Evening star., 1946-01-16
Nationwide Meat Strike Bequn,
Union Leaders Will Confer Here
Tomorrow With Schwe||enbach
Dealers Official
Warns of Vast
Black Market
By the Associated Press.

- tNoCiOil-W -WlOC 7SIl Inc SGdrGeQ
today IN the meat-packing in
dustry, but leaders of the 268, ZOO
union workers involved agreed to
confer in Washington tomorrow
with Secretary of Labor Schwel-
lenbach in Government efforts
to halt the walkout.
Mr.. Schwellenbach had coupled
his invitation to a conference with
an eleventh-hour plea for postpone
ment of the walkout last night.
Leaders of the AFL Amalgamated
Meat Cutters and Butcher Workmen
said the request came too late to
call off the strike, but agreed to
attend the conference. Similar ac-
ceptance came today from leaders
of the CIO United Packing House
Workers.
A survey across the Nation showed
meat supplies on hand were sufficient
to last from about one to seven days.
Receipts at principal livestock
markets have been down sharply
for the last several days.
Seek Pay Increase.
George Dressler, secretary of the
National Retail Meat Dealers Asso-
citation, said in Chicago that if the
strike continued for week or 10
days it would make the former
black markets of the war period
look like Sunday school picnic"
The strike was called one minute
after midnight to support union de-
mands for pay increase.
At noon today, the CIO said the
strike was in full force, with all it's
$4,000 members out in 140 plants
across the Nation. About $1,000 AFL
meat workers involved, $4,000
scheduled to quit work today and
10000 others later. Another 10000
AFL members in the retail trade
were not involved.
Armour & Co. estimated $4,000
of its workers were out by midmorn-
ing; Cudahy. 10000; Wilson & Co.,
9,400, and Swift & Co., $4,000 to
5000.
Official Is Beaten.
A report of violence came from
Swift & Co.'S plant at Kansas City,
Kans., where an independent union
Is not on strike. E. E. Phelps, gen.
eral manager, charged he was
hauled from his car by Is or 80
pickets, beaten and forced to get a
permit to enter the plant.
The unions are seeking wage in
creases up to 171a cents an hour and
the packers have offered tx cents.
Cancellation Chief Edgar L. War
rem told reporters here he assumed"
there would be no Government
seizure of the industry until after
tomorrow's conference. He revealed
that the heads of Swift, Cudahy,
Armour, Wilson and John Morrell
had been invited to the Schwellen-
bach conference along with the two
unions.
Mr.. Warren also indicated the
Government still might appoint a
fact-fnding board to investigate the
dispute, although no action along
that line was expected at this time
either.
Lewis j. Clark, president of the
VIO United Packinghouse Workers
Union, said he and the unions gen.
eral counsel, Ralph Helstein, would
come to Washington for tomorrow's
conference.
Previously, Earl w. Emerson,
president, and Patrick E. German.
secretary of the AFL Amalgamated
Meat Cutters and Butcher Work.
men, proposed to the CIO that both
unions heed the last-minute plea
by Mr.. Schwellenbach and post
pone continuation" of the strike.
The AFL pointed out, however,
that Mr.. Schwellenbach's appeal
last night came too late to avert the
strike which had been called for
midnight and began promptly, in
some instances even before the
deadline.
George A. Eastwood, president of
Armour & Co., said that Govern
ment conciliators who made desper-
ate efforts here this week to avert
the strike had proposed that the
Government pay 80 to 35 cents a
hundredweight on dressed meat pur-
chased by the Government and that
ceiling prices on civilian meats be
raised 10 to 1914 cents a hundred
weight.
Stating the proposal was Gin a
sense recognition of the fact that
the industry cannot raise wages un-
less the added expense is recovered
(See MEAT, Page A-4.)