Evening star., 1941-04-09
Murray Sees
President, Hints
Al Ford Truce
Statement Due Today;
Coal Peace Reached
With Most Owners
BULLETIN.

DETROIT, April 9 P.-
Amid rumOrs of an impending
settlement, Gov. Murray ID.
Van Wagner and Harry Ben
nett, Ford Co. spokesman.
emerged late today from a
conference of parties in the
u. A. VIC. l. o. strike against
Ford's River Rouge plant and
drove off together in a car.
They declined to say whether
they were bound for meet
ing with Henry Ford, COM
pany founder. An aide to the
Governor said Van Wagner
would return to the confer
ence and any announcement
would be made later in down.
town Detroit.
Earlier Strike Stories on Page ALI
Philip Murray, president of the
Congress of Industrial Organi-
cations, conferred for almost an
hour with President Roosevelt
at the White House this after
noon and emerged to say there
may be an important announce
ment on the Ford Motor Co.
labor dispute out of Detroit late
today.
Mr.. Murray said he hoped the
announcement would be favorable to
labor. The United Automobile
Workers, also c. I. O. affiliate, has
been conducting strike at the giant
River Rouge plant of the Ford com
pany for the last several days. He
would not say fatty whether a set
tlement had been reached.
Just before Chief Federal Con-
eiliator John R. Steelman had an
nounced in New York that appar-
emily soft coal mine operators with
"68i2 per cent of the American ton
mage" would meet wage increase
and other demands of soft coal
miners. This. he said, assures the
country there will be no coal short
age, since it was indicated the COM
plying operators would open their
mines even if the others do not ac-
eept the agreement.
Mr.. Murray declined to discuss
the nature of his conference with
the President, saying that he
planned to be back in Pittsburgh
tomorrow morning for continuance
of C. 1. o. negotiations with the
United States Steel Corp. A con-
tract held by the Steel Workers
Organizing Committee. a c. l. o
affiliate. with United States Steel
has been continued until next Tues
day night to permit continuance
of negotiations.
For the first time in the history
of the Ford company, high-ranking
officer of the concern met with
labor union representatives yester-
day for a collective bargaining dis
eussion. Mr.. Murray was present at
that time at the express request OF
Gov. Murray Van Wagner of Mlchl-
gan. who has been taking a leading
part in mediation efforts.
Although Mr.. Murray declined to
say whether he had discussed either
the Ford or steel labor situations
with the President it was as
sumed that it was for this reason
the Chief Executive had invited him
here for a conference.
DR.. Steelman said that the eight
coal negotiators had voted six to
two to accept an agreement. I'm
official reports were that it provided
a basic S1-a-day wage increase Tor
100000 Appalachian region miners,
elimination of the 40-cents-a-day
differential between northern and
southern fields, and annual paid
vacations.
The negotiator said that the mines
closed since April l, could not be
operated before Monday due to the
Easter week end holiday, and that
negotiations would continue in an
effort to reach an agreement to
open all mines Monday. Southern
operators are opposed to elimination
of wage the differential.