Evening star., 1943-08-25
Six More Brewster
Guards Arrested;
Strike Continues
BY fhe Associated Press.

SIX. more. guardS were placed
under military arrest today at
the Brewster Aeronautical Corp. s
townsville plant, where similar
action against four others two
days ago led to a walkout that
has halted airplane production
and brought War Labor Board
intervention
The 4th Naval District public
relations Office said the six were
charged with violating their mill
tsry obligation" by failing to report
for duty Monday. The four pre-
viously arrested were charged with
failing to take their post of duty
after reporting for work. All are
members of the Coast Guard Tenn
porary Reserve, but are paid by the
company.
Meanwhile employees continued to
defy a WLB order for a resumption
of work, despite q warning from
the board that it would take all
steps within its authority" to compel
compliance.
officers of United Automobile
Workers Aircraft Local 1865 tCIOD
insisted on withdrawal of 200 armed
Coast Guardsmen from the plant
before they would offer to negotj-
ate with the company.
Meeting Scheduled Tomorrow.
Thomas de Lorenzo, local presi-
dent, said it would be physically
impossible" for the membership to
act on the WLB order until tomor-
row morning, when a mass meeting
is scheduled, because many of the
workers live "a great distance" from
the plant.
The WLB acted after several
thousands of the workers at a meet
ing yesterday declared themselves
on strike despite Mr.. De Lorenzos
warning that strike at the plant.
which makes Navy airplanes, would
be "a technical violation" of the
entistrike act
The meeting also authorized dele
gates to ask workers at the cor
poration's Newark, N. j.. and Long
Island City, N. Y, to strike in SYM
pathy, Mr.. De Lorenzo said later
he planned to address a meeting
at Long Island City this afternoon
and another at Newark tomorrow
night.
Paul Kreos. recording secretary of
Local 365, said at Newark today that
workers in the Newark and Long
Island plants would not join in the
strike.
The union is not asking Newark
and Long Island to join the strike"
Mr.. Krebs said. The meetings are
merely for the purpose of informing
local workers of what is going on.
They will ask vote of confidence"
Frankensteen Going to townsville.
Mr.. De Lorenzo said r. J. Thomas.
WLB member and president of
the UAW, telephoned him from
Detroit that Richard Frankensteen.
international president, would
be sent to townsville. WLB pre-
viously asked Mr.. Thomas to convey
It's order to the striking local "and
lake other appropriate action"
A telegram signed by Public Mem
Der Wayne L. Morse, WLB COM |
pliance officer, told heads of the
local that failure to end the strike
promptly must be treated as a
hreat to orderly processes and to the
security of the Nation in time of
war"
Mr.. Morse fatty told the union Of
1cials that you and the members
II your nnion have no right to place
'our alleged labor grievances above
he needs and welfare of our armed |
forces"
The War Labor Board" said Mr..
Morse's telegram, now directs the
lnion Immediately to respect labor's
1o-strike pledge and notify you
hat failure to do so will result in
his boards taking all steps within
is authority to obtain compliance
with its order
Would Not Elaborate.
Board officials would not elaborate
m this warning, but usually the next |
tep is to certify the case to the |
President for appeal to the workers
,r seizure of the plant If defiance
continues. Once the plant is under
government control. the criminal |
,enalties of the Antistrike Act would !
,ecome operative.
Acting Secretary of the Navy /
Navy James Forrestal told the cor
that the loss of single .
Navy combat plane because of a
work stoppage lis tragedy
In telegram to Frederick Rebel. !
president of the plant, Mr.. Forrestal /
declared:
We wish to emphasize again the |
lavy's urgent need for the combat
,lanes which Brewster has con-
racted to produce. The Navy de-
olores the continuing lag in produc-
ion and the further threat to pro-
1uction because Of the waikout at |
he Brewster plant in townsville |
and possible strikes at other plants.
Loss OF a single combat plane now
because OF work stoppage is |
Before the board acted the Phila- |
ielphia regional Office of the War
Commission directed that |
10 statement of availability be given !
o any Brewster employe at Johns
'ille. Without such statement a
worker virtually is frozen in his Job. |
AT townsville Mr.. Rebel said in a
statement:
Neither Brewster management
nor the local is in a position to die
.--NE'