Evening star., 1942-03-22
6, N, Head 10 Debate
Reuther Publicly on
War-0utput Plan
Wilson and Union Leader
Agree to Joint Conference
With Press This Week
BY the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
DETROIT, March 21.-C. E. Will
son, president OF General Motors
Corp, proposed today a joint press
conference with Walter Reuther,
United Automobile Workers-C I. o.
Official to discuss Mr.. Reuthers plan
for speeding up conversion OF the
automobile industry to war prcduc-
ton. Mr.. Reuther Immediately ac-
cepted the proposal
The press conference. generally
expected to develop into public de-
bate on the Reuther plan, which
Mr.. Wilson has criticized on some
points, will be held during the COM
ing week. This was suggested by
Mr.. Wilson in a letter to Mr.. Reu-
ther and was accepted by Mr..
Reuther in a press statement.
General Motors and the U. A. W.
c. I. o. are currently engaged IN
negotiations for revisions of their
existing contract. Earlier this week,
the corporation suggested that the
contract negotiations be made pub
lie This was rejected by Mr.. Reu-
ther on the ground that many of
the points to be discussed are tech
nical, and that he agreed that the
major points at dispute would be
aired publicly before the War Labor
Board in Washington.
Idea Is to Pool Idle Plants.
General Motors. holding literally
hundreds of millions Of dollars in
war contracts, is one of the chief
producers of American armaments.
The Reuther plan, much discussed
within the automobile industry,
calls, in effect, for pooling of idle
plants and idle facilities within
plants in the interest of speeding
war production. The manufactur-
ers who have commented on it
have contended that the only ma
chimes idle are those not adapted
to war production. Mr.. Reuther
claims his plan would make pos
sible the production of 500 planes
daily.
In his letter to Mr.. Reuther, Mr.
Wilson referred to Mr.. Reuther's
press conference statement Friday.
In your statement" Mr.. Wilson
pointed out, you said the union
notes with interest the corpora
tons avowed objective of obtaining
maximum war production in the
minimum time. This squares with
the unions desire-a desire which
we first enunciated in practical
form in December, 1910, when We
first urged conversion of automo-
bile industry facilities to defense
production
Il am assuming that this state
ment of the unions position refers
to the much-publicized Reuther
plan. Since this plan is little un-
derstood and not. as far as we know
from the union demands, an issue in
our current negotiations, I propose
that you and I hold a joint press
conference to discuss this plan, this
conference to be held any time dur
ing the next week at our mutual
convenience.
Reuther's Reply Given.
Mr.. Reuther, director of the Gen.
eral Motors division of the U. A. W.
c. I. O., Immediately accepted the
proposal. He said:
Il am happy to know that Mr..
Wilson has agreed to do the thing
that we suggested more than a year
ago, at which time we proposed that
management discuss publicly with
labor the problem of converting our
industry to war production
Il shall be happy to arrange dur
ing the coming week to meet joint
ly with Mr. Wilson and representa-
tives of the press to discuss the So
called Reuther plan, the establish
ing of joint labor management pro-
duction committees as proposed by
Mr., Nelson, and other matters rela-
tive to the achievement of maximum
war production.
Yesterday at my press conference
again suggested this"