Evening star., 1946-01-20
Firms Arranging
For CurtuiIment
In Quiet Foshion
BY the Associated Press.

PITTSBURGH, Jan. 19.-The
greatest shutdown in the his
tory of the steel industry was
under way tonight, with thou
sands of workers already off the
job, some quitting work ahead
OF the time set for strike
12:01 am. Monday-and others
being sent home by companies
curtailing operations in prepa-
ration for the stoppage.
Approximately $4,000 went on
strike at few scattered plants after
the collapse of eleventh-hour nego-
tiationS for higher wages, swelling to
$4,000 the number made idle by
strikes in various parts of the coun-
try, some of them over local griev-
ances.
Workers generally, however, were
waiting the official strike deadline
which the CIO United Steel Work
ers estimated will take 100000 work
ers from their jobs at 1,292 plants in
80 States.
Large steel companies went ahead
with the mill closing program.
Spokesman for the United States
Steel Corp. in the Chicago and Pitts
burgh areas declared the "curtail-
ment program was going ahead as
planned and in quiet fashion"
Furnaces Being Banked.
Producers were banking blast fur
naces and open hearths. The shut
down machinery was set into mo-
ton almost Immediately after
United States Steel rejected Pres
ident Truman's mediation wage pro-
posal yesterday and Philip Murray,
president of the union, ordered the
strike into full force and effect"
on Januarg 81.
Mr.. Marray was expected in
Pittsburgh tomorrow to direct the
strike from the steel unions head
quarters. He has called members of
negotiating committees in United
States Steel plants to meet Tues
day. Th unions national executive
board will meet here with Mr.. Muir
ray Wednesday, and the full IT'S
man policy board will meet We'd
nesday afternoon.
The unions strike list" en-
braces q majority of the basic steel
producing companies, as well as
hundreds of fabrication plants, and
also large part of the aluminium
industry.
Plans Progressing Orderly.
Reports from the great steel CEN
ters Of Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indi-
ana and Illinois, which produce the
major part of the Nations steel,
showed plans for the stoppage pro-
crossing orderly. with no expecta-
ton from any quarter that the
strike could be headed off.
Already idle in PENNSYLVANIA
strikes were an estimated 21.000
men. including workers at the Jones
g. Laughlin Steel Corps plants.
and the Allegheny-Ludlum Steel
Corp. works at West Leechburg.
Since the collapse of the wage nego-
tiations, more than 1000 also
walked out at the Great Lakes
Steel Co., in Detroit and $500
struck at the Columbia Steel Co.
works in Pittsburg, Calf.
Bert Hough, a USW district di-
rector reported tonight workers
were walking off the job at the
Crucible Steel Co. at Midland, Pa,
which employs 5000. The men were
leaving the rolling mills and finish
ing departments, but remained on
duty at the furnaces to protect
plant property, he said.
In other States, strikes which
started earlier. involving local griev-
ances for the most part, affected
12,400 in New York; 3,T00 in Massa-
chusetts; $500 in Indiana; 900 in
Connecticut and $500 in Illinois.
Pickets were out at some OF the
struck plants. Orderly conditions
prevailed. Crowds watched the
pickets, wearing armbands and
carrying signs, marching in front
OF the mill gates of Jones g. Laugh
Inns Pittsburgh works.
The strike started last night at
the corporations Pittsburgh works,
{see PITTSBURGH, Page A-4J