Evening star., 1942-08-30

serted the entire wage sterilization
structure in the Pacific Northwest
was threatened and asked the War
Labor Board to intervene in four
small suits for back wages, filed
under cost-of-living escalator
clause in a labor contract. F.. ".
Romic, chairman of the employers.
said subsequent suits are expected
to name employers In 81 shops,
affecting an estimated 5000 workers,
some in war industries.
Meanwhile C. H. Millard. Cana
dian director of the United Steel
Workers of America. said at Sault
Ste. Marie, Ontario, that union
workers would leave their jobs in
two of Canadas three great pri-
mary steel producing plants tomor-
row night unless wage increase de-
mands were met. He gave manage
ment of the Algoma Steel Corp.
factory at Sault Ste. Marie and the
Dominion Steel and Coal Corp.
plant in Sydney until II o'clock last
night to meet the demands.
No comment was made by officials
of either plant. Regional war labor
boards in Ontario and Nova Scotia
had rejected union applications for
establishment of basic wage rate
of SIS cents an hour. The present
basic rate at the Algoma plant is
45l2 cents and at the Dominion
plant 431a cents.
Bus Drivers Quit.
Fifty-three drivers for the Santa
Monica tCalif) municipal bus lines
walked out yesterday, leaving thous-
ands of workers in aircraft and
other war plants to reach their
jobs as best they could. Finance
Commissioner D. c. Freeman said
the walkout was to back demand
for the resignation of S. K. Evering-
ham. superintendent of the lines.
In Massena, N. Y, IS AFL union
truck drivers left their jobs on four
projects connected with war indus
try aluminium production, protest.
ing the discharge of seven fellow
workers. Union spokesmen said the
men were discharged without notice
in violation of a contract, while the
contractor who employed them de-
MED knowledge of the cause Of the
strike.
In Uniontown, Pa, ]. H. Stark,
representative of the OPA, conferred
yesterday with timber operators and
striking timber workers and truck
drivers on the operators request for
331s per cent increase in the price
of mine posts.
Mr.. Stark then returned to Wash
ington, saying he would report his
findings to the OPA Thomas P.
McTigue, regional director of dis
trict so. United Mine Workers, said
the strikers were dissatisfied with
the results of Mr.. Starks visit be-
cause they thought he would be
empowered to settle the dispute.
Meeting Called Today.
The workers, numbering about
5000 in Pennsylvania, West Virginia
and Maryland, called a meeting at
Rendine's Park today to take for
NAL action on the strike, described
by Mr.. McTigue as a wildcat"
walkout up to the present.
The workers struck to enforce the
operators demands on grounds the
higher prices are required to en-
able the operators to pay the strik-
ers a 10-cents-an-hour wage boost
awarded recently.
The Executive Committee of the
United Automobile Workers Union
(CIO) went back into session at
Philadelphia after three officers had
suggested to President Roosevelt
that the policy of relinquishing
premium wage payments be made
universal or dropped entirely Rich
ard T. Frankensteen, vice president,
said the UAW had complied with
the Presidents request that extra
remuneration for week end and hol-
iday work be relinquished and added
Many other groups of workers have
not done So"
AT Little Rock, Ark, labor dis
pute which halted laying OF a Sec
ton Of the Texas Illinois oil pipe
line was compromised sufficiently to
allow scheduling OF resumption to
work yesterday. Labor leaders
agreed to discuss their claims for a
contract while work continued.
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