The Waterbury Democrat., 1941-03-28
Bethlehem Steel Home Plant Ends Its Strike
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(Continued privileges and opportunities includ- ing a mutually acceptable manner of handling grievances.
 A. Future action with reference to the selection of an exclusive bar gaining agency awaits final dispo- sition of the case now pending in court"
 The reference in point No. is to an appeal to the United States Circuit Court of Appeals from Ma tional Labor Relations Board order that the ERP dissolve as company union.
 Settled at 500 A. M.
 The settlement was announced at 5:3O a. m. The conference had be- gun at a. m. with the negotiators announcing they would sit "all night, if necessary"
 Thomas Lambert, Federal Concil- iator, and Chrales Kutz of the State Mediation Service had enter ed the negotiations for the first time, after having conferred sep- arately with each side. The 15-man union negotiating committee, headed by John F. Rife, SWOC field director, was cheered by 600 pickets as it entered the main plant gate for the conference.
 The vicinity of the picketed plant had been comparatively quiet dur ing the night although there was brief excitement when several shot, gun blasts were heard near the gates leading to the plants coke ovens. No one was wounded.
 Minor violence had spread through the town, however, and Mayor Pfeifle had announced the formation of secret law and order committee of 100 or more citizens with police powers" to cope with vandals overturning automobiles, smashing store windows and spat- tering homes of lon-strikers with paint.
 Order was maintained among the pickets by 25O steel l-helmeted state troopers, who had prohibited picket ing for one 24-hour period.
 JOhnstown Plant Closed
 Johnstown, Pa, March 28.-(UP) The CIO steel workers organizing committee struck today at the big Cambria plant of Bethlehem Steel Corp, employing 15,000 workers.
 Members of the union began pour ing out of all gates of the plant when reports spread that an al- legged company union had begun balloting for officers on company property about an hour after the { a. m. shift reported for work.
 Actual balloting was scheduled to start at g 8. m., company police said.
 Quiet prevailed at the plant gates. There was no picKeting, and union officials said the men would not picket unless the company tries to send non-strikers into the mill.
 The walkout fulfilled the union threat that 8 strike would occur the instant the employees represen- tation plan, called company union by the SWOC and the National La- Dor Relations Board, placed ballot boxes in the mill.
 The strike came only few hours after settlement of four day strike at the company's parent plant in Bethlehem, Penn., which also resulted from an attempt by the ERP to hold an election in the mills.
 James R. Gent, sub-regional di- rector of the SWOC, said: The strike is on."
 "The mills are going down." he added. The men are coming out. have been informed that ballot poXes have been found in the mill. We are endeavoring to vertify this now. But there is no question that the Walkout is on."
 AS the union left their jobs, hun- dreds of them marched through the streets of Johnstown to the Union hall on the main street of the town, where union officials gathered to hear reports as to what mills or divisions were affected by the walk out.
 It was learned that union men had dropped their tools in every one of the Cambria plants six d vie sions.
 Allis- Chalmers Opens
 Milwaukee, Wis. March 28.- (UP)-Workmen began Altering back to defense production linec in the 155-acre Allis-Chalmers Manufacturing Co.,, today under the protection of 500 policemen and special deputies.
 The first 300 wno passed through two main gates were hooted by a crowd of CIO United Automobile Workers standing behind police lines.
 The company threw open its gates for the first time since its 7,80C employees went on strike 66 days ago in response to an urgent request by Navy Secretary Frank Knox and William s. Knudsen, director gen. eral of the office of production management. to resume work on vital defense machinery.
 Union leaders at dawn mass meeting in lot adjoining the plant urged 2,O0O members not to return to work until the company has ac- cepted the so-called "OPM formula for an Allis-Chalmers settlement.
 Harold Christoffel, president of the JAW local, said the strikers wers not to interfere with those who ac.