Evening star., 1946-01-04
Truman's Speech Admits Failure
OfAdministration> COP Charqes;
Workers Clash. in Electric Strike
Supervisors Try
To Cross Picket
Line at Keurny
BULLETINS.

Amalgamated Meat Cutters
and Butcher workmen to-
day asked President Truman
to call a packing industry
conference "to prevent a COM
plete tieup of the entire meat
industry"
NEW YORK (R).-Three
persons, including a woman,
were reported injured in a
clash at the Western Electric
Co. plant at Kearny; N. j., to-
day. Several persons were re-
ported arrested. The injured
persons were struck by wood
en- placard staffs hurled by
pickets, police said.
While the threat of a Nation
wide sympathy walkout of tele-
phone workers increased, 1000
supervisors of the strike-bound
Western Electric Co.'s big Kear-
ny IN. j. plant attempted to
crash a picket line of 500 strikers
today.
Police described the incident as a
slight scuff1e" and said they had ar
rested one supervisor and one picket
and charged them with disorderly
conduct.
This development came as the
strike by 17,200 members of the In
dependent Western Electric En-
ployes' Association entered its sec
ond day. The telephone workers,
who are affiliated with the Western
Electric workers, pondered walk
out in sympathy with them.
Contrasted with the police state
ment, union officials said, according
to the Associated Press, that three
pickets were arrested and that Ar
thur Auerbach, a disabled veteran,
was injured in a disturbance at the
conpany's Passaic IN. j. plant and
was taken away in an ambulance.
Nv 2NC"
Police Capt. j. w. Randall at
Kearny said several supervisors
managed to get into the Kearny
plant during the disturbance.
c. l.. Strong, Western Electric in
formation chief, said there had been
no negotiations between the COM
pany and the union since an unsuc-
cessful last-ninute conference just
before the strike started. There
were no prospects Of conferences be-
ing resumed now, he said. Nonstrik-
ing workers had been asked to make
an effort" to report for work, but not
to defy picket lines, he added.
The Western Electric strike halt
ed production of switchboards and
other telephone equipment at 81
plants in New York and Northern
New Jersey. Plants affected includ-
ed six in New York City. and others
in the following New Jersey cities,
Kearny, Clifton, Bayonne, Passaic,
Newark, Roselle and Jersey City.
Company plants in other parts of
the country were operating, but
Henry Mayer, counsel for the West
ern Electric Employees Association,
left by air for the West Coast in an
effort to gain support of company
employees there He predicted SYM
pathy strikes in the other plants
lin a matter of days"
Would Affect 100000
The Western Electric unions are
members of the National Federation
Of Telephone Workers, whose presi-
dent, Joseph A. Beirne, said he had
asked 48 member unions to author
ize a strike in support of the de-
mands of Western Electric employees
for 80 per cent wage increases. Mr..
Beirne said the poll of telephone
workers would take 10 days, and
added strike would affect 100000
employees of the Bell System.
Other developments in the troubled
labor situation were,
l. A strike vote will be taken
Sunday among members of the CIO
United Rubber Workers at the
Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. at
Akron, Ohio. A union official said
a new strike vote was being taken
to enforce their demands for higher
pay.
2. Gerald Fielde, director of the
National Harvester Council of the
Go Farm Equipment and Metal
WOrkarc TTpipo on,o,,,,oaJ ;,1 Hl,;
cago that wage negotiations with
the international Harvester Co. had
been broken off and that "in all
likelihood" a strike of 10000 union
workers would result. He said
union representatives in IL Har-
vester plants would meet Sunday
to set strike date.
Strategy" Meeting Today.
3. CIO leaders directing strikes or
planning for possible future work
stoppages in the automobile, steel
and electrical industries were to hold
a delayed Strategy" meeting today
The conference was postponed yes
terday when the arrival of CIC
President Philip Murray, who also
heads the United Steel Workers, was
delayed.
4. The Labor Department said II
had no last-minute plans for avert
ing a strike of 100000 CIO mem.
bers in the electrical industry. Heads
of the United Electrical Workers
meet in New York tomorrow to sci
a date for strikes against Genera.
Electric, Westinghouse and Genera
Motors electrical divisions.
In another development, both the
AFL and CIO rejected Govern
ment suggestion of a 10 per cent
wage increase in the shipbuildine
industry. So far there is no threat
OF a strike in this industry. The
(See LABOR, Page A-4)
British Privute Hanged as Sp,