Evening star., 1941-07-03
Roosevelt Believed
Ready 10 Intervene
In Alton Plant Row
Defense Heads Reported
Insisting Thot Cartridge
Output Must Not Stop
BS the Associated Press.


Defense officials were represented
authoritatively today as determined
to prevent any interruption in am
munition production at the Western
Cartridge Co.'S Alton( Ill) plant,
where collective bargaining dispute
has brought threat of a strike next
Monday.
II necessary to avert stoppage,
official quarters believed that Presi-
dent Roosevelt would invoke his spe-
cial constitutional or legislative
powers and order the plant taken
over.
Defense officials viewed the Alton
situation with frank concern. The
plant holds s8,468 900 worth of am
munition contracts. and only last
Friday Mr. Roosevelt disclosed that
ammunition production was far be-
hind schedule-so much so that,
while the United States might be
able to fill Fires request for rifles.
he said it could not furnish the bull
lets to go with them.
Board Issues Ultimatum.
A showdown at the cartridge plant
appeared probable before night
fall, because the National Defense
Mediation Board has set pm.
deadline for acceptance or rejection
of it's recommendation that the
company recognize the A. F. L.
Chemical Workers Union as bar
gaining agent for $50 men employed
in the smokeless powder division.
The union has been officially cer-
titled by the National Labor Rela-
tions Board as the proper bargaining
agency, but so far the company has
refused to recognize it. Instead,
company officials have expressed a
determine ton to test the N. L. r. B.
certif1cation in court on the ground
that the smokeless powder employees
do not constitute a proper bargain
ing unit. being but small fraction
of the plants $500 workers. The
unions answer was the decision to
strike Monday.
the case. the Mediation Board held
there was only one question at
issue-whether the company would
recognize the union or go to court
But. the board added, no purpose
except delay" would be served by
refusing recognition since certifica-
tions by the N. L. R. B. are final
and, so legal experts held, not SUBJ
ject to judicial review.
An effort to shut down the entire
cartridge company plant will be
made if union members 60 on
strike. Fred Olds, A. F. L. organizer,
said today.
At a meeting last night with rep
resentatives of 18 A. F. L. unions
in the Alton, East Alton and Wood
River area, Mr.. Olds said he was
promised aid to mass at least 5000
pickets around the plant. The or
| ganizer said officers of the Team
sters, Carpenters and Laborers
unions had assured him 600 of their
members doing construction work
on new plant additions would walk
out in sympathy strike.
Auto Workers Vote to Strike.
Meanwhile, other developments
drew attention to the defense strike
situation.
A majority of $500 C. T. o. United
Automobile Workers voted to strike
at two Cleveland plants of the
White Motor Co. which are making
scout cars for the Army. No date
for the strike was set. The union
men have asked a wage increase of
| 10 cents an hour. The present
minimum rate was reported to be
IS cents, the average $1.02 an hour
A Briggs Manufacturing Co. plant
in Detroit operated normally again
today after an interruption that be-
gan Tuesday when the management
said union workers engaged in a
one-day wildcat" walkout. The en-
ployes returned to their jobs after
an appeal by local and international
officers of the United Automobile
Workers