The potters herald. [volume] (East Liverpool, Ohio) 1899-1982, 1946-09-19
PACKERS SITDOWN STRIKE
BRINGS MASS LAYOFFS

Chicago (FP)-A nationwide meat
famine, repeatedly provoked by a re-
newed sitdown strike of the big pack
ers against price ceilings, HAS led to
layoffs of thousands of packinghouse
workers and demand for national
ization of the industry.
More than 10000 workers have al
ready been thrown out of their jobs
at the Big Four and Independent
plants here and reports of shutdowns
and mass layoffs are pouring in from
all parts of the country. The layoffs,
more drastic than those which occur
ed last spring when the packers
strike was at it's height, are even hit
ting workers with as much as 25 year
seniority.
The naturalization call came from
an emergency meeting here Of presi-
dents of 20 United Packinghouse
Workers locals who ascribed the
growing meat crisis to "a political
sitdown" by the big packers. They
proposed that the government per-
manently take over the meat indus
try as a public utility "to guarantee
the farmer a fair price for his cattle,
the consumer an adequate supply of
meat at reasonable prices, and the
worker a steady job, under decent
wage and working conditions"
Hand of the big packers in the
Adolph SABBATH who demanded a fed
eral investigation of "big business
criminals who want to wreck the
country for 80 lousy pieces of silver"
Calling the meat situation an "out-
rage" the veteran legislator said:
"One day 10000 cattle come into the
yards, and short time later on 800.
There is no justification for the diff
ference. The money-hungry interests
don't care what happens to meat
hungry people. | want the Justice
Dept. to ascertain whether there is
collusion and conspiracy. 1t amounts
to wilful and deliberate holdup."
Estimated receipts at Chicago's
Union stockyards Sept. 9 were 5000
cattle and 1000 hogs, lowest point in
history. Before OPA price ceilings
were restored cattle receipts hit 40,-
600 for one day.
One of the reasons for the present
shortage is that producers glutted the
market with livestock to take advan-
tage of the high prices in the OPA-
less period. Mainly responsible, it is
believed, is hording of meat in cold
storage by the packers and their re-
fusal to buy, thus discouraging ship
ment of livestock to market In Phil
adelphia OPA investigators found
100000 pounds of meat in cold stor-
age and predicted they would discover
at least 100000 more.
Sabotage of the new price ceilings,
which are an average of 3% cents per
pound higher than June 80 ceilings,
was limited at in recent statement
by an American Meat institute
spokesman. He predicted the supply
of meat would be "very light" for the
next 10 months, the time OPA has
to run.
The layoffs coincide with the begin
ming of strike vote Sept. among
the UPW's 100000 members and are
believed to be part of the packers
drive to weaken the union. In New
York City the CIO council demanded
the removal of Secretary of Agricul
ture Clinton P. Anderson, charging
that he "has consistently followed a
policy of yielding to the holdup de-
mands of the large meat packing cor
porations and has been a persistent
force within the administration for
program of rising prices and infla-
tion."