The Waterbury Democrat., 1946-03-21

tives, aSSailing the management and calling for a continuance of the strike until decent settlement" is offered. American Brass spokesmen made no statement today, and the company stood firm on its offer which the union rejected yesterday This offer provided an IS 1-2 cent hourly increase but was subject to five conditions, none of which was agreeable to the union.
 Tn 8 challenge to Rodney Chase, director of industrial and public re- lations for the Chase Company, fol- lowing a statement that the com- pany did not intend to change an offer already rejected by the union, James McGrath. president of the Chase Local, asked: Has MT. Chase ever heard of Bristol Brass or of the terms of the settlement there?" The company spokesman has claimed that the union has turned down wage offers similar to those accepted at Bridgeport Brass and the Scovill Manufacturing Com. pany.
 CI.O. leaders today were seeking to Solidify all AB.C. union groups in a common stand against the company. Employees of plants out side Connecticut have A.F.L. and independent unions as their bar gaining spokesmen. It is significant that the anti-management state- ment was signed by leaders of all three groups.
 Bit Optimistic
 Commissioner Maggiolo this af- ternoon said the A. B. c. situation perhaps isn't as hopeless as it may seem to be-"
 His meetings with WISE and OPA officials, he said, are concerned with seeking a basis on which negotia- tions can be taken up again. Two of the company's five qualifications appended to the wage offer call for authorization of any wage in. crease by the wage board and ap- proval of a further brass price in. crease by the OPA.
 The stand taken by manage ment and labor in both strike! makes 1t clear that intervention by outside conciliators will bt needed to bring them together again. A new conciliator may bt appointed temporarily in the Chas' strike since Commissioner William Traux is i'll at his home in Stam' ford.
 The A. B. c. offer had only on modification during the negotia tions which ended in stalemat' at The Elton yesterday. This wa change in the companys earlie flat refusal to arbitrate the com pensatory bonus issue, but the un ion said 1t offered nothing accept able.
 Terms Rejected
 As disclosed exclusively yeSterda, in The Democrat, the terms of thu company offer were not acceptable to the union negotiating commit tee.
 Following is the text of tn companys proposal;
 The American Brass Company will give to its employees represented by the International Union of Mine Mill and Shelter Workers, CIO. at Waterbury, AnSonia and Tor. rington, Conn.,, a wage increase o. l81a cents an hour, subject to tht following qualifications:
 1. That this wage increase 1! conditioned upon the approval oi the Economic Stabilization Direc' tor;
 2. That the increase will be put into effect upon the determination by the Office of Price AdminiStratol of the increase in price ceilings tC compensate for this wage increase
 3. That this wage increase pel hour shall be applied by adding tC the earnings of each employe tht amount of the hourly increase mul' tiplied by the number of hours paic for and shall not become a part oi the basic hourly wage for the de- termination of piece work and in centive payments;
 4. That an entire new contract including the above proposals of wage increase be agreed to for period of one year;
 s. That the so-called compenSa' tory bonus be settled on the basil of the attached.
 Upon the effective date of thh increase the company intends tt resume . regular forty (40) hou week.
 Should these terms be agreeable anG the employees wish to return to work prior to the effective dat' of the increase. they may do so un' der the terms of the present con- tract.
 CompenaatoFy Bonus
 The compensatory bonus for sew en-and-one swing shift employee was granted Co make np any losl of overtime cceasloned by the effee | ei Executive Order e2tO on oil previous contract agreement 10 pa! lilns cod one.half for setpEaAx a