The Ypsilanti daily press. (Ypsilanti, Mich.) 1928-1962, 1945-10-04
General Motors
Rejects JAW
Wage Demands

:
Detroit. Oct. l-AP-The United
Automobile Workers (CIO) today
studied an unqualified mo" from
General Motors Corporation on
union demands for a 30 per cent
wage increase for $4,000 GM work.
ers
The company reply which termed
the union demands unreasonable
was the first answer from an auto.
mobile manufacturer TO JAW re.
quests for pay Increases for the ma.
tons auto workers.
General Motors rejection OF the
union demands was announced by
c, f. Wilson, company president.
In five page statement distributed
Just prior to the opening OF the first
session TO discuss the wage ques-
ton.
While your union states that il
Is against initiation, your demands
are definitely inflationary and your
union is responsible for trying to
start an intlationary spiral OF in
creasing wages. costs and prices"
Wilson declared.
President Truman made ready to-
day to seize the nations strike-crip-
pied oil refineries as the govern
ment's first major attempt al
postwar labor settlement ended in
failure.
Labor Department efforts TO
bring striking Gloon Workers and
big refineries 70 terms over wages
collapsed late yesterday.
Promptly, Charles G. Ross, White
House press secretary, annpunced
'the government will take over.
the struck OIL companies" today
Seizure was a last resort to re-
turn the refineries TO operation.
There was no let.up, meanwhile,
in the labor squabbles confound-
ing reconversion.
Another $4,000 OF John L. Lewis
bituminous coal miners walked ont
yesterday. bringing the total to 49,
900. The estimated 675,000-ton
daily loss in production represents
about two-thirds of the nations out
put.
The Labor secretary, weary from
his day and night struggle to set
tie his first big test" strike, rec
commended seizure OF the refineries
TO assure delivery OF fuel oil and
gasoline to the Army and Navy and
to essential civilian needs.
Involved we're; standard OIL OF
Ohio, Cities Service, Shell Oil, Pure
Oil. Tidewater. Union On Pan
American. Socony-Vacuum, Texas,
and Sinclair Companies. An elev-
enth firm. Stanolind Pipeline Com
pany. was in on the wage confer
ences but has no strike.
Union President o. A. Knight
called an emergency meeting OF
HIS executive board to decide
whether to ask the $4,000 strikers
to 20 back TO work for the govern
ment.
Employees OF the strike-bound
Kelsey-H Hayes Wheel Co. reported
for work in increasing numbers to
day as 1900 Michigan telephone
workers went ahead with plans for
q four-hour telephone tieup Friday.
The Kelsey-Hayes Company es
timated that more than $50 per
sons were on the Job this morning
and although the number repre-
scented a small percentage Of the
total personnel, management
spokesman pointed to the slow but
steady increase since Monday. The
company hopes to resume produce
ton next week.
Mrs. Frances Smith, president OF
the Michigan Telephone Workers
Federation, said series of mem
bership meetings would be held
from . to 6 p. m. Friday as part OF
nationwide stoppage in protest
against a National Labor Relations
Board examiners report involving
union Jurisdiction.
Mrs. Smith said, however that the
posibilsity OF fulltime strike was
not being considered unless man
agement interferes with the four
hour tieup.
Michigan Bell Telephone Co. Of
ficials said they would not know
the effect on Press Association
teletype circuits or radio programs
"piped" by telephone wires until
after the stoppage is called. Such
services will be maintained, they
asserted. II at all possible.
Shipping in New York Harbor,
one Of the worlds busiest ports.
was brought to a virtual standstill
today by a strike of thousands OF