Evening star., 1941-05-10
Machinists Quit
.0nCoastDespite
A. Plea
Truman Plans Probe
Of Shipyord Strike,
Asks Full Dotu
BY the Associated Press.


Over the protests of the Navy
Department, the Maritime Com
mission and labor leaders them
selves, some 100 A. F. of L. and
c. 1. o. machinistS struck at
West Coast shipyards today,
while on the East Coast vessels
were tied up as crews demanded
wage increases.
Eleven San Francisco Bay ship
yards and drydoCks. heavy with de-
fense orders. were affected by walk
out. Employers said $500. 900 900 in
contracts suffered. The workers de-
mand Sll5 an hour and retention
of double time for overtime. The
men were offered SLIP and time
and half. The scale has been 81
an hour with double time for over
time.
Senate Probe Planned.
Chairman Truman, Democrat, Of
Missouri announced that the West
Coast strike would be probed by the
special Senate committee investi-
eating national defense. The COM
mittee, he said. will insist that
negotiations for resumption of work
be speeded where the defense pro-
gram is involved
Joint action by A F of L. ma
| chinists in San Francisco and c. I.
o. machinists in Oakland and
Alameda was taken despite the pro-
! tests of John P. Frey, president of
the A F. of L. Metal Trades De-
partment, who telegraphed the Bay
Cities Metal Trades Council that
he opposed the Walkout because it
would violate a coastwide master
agreement reached recently with
Pacific Coast shipbuilders.
Il am gravely disappolnted' Mr..
Frey said, because the machlnlsts'
action is definite violation of the
(masterl agreement"
Against National Defense"
Secretary of the Navy Knox and
Chairman Emory S. Land of the
Maritime Commission telegraphed
A. T. Wynn, secretary Of the Bay
Cities Metal Trades Council. asking
every possible aid in averting the
strike, which they added will not
be so much a strike against the
shipbuilders as it will be a strike
against our country's program of
national defense"
Mr. Wynn said other metal trades
unionists would ignore the machin-
lists picket lines.
Frank Fox, chairman of the Bay
Area Shipbuilders' Negotiating Com
mittee and chief engineer of the
struck General Engineering & Dry
dock Co.. declared last night:
We stand by the master agree
ment. We can't do anything else.
That's what the Office Of Production
Management told us to do. It's up
to Washington now"
Mr.. Fox said the approximately
100 men now on strike would be
increased to $4,000 or 10000 if the
walkout lasts beyond Monday.
No Time for Bickering.
The Senate Committee does not
|
ordinary machinery for settling
strikes. such as concihation and
mediation" Senator Truman said.
But the Senate Committee does in
tend to insist that where work i'm
portant to the national defense pro-
gram is stopped. negotiation for re-
sumption of work should be speeded." ."
The chairman said the committee
had asked for complete data on is
sues involved in the West Coast
strike He added that similar in
formation also had been requested
on the strike affecting the Chrysler
tank arsenal at Detroit.
There is no time in this emer-
gency for employers and employees to
engage in interminable pickering.
he said. There is still less time to
wait until loss of profits in the case
of the employers or loss of wages ir
:, the case of employees can determine
, the result of a strike. Speaking
, plainly, the public has right Il
expect and even to demand that it
paramount interest will be respected
and that both employers and EN-
, ployes will reason out their diff
ferences in minimum of time"
Work on Arsenal DELAYED.
: A ChrySler spokesman said th
city-wide strike of Detroit trucl
t drivers for building supply firm
J had halted construction work OF
, the tank arsenal.
: Chrysler officials said the strike
called by the Teamsters' Union "a
? F. L., has prevented delivery o
= cement and other building mate
S rialS needed for the arsenal.
/. Thomas J. Donahue, chairman oI
. the Michigan Mediation Board
said. however. that he understands
the union would make arrangements
(See STRIKES, Page A-3)