:
l. wages: Mr.. Murray has con-
nrmed the fact his followers want
more money to meet what thev say
are rising costs of living. A 10 per
cent boost is the figure most sources
agreed would be the starting point
Of bargaining.
Z. Stronger recognition of the
Steel Workers Organizing Commit
tee. the C. I. o. group of which Mr.
Murray is chairman.
A nigh union source said Mr. Muir
ray will ask for closed shop. The
present contract gives the union
only the right to bargain for its
members. There was a good posi-
billty. one source said, that the two
might get together in plan whereby
the union bargains for all workers.
as 1t does in majority of its 692
contracts, and that in lieu of a COM
pany Checking off" union dues from
the pay roll, it would authorize union
stewards to collect the dues on COM
pany property on pay days.
Dues Sore Spot.
The dues collection problem has
been the source of numerous dis
turbanceS during the past year, with
plckets in some cases halting enough
workers to interfere with operations
3. Grievance machinery: Stream
lining" of procedure to insure much
faster settlements of disputes is
necessary, Mr.. Murray has told as
sociates. The failure of workers to
get their pay raise revised upon in
stallation of new machinery led to
brief strikes at the Homestead, Pa,
plant and the big model Irwin, Pa,
works only recently.
simultaneously with the confer
ence here, Clinton Golden, Eastern
regional director of the union, is
scheduled to open negotiations in
New York with R. E. Desvernine
president of the SllS000,00 Crucible
Steel Co., for a renewal of its union
contract.
Agreement Benefited Both.
Just how much time Mr.. Beye will
ask to study the union proposals was
uncertain. There was a possibility
he and Mr.. Murray would quickly go
Into detailed discussions. since both
are known to have been studying the
situation for weeks.
The union did not formally no.
tify the corporation of its desire to
reopen the contract, which has run
unchanged since it was signed in
March, 1887. Such a notification
would have called for a meeting
within 10 days and the reaching of
an understanding within another 10
days.
Both the union and the corpora
ton have made advances since they
made their agreement. Mr.. Muir
rays organization started in July of
1886 and now claims 100000 men,
bers and 692 bargaining contracts.
The corporation. which for several
years had seen its ratio of opera
tions based upon capacity slipping
in relation to the remainder of the
industry, now is holding its own or
doing better.