Evening star., 1944-08-05
5000 Strikers Return,
Leaving $1,000 Idle
Throughout Nation
BY the Associated Press.

IHIVuyHVul NollVu
BY the Associated Press.
A few bright spots illuminated
the Nations somber labor disputes
picture today, but in all two dozen
disputes existed across the country.
The number idle In this country
and Canada dropped to about 36,-
900 from the $4,000 total yesterday. /
In four cases involving 5000 the
men returned or voted to return.
Prospects improved for prompt set
tlement of the Montreal tram strike
and Detroit's only major stoppage.
The Philadelphia transport tie
up entered its fifth day.
A new transport tangle developed
in Minneapolis and st. Paul, where
more than 1000 over-the-road
drivers walked out in renewal of q
long-standing wage dispute with
Midwest Operators Association.
At Omaha, M. M. Krupinsky,
spokesman for the Nebraska Truck
Operators Association, said truck
drivers in Omaha also commenced
walkout this morning and that
all Omaha -the-road lines.
probably would be tied UP by noon.
Also on the darker side were new
stoppages at three Illinois war
plants, involving 1900 and two new
walkouts in the Pittsburgh district,
bringing the total of idle there to
some 2,700.
Reading Strike Ends.
On the labor peace front: 100
workers of the Reading PaD Street
Railway Co. agreed to return to work
today to end one-day stoppage
that cut transport service Is per
cent; 5,700 strikers at John A. Roe
bling's Sons g. Co., Roebling and
Trenton, N. j., voted and started to
return to work in compliance with a
War Labor Board directive: 800 dis
tribution employees of Public Service
Gas & Electric Co., Newark, and II
other cities, voted to return today,
and stoppage of 1000 at Houdaille-
Hershey Corp, Buffalo. was ended.
A walkout of 300 workers at the
Acme Steel & Malleable Iron Works
also was ended at Buffalo.
A CIO-United Auto Workers Off
cial, Nestor B. Messy, predicted that
1000 employees of General Motors
Chevrolet Gear and Axle Division,
Detroit, would vote tomorrow to re-
turn to work and end a week long
strike
Other Plants Threatened.
Mr.. Messy made his statement
after meeting yesterday with the
Regional War Labor Board at which
assurances were given that six en-
ployes repeatedly discharged since
the strike began never have been dis
missed.
The strike started originally in a
dispute over stepped-up produc-
ton rate.
The Army told union representa-
tives continuance of the strike would
force closing of General Motors fac
tories in five other cities early next
week. Factories listed were the
truck plant at Pontiac, Mich;
Chevrolet plant at Norwood, Ohio;
factory at Atlanta, Chevrolet factory
at Tonawanda. N. Y, and plant at
st. Louis, all drawing parts in war
production from the five gear and
axle plants affected by the strike in
Detroit.
1,500 Trucks Tied Up.
In Minneapolis, Sidney Brennan,
secretary-treasurer of AFL General
Drivers Union, Local 544, said the
Twin Cities transport walkout
started when a few men refused to
work. All other drivers and help
ers, he said, were then called off.
Lou Hosking, st. Paul, secretary
of the Midwest Operators Associa-
ton, said about 1,50O trucks and
5000 men were involved in the two
cities.
A wage increase of 7 cents an
hour, retroactive to November II,
l943, had been granted the drivers,
but operators asserted they were
unable to pay it. After a previously
threatened strike. the dispute was
referred to President Roosevelt.