Evening star., 1941-09-16
Steel Industry Heads
Summoned Here in
Captive Mine Strike
Lewis Silent on Plea
To Resume Work as
Negotiations Are Held
By the Associated Press.

lHTHeSt steel companies nave peer
summoned to appear before tn.
National Defense Mediation Boarc
at Washington tomorrow in connec.
ton with a labor dispute which has
closed more than 80 captive Goa,
mines whose product is essential tC
the Nations armament drive.
The captive" mines produce coal
used exclusively by the steel COM
panies which own the mines. Some
of the mills have only two to three
weeks reserve stock of coal.
Upward of 10000 United Mine
Workers &C. I. o. have struck for
a union shop. The Media ton Board
stepped in quickly to take jurisdic-
ton in the dispute, and asked that
the strikers return to work.
The affected mines are in Penn
sylvania, West Virginia, Kentucky
and Tennessee, and are owned by
the United States Steel, Bethlehem
Republic, Weirton, Wheeling, Cru
chile and Youngstown Sheet & Tube
companies.
1t was announced that several of
the biggest figures in the steel in
dustry had been summoned to the
hearing They included Tom NJ
Girdler, board chairman of Republic; /;
Eugene G. Grace. president of
Bethlehem; Benjamin Fairless,
president of United States Steel,
and Ernest T. Weir, board chairman
of Weirton Steel
John L. Lewis, chieftain of the
Mine Workers Union, was con-
fronted today with a plea for an
srmistice in the U. M. W's dispute
with the steel company operators.
Whether they would be re-opened
during the hearing apparently
rested with the union leader.
Cites Other Agreements.
Mr.. Lewis was silent about the
plea. At a press conference yester-
day he warned an even more dam
aging walkout by his union might
close down all of the Nations soft
coal pits if the captive" operators
continued in their refusal to grant
q union shop.
Tnsurgent PENNSYLVANIA hard coal
miners, in an unrelated strike, en-
couraged by the first intervention
of a producer, forced the closing of
at least one new operation today as
a work stoppage in protest against
increased union dues entered its
second week.
With city officials ready to de-
clare state of emergency in event
OF violence and with approximately
10000 workers already idle, motor
cade of insurgents descended this
morning on an isolated colliery at
Oneida, one of the few still working.
It's 130 employees promptly joined
the walkout.
Armor Plant Strike.
At Elizabeth, N. j., several hun
dred C. I. o. employees of the Breeze
Corps, Inc. airplane armor manu-
facturers, struck yesterday protest.
ing against what they said were
long drawn out wage negotiations.
The workers asked a minimum of
IS cents an hour, with increases of
from 10 to Is cents an hour in vari-
Gus classes.
Offcials of the American Can Co.,
asserting there had been sort of
sit-down strike" yesterday at two
Chicago plants, called police and
asked them to clear the factories.
More than 1000 employees left. A
union spokesman said negotiations
for new contract were stalemated.
The National Mediation Board
yesterday stepped into a threatened
strike involving 1000 employees of
the Bendix Aviation Corp. at South
Bend, Ind.-originally set for to-
day-and asked that the workers
stay on the job pending hearings in
Washington, beginning September
%. c. I. o. United Auto Workers
are protesting replacement of male
workers with women at lower rate
Of pay.
Shell Factory Closed.
At Buffalo, N. Y, members Of |
both A. F. l.. and c. I. o. unions |
walked out at the American Car and
Co., producer of artillery |
shells for the United States and |
Great Britain, in a dispute over rep
An agreement ending week-long |
strike at the Kansas City plant of |
Wilson g. Co.. meat packers, was
reached by union and company off,
cials.
The Seafarers International Union
"a. F. L. has rejected an offer by
Rear Admiral Emory S, Land, United
States Maritime Commission chair
man. to try to settle in two weeks
the unions demands for monthly
war bonuses and other payments If
the union would Immediately sail
10 ships now tied up by strike.
John Hawk, union secretary, said
today the offer was rejected because
the shipping companies had made
no concrete offer backing up the
proposition and that Admiral Land
was powerless to make the shipping
lines join him.
Boiler Works Strike Ends.
A 36-day strike at the L. o. Koven
& Bro, Inc, boiler works at Jer-
sey City, N. j., which has defense
contracts for the Navy, ended yes
terday with signing of one-year
contract by the company and the
L. o. Koven Employees Association,
IN A. F. L. affiliate. -Four hundred
and fifty employees, idle since Au-
gust IL, were scheduled to return
10 their jobs today.
The Defense Mediation Board rec
last night that smokeless
powder workers of the Western
Cartridge Co. East Alton, Ill, re-
consider their adverse vote on &C
,eptance of a working contract be-
tween the company and the A. F. l..
Chemical Workers Union. Approx
mately $50 A. F. L. men are involved
IN the long standing dispute.
Both strikers and employers ex-
pressed satisfaction over the agree
nent, and said efforts would be dou-
Il L u