Evening star., 1946-12-15
CiO Leaders to Prepare
Demands on Management

PITTSBURGH, Dec. IA. R-
.Labor's demands on management,
as seen by representatives Of 1885,
600 workers, will be formulated next
week when the leaders of the CLOS
three biggest unions gather around
q conference table and draw up
plans for future contract negotia-
tions.
The week-long session will bring
together Philip Murray. CIO presi-
dent and head of the $4,000 United
Steel Workers; Walter Reuther,
president of the 100000 United Auto
Workers; Albert Fitzgerald, chief
officer of the United Electrical, Ra-
dio and Machine Workers Union
with it's 600,000 members, and other
men high in the executive circles of
the three organizations.
Mr.. Murray pretty much wove the
general pattern for new pay de-
mands recently when he announced
the CIO unions will use as their
"guidepost" a survey that contended
salaries can be boosted up to Is per
cent without increasing prices or
reducing profits much below the
wartime peaks.
Murray Statement Challenged.
The National Supply Co., manu-
factlirer of oil field equipment with
10000 employees, today challenged
Mr.. Murray's statement.
A. E. Walker, president Of the
company which has plants in Ohio,
California, Texas and Pennsylvania,
In letter to the CIO head said:
Although the earnings of this
company are probably above the
average of all industry in proportion
to invested capital and volume of
sales, it will make net profit Of
less than $3,000,0 600 this year. Our
total payroll for the year will be
about $24,000,000.
"a 25 per cent increase would re-
quire an additional 5000, 900 for
our employees. But that is not all.
The cost of goods and services that
we buy would also rise to reflect
the higher labor costs of our suppl
ers. Obviously, these direct and in
direct increases in our cost of doing
business could not come out of a
$3,000,000 profit. They would have
to be met through higher prices of
our products.
May Set Meeting Pattern.
The procedure for the conference
calls for Mr. Murray, Mr.. Reuther,
Mr. Fitzgerald and a few of their
chief aides to meet Informally on
Monday. Out of the session probably
will come the thoughts that will
guide other groups through the re-
mainder of the meetings.
The executive board of the steel
workers, comprised of the 36 di-
rectors and international Officers,
will convene Tuesday and Friday.
On the two intervening days, the
unions Wage Policy Committee of
ITS members will meet
The controlling board of the Elec-
trical Workers also has meetings
scheduled for Tuesday and Wednes-
day. In view of Mr.. Reuther's an
nouncement of his unions salary
demands, no general session of the
auto workers board is planned.
Contract Discussions Begun.
The steel workers contract. with
United States Steel Corp. and other
major steel producers expires Febru-
ary Is with negotiations scheduled
to get under way next month. Con-
tract discussions already have been
opened with the Aluminium Com
pany of America, but sessions were
suspended until Friday pending the
outcome of the combined unions
meetings.
Electrical workers representatives
from Westinghouse, General Elec-
trio, General Motors Electrical Di-
vision and Sylvaflia Electric Corp.
are scheduled to open their own ses-
sions in New York on January 4,
with contract demands expected to
follow the pattern outlined here this
week.
Independent union leaders at the
Weirton Steel Co., with 10000 work.
ers at Weirton, W. Va, and Steu-
benville, Ohio, said today they had
opened contract negotiations with
the National Steel Corp. subsidiary
some time ago. Edward A. Ross,
president of the union, said, how
ever, that no specific hourly wage
demand had been announced. Por-
tal-to-portal pay is one of the ma
jor issues, Mr.. Ross said.