Evening star., 1941-04-06
Mediators Hopeful
OF Ford Truce as
All Plants Close
Things Are Promising
Van Wagner Says;
Joint Talks Planned
Hy the Associated Press.


giant back to work on s155 100000
IN defense orders
To the vast cost Of the four-day
strike at the River Rouge plant
largest factory in the world and
keystone of Ford'S fabulous hold
ings-may be added unemployment
compensation for which thousands
of idle Ford workers already have
applied,
In one fiare-up of violence at the
plant today two Negroes were beaten
and another bruised. Union picketS
charged two of the men threatened
strikers with knives while the third
was drawn into the fight after it
started.
Mediators of the strike, called
Tuesday night by c. I. O.-United
Automobile Workers in the 1,100-
acre plant, profeSsed themselves un-
daunted by the stalemate
Governor "NOt Discouraged"
A union statement charged that
the company was calling back pro-
duction men under the guise OF
potential strikebreakers
Despite the slow going in media
ton. James F.. Dewey, of the United
States Cancellation Service went
about his task of drawing both sides
toward the middle. Gov. Murray D.
Van Wagner said he was not dis
Couraged a bit things are
promising"
Mr.. Dewey and Gov Van Wagner
announced jointly tonight that they
planned to bring both sides together
for conference Monday or Tuesday.
I'VE hope to reach a settlement
at that time so that work can be
resumed" they said. Minor diff
ferences are rapidly disappearing, so
that now it will be possible to dis
cuss issues of settlement"
Progress in conferences so far,
they said, make it possible Ito define
and reduce to writing what has been
discussed %
But pending favorable develop
ments over the week end, few wheels
will turn anywhere in the Ford
domain Monday.
Evacuating Men First Job"
Mediators, Governor and State
police heads bent their first efforts
today to the problem of evacuating
some | ZOO men who remained in the
River Rouge plant when the strike
began. In struggling small groups
the men, many of them Negroes,
have left the grounds, but the mass
exodus was termed by Gov. Van
Wagner our first Job"
Aside from Gov. Van Wagoner's
optimistic statement, there was no
indication that the company and the
c. I. O.-U. A. w. were any closer to
an eye-to-eye view on the union
demands which precipitated the
shutdown. now affecting some 100000
men. The River Rouge plant itself
employs 85 900 hourly rated workers.
In all. company spokesman said,
come $4,000 production workers
were made idle by the strike, with
the company announcing it was
closing down assembly, parts and
other branch producers in Al Ameri-
can cities. In addition, the firm
started notifying suppliers, from
whom it has purchased S11 900 005
in materials weekly since January l,
to stop further shipments.
10000 Claims Filed.
Y. B. Steinbaugh, executive direc-
tor of the Michigan Unemployment
Compensation Commission. said he
expected all of the River Rouge
plants $4,000 workers to file claims
in the next few days if the strike
continues. A similar number in
plants supplying Ford with parts
and supplies would be affected in
the Michigan area if the strike lasts
three weeks. he said.
Already 10000 claims were on file
and the commission planned to open
an auxiliary registration office
Tuesday to handle the anticipated
flood. Under State law, workers are
allowed SIS a week for Is weeks, but
are disqualified for actually parti-
cipating in or giving financial aid
to maintaining a strike.
Since Henry Ford founded his
phenomenal business in 1903-with
a paid-in capital of S26 600 that has
grown to total assets OF nearly
three-quarters of a billion dollars
this is the first time that any OF
his Michigan employees have lost
DAYS pay because of a strike. CA
report for the year 1899, filed with
Massachusetts Commissioner OF
Corporations and Taxation, listed
Ford Motor Co. total assets at S691,-
Gil ,949D
Pickets still walked their beats
today at the plants main gate
which was the scene of riOting IN
the labor disorders of 1887. State
policemen strung across the entry
as pickets carrying placards ambled
along under the direction of their
captains. Occasionally they sang
parodies suited to their strike views
or chanted notices in unison. Picket
lines swelled this afternoon as other
Detroit locals added men to the
ranks.
Mr.. Dewey announced that through
an "amicable understanding" be-
tween the A. F. L. Building Trades
Council and the G. I. O.-U. A. w. no
further efforts at present would be
made to continue construction work
on the airplane engine plant inside
the River Rouge grounds. This plant,
nearing completion, was scheduled
to start on a defense order Of Pratt
and Whitney aircraft engines in
June.
To Probe Union Charge.
Commissioner Oscar G. Olander OF
the State police said he would in
vestigate union complaints that the
company was calling back produc-
ton workers by having them passed
through as maintenance men.
The union statement added in
part:
THE union has established def
R u P T u R ( D 4?