Evening star., 1946-01-16
Public BackingUn Unions
In Electrical Strike,
.CI0 Leader Asserts
By the Associated Press,

6S the Associated Press.
NEW YORK, Jan. 16.-Produc-
ton in plants of the Nations three
largest producers of electrical de-
vices was at complete standstill
today after the strike of 200 900
electrical workers.
Albert j. Fitzgerald, president of
the CIO United Electrical, Radio
and Machinery Workers Union, said
reports received by him indicated
that "townspeople and city officials
from coast to coast are realizing
that the strike is in their interests
and are giving the strikers complete
support"
/ He quoted Mayor Albert Cole of
Lynn, Mass, where 10000 electrical
workers are on strike, as saying the
unions demands seem reasonable
and just under all of the present.
day circumstances" and that "the
welfare, not alone of the employees,
but OF the industry itself, demands
a quick settlement Of all differences.
Walk Out in 70 Plants.
The walkout yesterday in 70
plants OF General Electric, Westing-
house and General Motors (electri-
cal division) brought from John D.
Small, civilian production admin
istrator in Washington, an appeal
for voluntary rationing of electrical
equipment during the strike.
Mass picketing was reported in
SO communities.
Hours after the strike started the
Westinghouse Corp. told the union
the CIO United Electrical, Radio
and Machine Workers of America,
third largest CIO organization in
the country-that it was terminal
ing its wage contract.
Equal Responsibility Stressed.
w. G. Marshall, vice president of
the firm, told the union in letter
that the company was ending the
contract on its normal expiration
date, next March 81, and declared:
up to now our contracts with
this union have been like a one-way
street, with all of the benefits going
one way-to the union.
I'VE feel that the time has come
in this reconyersion period to estab-
lish a basis of equal responsibility
by the union as we'll as manage
ment in abiding by the terms of our
contracts"
The union did not comment on
the action.
The strike, called by the CIO-
UEW in support of demands for a
wage increase of 50 day. affected
100000 General Electric employees,
$4,000 Westinghouse workers and
$4,000 General Motors employees,
and also made idle tens of thous-
ands of white-collar workers, not
affiliated with the union, who were
kept away from their jobs by picket
lines.
80 Strikers Seized in Chicago.
The picketing was generally
peaceful except at Chicago, where
SO strikers were seized by a police
labor detail outside a Westinghouse
plant. The union said more women
ST ,000-walked out than in "any
strike called nationally in recent
years"
States in which the firms have
plants are California, Connecticut
Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts,,
Michigan, Missouri, New jersey
New York, Ohio, Pennsylvaniad Z
Rhode Island, Wisconsin. Mary
land, West Virginia and Kentucky.
The original union wage demand
brought q proposal from General
Electric of an increase Of 10 cents
an hour for employees making less
than 81 an hour and 10 per cent
wage rise for those making 81 or
more an hour. General Motors had
offered 1871 cents an hour increase.
A. w. Robertson, chairman of
Westinghouse, said at news con-
ference yesterday in Pittsburgh
that his company had proposed al
Is per cent pay increase for a 10
per cent increase in hours.