The Waterbury Democrat., 1946-04-10

lIO4ll 1J able sum of money which the em- ployes might have had in their pockets"
 Negotiations Halted Yesterday
 Negotiations between A.B.C. man. agement and a union negotiating committee were broken off at 4:45 yesterday afternoon. The union said the company had proposed that workers on strike since Feb. return to their jobs at their old pay rates, with an i8 1-2 cent hourly increase to be paid when O2A approved a further increase in prices of brass products. Changes in seniority pro- visions and arbitration procedure, also proposed by management were entirely unacceptable to the union.
 U. s. Conciliator Walter Maggiolo, who had brought the parties to- gether for a renewal of bargaining parleys Monday, said at New York today that he has no immediate plans for additional meetings. He said the company is to notify him when 1t Is ready for another joint conference. Commissioner Maggiolo, who had hoped to effect strike settlement this week, appeared dis couraged at the collapse of negotia- tions.
 J. Harold Madden, director of in- dustrial relations for AB.C. and chief management spokesman dur ing negotiations, was not available for comment on the situation today. We're ready to settle the strike as soon as American Brass is will ing to grant an IS 1-2 cent increase on the terms which were acceptable at Chase, Bridgeport Brass and other firms" declared John J. Man kowski, member of the M.MS.W executive board.
 MT. Driscol said the unions com- plaint to the NLRB will claim the company is unwilling to offer the same wage terms to C.I.O. employees as it granted AFL. organized work CTS at its Kenosha plant last week.
 Declined Similar Offer
 MT. Driscoll said the company proposal at Kenosha, ratified by the members of Federal Labor Union Local 1892, provided a wage in- crease of IS 1-2 cents, effective back to April 1. He said the company de- clined to make similar wage offer for it's Connecticut plants, instead insisting that any increase be sub- ject to upward revisions in brass prices by the OPA.a
 In the past, MT. DriScoll claimed, A. B. O. has invariably granted the same increases and made the same wage cuts at all its plants. This has been the case, he said, ever since collective bargaining for Waterbury employees of A. B. c. went into effect. Refusal by the company to offer the same terms in Connecticut as at Kenosha is obvious discrimination" ," the 0: I. O. leader asserted. In a statement last week, the company pointed out that Kenosha workers were not on strike.
 Formation of Citizens Committees to bring pressure of public opinion for early and just settlement of the strike" was advocated by a sub committee of the M. M. s. w. nego- tiating committee. The sub-commit- tee issued a statement blasting the company's stand and accusing man. agement of having mo present in- tention of settling the strike"
 Faces Copper Shortage
 The brass industry, already hard hit by strikes in recent months, to- day faced the most acute copper shortage yet. A strike which started yesterday at the Butte, Mont. mines and plants of the Anaconda Copper Mining Company, will reduce the nations copper supply to an es- timated 10 per cent of normal. An- aconda is the parent company of A. B. c. The mines of the Kennecott Corporation, of which the Chase Brass & Copper Company is a Sub- sidiary, have been closed for weeks by strikes, as have the mines and smelterS of other major copper pro- ducers. The coal strike is also threat ening to have dire effects on brass fabricating firms.
 MT. Driscoll said the question of wages, which earlier had been avoided. was brought up by the com- pany yesterday. AS was the case with contract issues aside from wages, the parties were in complete disagreement.
 On issues other than pay, the management and union conferees during their two days of fruitless meetings discussed a 12-page written proposal by the company. It sug- gested numerous contract changes.
 Proposal Explained
 One such company . proposed change cited by the union was as follows:
 The company shall be entitled to exempt from all seniority rules ID to 90 per cent Of any department tal seniority list In cases of employees having special experience or train- ing or who in the opinion of man. aHem,nt are esseAtial to the esfl- eient conduct of the buNness."
 The union statemens declared that ander this clause only a few cin-