Evening star., 1946-01-12
1000 Walk Outut
Bethlehem; Mills
Bank Furnaces
By JAMES Y. NEWTON.


Corp. officials to the White House
today in a last-ditch effort to
prevent a strike as reports from
industrial centers indicated that
giant steel industry operations
already were grinding to a halt
Thousands of steel workers already
were off their jobs, jumping the CUR
ON the industry-wide walkout sched-
uled for Monday morning which
would make idle 100000 workers
The Bethlehem Steel Co.'S plant a,
Lackawanra, N. Y, employing H.
600, was completely closed and plants
in other areas were banking furnaces
and making other preparations for a
shutdown.
CIO President Philip Murray, who
also heads the United Steel Workers
and Benjamin F. Fairless, president
of United States Steel, the industry's
biggest producer, led the delegations
to the White House conference sci
for pm. There were indications
that President Truman might par.
ticipate personally in the mediation
although Reconversion Director Sny.
der was expected to launch it.
Meanwhile, in Canton, Ohio, q
conference today failed to iron out
remaining minor wage differences
between the Timken Roller Bearing
Co. and the local union of the United
Steel Workers. Timken's 1900
workers are scheduled to take part
in the general steel industry strike
Price Boost Offer Likely.
Federal labor experts, ever opti-
mistic, were still hopeful OF averting
the walkout in Americas key indus
try. The Government was expected
to play its major trump card at the
parley and offer the giant steel cor
poration a siZable price increase to
enable a satisfactory compromise OF
the steel workers wage demands, al
ready reduced from 50 to s160 a day
higher pay.
Elsewhere in labor:
i. The General Motors Corp. fatty
rejected the Presidents fact finding
boards recommendation that it set
tie the 52-day strike of 200 900 CIO
United Auto Workers by giving en-
ployes a wage increase of 1871 cents
an hour. GIN President c. E. VIII
son said the boards findings were
unacceptable "in whole or in part
Official Washington expressed dis
appointment and Senator Wherry
Republican, of Nebraska, voiced
belief the Government should take
over the corporation to end the
strike. He argued that the War
Powers Act still in force would en-
able the President to put these mer
back to work"
Meat Strike Held Likely.
2. Federal officials coming out Of
a three-day conciliation meeting ir
Chicago were gloomy over prospect.
of heading off a Nation wide strik,
in the meat packing industry set fol
Tuesday. The officials indicated the
Government might seize the indus.
try to preserve the food supply o.
the country.
3. There was no word of progres
in negotiations between the cleo
trical appliance industry and tn
CIO United Electrical Workers
whose 100000 members have sched
uled a walkout for Wednesday il
far flung plants of the General Elec
trio Co., Westinghouse and Genera
Motors electrical divisions.
Mr.. Truman called the conferenc,
after wage talks between Unitet
States Steel and the CIO uniol
broke down in New York late yester
day. Negotiations suddenly turnet
sour at a time when it seemed tn,
industry was about to reach basi
for settlement.
President Murray scaled down hi
wage demands to $160 a day or 2,
cents an hour when the Thinker
company offered cts workers IT,!
per cent more pay in a tele
gram to the Steel Workers head
Mr.. Murray replied to Timken tina
his union wanted its increase ii
cents per hour rather than on :
PERCENTAGE basis, so that lower-paie
workers would benefit more.
He also made the 2O-cent com.
promise offer to United States Steel
Hopes had been high of settlin,
the Timken case and possibly set
ting a pattern for all of steel. But
company official said after tn
conference today that the firm hel,
to its proposal for a percentage rails
while the union insisted on a fla
20 cents an hour for all employees.
THE company contended, the off
cial said, that the increase shoult
be percentage-wise to preserve tn
proportionate differential between
unskilled, semiskilled and skille,
| workers."
Timken officials claimed the offe
would have benefited workers O
average pay slightly more than tn
revised Murray demand. BY uniol
calculation, the offer was three
fourths of a cent shy of a 20-cen
boost on the pay-scale average.
Secretary of Labor Schwellenbacl
(See LABOR, Page A-25