Evening star., 1941-03-02
Harvester WaIkout
Truce Talks Start
Here Tomorrow
Union and Management
Delegations to Confer
With Secretary Perkins
AZ the Associated Press.

bor Perkins here tomorrow IN an en-
deavor to settle dispute holding III
several million dollars worth OF de-
fenSe contracts.
Four plants of the company arr
involved in strikes, called by the c
I. o. Farm Equipment Workers Or.
ganizing Committee. The Labor De-
partment estimated 10000 men art
idle. Workers walked out of tht
huge Mccormick plant at Chicago
Friday. There are strikes also a
another Chicago plant and at Rich
mond, Ind, and Rock Falls, Ill.
The union demands include rec
ognition as collective bargaining
agent for the employees and wage ad'
justments.
Union representatives assigned tt
the meeting include Grant Oakes
chairman of the F. E. w. o. c., ane
Powers Hapgood of the c. l. o. ma
tional staff.
Harvester officials planning to at
tend include Fowler Mccormick, vice
president in charge of manufactur'
ing: George j. Kelday, industrial re-
lations manager; J. R. Phillips, SUI
perintendent of the tractor works
and C. C. Calkins, superintendent ol
the Richmond plant.
Milwaukee Truce Sought.
The Government, meanwhile
pressed its efforts both here and II
Milwaukee to bring an end to the
strike at the AlliS-Chalmers Co
plant, where work on S45 900 ,00(
worth of defense contracts has beer
held up for six weeks. That strike
was predicated on demands fol
union security, wage increases ano
certain seniority adjustments.
The company yesterday hied
complaint against the striking c. l
o. United Automobile Workers
Union. The company told the Wis
consin State Employment Relations
Board that the strike vote OF en-
ployes was"not conducted by secret
ballot. that the question submitted
was ambiguous and that an effort
was made to confuse the workers.
Members of the House Judiciary
Committee exhibited little enthu-
siasm yesterday for the proposal by
William S. Knudsen. defense pro-
duction chief. to require a 3O-day
cooling off" period before strike
in a defense industry became effec-
tive.
Knudsen's Plan Doubted.
Although most were. reluctant tc
be quoted, some proponents of anti
strike legislation said privately they
doubted that the KnudSen plan was
an adequate solution for work stop
pages in vital industries.
I'VE may have to draft capital, in
dustry and labor one committee
member asserted. Therefore. Tn
not going to say Mr.. Knudsen's pro-
posal delights me, because it does
not"
Chairman Summers, to whom Mr
Knudsens proposal was submitted
in a memorandum Friday, made il
plain the committee was not gong
to rush action on any proposition
He would not comment directly on
Mr.. Knudsen's suggestions.
Two Strikes Settled.
A strike of direct interest to the
Government was settled yesterday
when c. I. o. union employees OF the
Troy, IN. " plant of Cluett, Pea
body & Co., holding a S228,0OC
contract for Army shirts. approved
a new contract and voted to &C
back to work tomorrow. The new
contract provides for wage in,
creases. Strikers at company plants
in Atlanta and Leominister, Mass.
were to meet later to consider ac-
ceptance of the contract for thell
locals.
At Michigan City, Ind, settlement
of a five-week-old strike of the
Brotherhood of Railway Carmen al
the Barker plant of thu
Pullman-Standard Car Manufactur'
ing Co. was announced.
About 600 employees are to return
to work tomorrow and Tuesday un
der an agreement reached betweer
union and management. The agree
ment will be submitted to unlor
workmen at a meeting today.
Steel Meeting Set March Z.
At Pittsburgh, the G. l. o. Stee
Workers Organizing Committee yes
terday summoned the presidents o
its 66 locals in United States Stee
Corp. plants to meet there March
to discuss problems incident to tn
negotiating of a new wage agree
ment" with the corporation.
Chairman Philip Murray OF S. W
0. C. announced the meeting ant
said it was called to decide th
unions policy in respect to the ne
gotiations with big steel,
Mr.. Murray and company othclal
have been meeting for weeks to ne
eotiate terms of the new agreement
in which the union has demanded
among other things, 10 per cen
wage increase. The present CONTRACT
unless one of the parties gives for
NAL notice, runs perpetually.
Details of Knudsen Proposal.
The cooling off" proposal by MI
Knudsen specifically would declar
a strike unauthorized" unless a
least so per cent of the workers il
a plant voted for the walkout III
secret ballot. After strike wa
voted and notice of intention Il
strike was filed, the Office of pro
duction management would invesG
gate the controversy and file re
port within 10 days; no strike couit
be made effective until 80 days ate
the report was submitted. A uniol
or management failing to compl,
with the plan would lose its right
under the Wagner Act.
Both Mr.. Knudsen and Sldne,
Hillman, associate director OF de
fense production, told the Judiciar,
Committee recently they saw n
need for legislation to restrict worl
stoppages.