Evening star., 1941-07-04
Construction Strike
Threatens 10 Delay
Air Corps Training
St. Louis Unions Protest
Use of w. P. A. Workers
On New Barracks
BY the Associated Press.

/ By the Associated Press.
War Department officials expressed
! mounting concern today over the
strike of 1900 A. F. L.-bulldlng
trades workers at jefferson Bar
racks. St. Louis. where the Air
Corps plans to begin training II 825
recruits September |. The A. F. l..
men walked out in protest to en-
ployment of about 60 w. P. A.
workers in painting % out of 264
new buildings.
Work on the expansion project Is
less than one-fourth completed, 1t
was said
In another strike, which began
March IA. union members asked f,
President Roosevelt to take over !
the American Potash and Chemical
Corp. plant at Trona, Calf. in the
interests of the American public"
Easing defense labor problems, on
the other hand, the Defense Media
ton Board completed formula for
averting a strike at the Western
Cartridge Co. Alton, Ill, and the
Federal Cancellation Service an
nounced an agreement foreStalling a
walkout July 9 by 10000 c. l. 0.
workers in three Connecticut plants
of the American Brass Co.
Compromise Wage Asked.
The Trona potash workers men,
bers of the International Union of
Mine. Mill and Smelter Workers,
are asking a compromise wage level
ranging from 90 cents to Sl35 an
hour. compared with company
granted increased scale of IS cents
to Sl20. The original levels ranged
from 67i cents to 81 .05 and the
union first demanded 81 to Sl.50.
The company reopened the plant
Wednesday and declared that $50
of its 1887 employees had returned
to work.
Officials OF the Western Cartridge
Co. and high a. F. L. leaders agreed
to the Mediation Boards proposal
that the company begin negotiations
tomorrow with the A F. L. Chemical
Workers Union and that the union
call off the strike scheduled for Sun
day midnight in the company's
SmokeleSS powder division.
The union seeks company recog-
milton Of Labor Board ruling deSig-
mating it as collective bargaining
agent for Smokeless powder en-
ployes. The company has Govern
ment orders for s6.468, 900 worth of
ammunition and employs a total of
$500 workers. About $50 work in
the SmokeleSS powder division. but
the union had threatened an effort
to strike the entire plant. I
Strike Deadline Set.
Details of the American Brass |
Co agreement were not made public !
pending ratification by locals of the
International Union of Mine. Mill
and Smelter Workers. The union
had demanded wage increases of .
10 cents an hour at the Waterbury.
Ansonia and Torrington plants and
the company offered G. Present
wage scales were not disclosed.
At Cleveland the C. I. O.-United
Automobile Workers set 10 am.
Wednesday for strike at the White
Motor Co.. which has orders for
Army trucks and "half-tracs"-
endless-tread cars The U. A. w.
has asked l0-cent-an-hour blan-
ket wage increase on present scales.
which repeatedly average s1.02
hourly with a 75-cent minimum.
approximately 4,200 employees
would be affected by strike. A
conference of union and company
officials and Federal labor concili-
ators was called for tomorrow.
Final settlement of long contract
negotiations between the United
Mine Workers &C. l. o. and South
ern Appalachian coal operators ap-
peared possible during the holiday.
Unless the contract is signed the
union has scheduled a walkout
Tuesday of 10000 miners in the
Southern fields.
Further conferences were sched-
uled today between John L. Lewis,
U. M. w. president, and the oper-
ators.