Evening star., 1946-03-03
Company Will Give
Reply Today on Plea
For Trumun Action
BY the Associated Press

DETROIT. Mar. 2.-The CIO
United Auto Workers offered to-
night to end their 102-day-old
strike at General Motors if the
company agrees to submit the
costly dispute to an arbitrator
ITO be named by President Tru-
man.
An authoritative source-close to
GM officialdom-asserted that GIN
would reject the proposal.
Heads of the UAW, in letter to
GIN President c. E. Wilson, promised
that if the company accepts the pro-
posal they would urge the 175,0OO
strikers to return to the job i'm
mediately on present settlement
terms from General Motors.
GIN Makes Final" Offer.
GIN officials, after conferences, in
cluding a meeting at the hospital
bedside Of Mr.. Wilson, said they
would reply at 2 pm. tomorrow.
IT GIN accepts, the strikers would
return to work at an 1871 cents an
hour wage increase-which the COM
pan,y said today was its absolutely
final" offer-and with other con-
tract concessions, including a dues
check-off,
The unions 250-member GIN con-
ference voted the arbitration move,
but a spokesman said it was not
unanimous.
In the event GIN rejects the pro-
posal, union statement said the
conference resolved itself to in
tensify strike action and to carry
on until the strike is won" The
conference shortly thereafter ad-
journed its two-day session.
Called Green Light to Prosperity.
In the letter to GIN the JAWS
highest officials called attention to
what they termed the fixed and
immovable position" of each side
holding back a settlement of the
dispute at this time.
Your acceptance" the union told
GIN, will give America the green
light to move forward to full pro-
duction and prosperity"
General Motors proposals for set
tlement include:
l. The 181z cents an hour wage
increase G6.5 per cent? as opposed
to the union demand for 1919 cents
Q74 per cent?. Originally the I
union asked 80 per cent.
General Motors refuses to
grant 1-cent-an-hour "equali-
zation fund" which the union
asks to balance "inequities'
among wage groups.)
2. Check-off of union dues and
elimination of maintenance of
membership requiring a union men,
Der to keep good standing in the
union in order to hold his job.
8. A vacation pay system based
on percentage of annual wage of
the worker and graduated accord
ing to seniority. At present an en-
paoye of one to five years seniority
gets 48 hours vacation pay; above
1--we yCoi D, liC SCCo 0O llOOlo.
Wages Only Issue Left.
Earlier today General Motors had
disclosed that the union and itself
had Tentatively agreed" to all mat
ters in dispute except wages.
The disclosure came from GINS
Vice President Harry w. Anderson
at press conference in the course
of which he charged union politics
was interfering with a settlement of
the strike-a charge Immediately
denied by the union.
To date thes walkout has caused
a total estimated loss OF three quar-
ters of billion dollars in wages and
in car and truck sales by the COM
pany and in dealer commissions.
Mr.. Anderson said General Motors
was fairly well convinced" the i'm
pending national convention of the
auto workers union stands in the
way of settlement" He said union
heads feared any position they
might now take would be "preju-
dicial' to them politically in the
union.
President r. ]. Thomas of the