Evening star., 1941-09-04
Factory Making Guns
And Two Shipyards
Are Hit by Strikes
$4,000 Coal Miners
Walk Out in AIubumu
Contract Dispute
b. the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
Shipyards at Los Angeles and at
Lorain, Ohio, majority of Ala
bama's coal mines and New Jersey
plant making guns for the Navy
were struck today.
About 900 of the American Ship
building Co.'S 1,100 c. I. o. employees
walked out at Lorain in protest
against the company's recent recog-
milton of the A. F. L. as bargaining
agent for all its seven Great Lakes
yards. Work on anti-submarine net
tenders for the Navy was crippled
and the company told remaining
workers not to report tomorrow un-
less the strike is settled.
A union spokesman described the
walkout of 285 machinists at Los
Angeles as jurisdictional conflict
between two A. F. L. departments
over which would do certain work.
Work was slowed on eight cargo
vessels at the California Shipbuild-
ing Corp. on the Terminal Island
naval base and on an extension
of the harbor breakWater.
500 Walk Out at Steel Plant.
A spokesman for the c. I. o. Steel
Workers Organizing Committee said
800 of $500 maintenance workers
at the Crucible Steel Co. plant at
Harrison, N. j., walked out because
of "abuses" by the company of a
calendar work-week agreement.
Crucible holds several million
dollars worth of defense contra 49,
Included recently were S700U,U00
for Navy big guns and shells. The
plant. being enlarged steadily, also
makes small arms ammunition COM
ponentS.
The strikers were told not to
picket the plant lest the entire
production staff cease operations.
Union spokesmen said the plant
could operate but three or four days
before the walkout would bring all
production to halt.
$4,000 Miners Out.
The spreading Birmingham walk
out, which c. 1. o. official said was
unauthorized involved an estimated
$1,000 men at Is major mines. A
union spokesman said the men were
''tired of the dilly-dallying" over a
new contract which has been un-
der negotiation for several months.
The mines had been operating un-
der a temporary agreement stipu-
lating that any wage increase finally
negotiated would be retroactive to
April /. The temporary contract
provided for base wage of $3.50 a
day against the old. wage of $3.50
but the union has been seeking an
additional 40 cents.
Unionized municipal workers on
q Battle Greek, Mich, pumping
station project struck to enforce
demands for a civil service agree
ment providing for job classi-
fication and elimination of sliding
wage scales, and A. F. L. plumbers
went out in sympathy, shutting
down the project.
Aluminium Strike Threat.
A threatened strike at the VAN
couver (WashD plant of the Alum
mum Co. of America over wage in
creases, union shop and vacations
was certified to the Defense Media
ton Board, which planned hear
ing as soon as possible.
Meanwhile William Green. presi-
dent of the A. F. L., told a State
convention of his organization at
Bridgeport. Conn, that Secretary of
the Navy Knox and Undersecretary
of War Patterson had authorized
him to say that the A. F. L. had
kept ''its plighted word" to CO.
operate in the defense program with
the result that military construction
was up to schedule and the naval
program one year ahead of schedule.