Evening star., 1946-01-06
Electric Unions
SET WaIkoutof-
100000 Jan. IS
Strike in ; Companies
Called After New GE
Offer Is Rejected
By JAMES Y, NEWTON.

oy aIALo L NEW l. YIN
A Nation wide strike Js0uary
Is of 100000 employees in plants
of the General Electric, General
Motors and Westinghouse COM
panies was set by the CIO
United Electrical Workers Union
yesterday after it fatty rejected
as miserable package" a new
wage offer GE made in a last
minute attempt to avert strike
action.
The JEWS action, although long
expected, gave impetus to the Ma
tion's already seething industrial
relations situation. The CIO now
has three major strikes scheduled
for consecutive days next week
United Steel Workers already had
decided to call out 100000 workers in
steel and related industries January
IA, and the United Packinghouse
Workers have set January 16 for
their strike against the country's
meat packers.
The new strike call was issued in
New York by Albert j. Fitzgerald,
president of the UEW; Julius Ems
pax, secretary-treasurer, and James
J. Matles, director of organization.
Union members last month voted
5 to in favor of strike.
New Offer Rejected.
An hour earlier, Charles E. Wilson,
GE president, made new offer to
the union of 10-cent-an-hour in
crease to all workers earning less
than 81 an hour. The company
previously offered fiat 10 per cent
increase to all employees.
"The new offer of the General
Electric Co. has been rejected" Mr..
Fitzgerald said, in announcing the
strike date. "It points to the cheap
ness of General Electric. We are
ready to negotiate any time GE sees
fit to bargain in good faith"
On another part of the labor front,
q union leader said that the three
day-old strike at Western Electric
Co. plants of the New York City area
is "just about ready to explode into
a walkout of the Nations telephone
workers.
This prediction was made by Frank
j. Fitzsimmons, head of the West
ern Electric Employees Association,
who added that by Monday or
Wednesday something will be ready
to break He conferred with Joseph
A. Beirne, head of the National Fed
Grafton of Telephone Workers, who
has ordered a poll Of his members
to determine whether there will be
a strike in sympathy with the af-
filiated Western Electric employees.
Mr.. Beirne had said the poll would
require 8 or 10 days.
Steel Probers Meet.
Meanwhile, the following develop
ments took place here in the Gov
ernment's almost frantic efforts to
cope with pyramiding labor unrest:
l. The three-man board appoint
ed by President Truman to investi-
gate the steel industry dispute held
it's first meeting and Immediately
appealed to the United States Steel
Corp. and the CIO union to resume
wage negotiations at once. The
board will call in the parties to the
dispute for a meeting some time
this week to set proceed ires /and
dates for it's hearings.
2. Cancellation Director Edgar L..
Warrens said every effort will be
made to clarity Government pol
icy on wages and prices in the meat
industry so that compromise set
tlement can be offered both sides at
the three-day conciliation confer
ence he has called in Chicago JAN
uary 8. Lewis j. Clark, president
of the CIO Packinghouse Workers,
spent yesterday here in conference
with Mr.. Warran and Sterilization
Director John C. Collet.
8. The fact-flnding board inves-
tigating the oil industry dispute
will resume hearings here tomorrow.
The Navy announced settlement of
wage differences at an additional
major refinery and prospect of early
agreements at several others. The
Navy still is operating SO of the So
refinery and oil pipeline properties
involved in the original Federal
seizure last October.
4. Lloyd K. Garrison, chairman
of the Presidents board which
aired the General Motors Corp,
dispute said the panels report and
recommendations for settlement of
the CIO United Auto Workers de-