Evening star., 1947-08-05
Ford Strike Averted
As Union Wins Year
Of Grace From Suits
Both Sides to Seek
Complete Accord to
Insure Harmony
BY the Assoeiotsd Press

DETROIT, Aug. 5.-The CIO
United Auto Workers, in an
agreement averting their Ford
Motor Co. strike scheduled for
today, were given a years grace
from strike damage suits under
the Taft-Hartley labor law.
The company agreed to this in an
eleventh. pact which served to
keep 1000 production workers on
the job as Nationwide walkout,
set for noon, was called of.
The agreement, under which the
union and company will undertake
mutually to settle their dispute
growing from the acts penalty pro-
visions, protects the union for a
period of year from the date q
new contract is signed.
Ford and the UAW agreed to
spend at least year if necessary in
order to secure a mutually salts
factory understanding of union and
company privileges A joint COM
mittee will seek to work out an
agreement. -.s
Ford Sees Fair Solution.
Henry Ford II, president Of the
company, issued the following
statement on the compromise:
"The agreement to refer to joint
study group the question Of the
liability of the union for damages
by suit for breach of contract, seems
TO us an eminently fair solution
to particularly thorny problem.
ANY labor legislation raises
problems of human relationships. It
has become apparent to us that
all of the ramiflcations of such
problems cannot be ironed out i'm
mediately around the bargaining
table.
"Under today's settlement cppor-
tunity has now been provided for
finding in less hectic surroundings
a solution within the spirit Of the
Taft-Hartley law acceptable to both
the union and the company"
A joint company union statement
announcing the agreement averting
the strike was made public at 4:30
am, less than eight hours ahead
of the strike deadline.
Union to Escape Liability.
The statement said the union
would not be held liable for breach
of contract because .of any strike
or. work stoppage'' during the years
period.
THE company" said the state
ment, will not institute any suit
against the union, its officers and
members in such event."
In addition the UAW-CIO was
given the right to strike" on the
issue if no solution we're forthcom-
ing after "a year of deliberation and
negotiations"
The years grace to the union
from damage suit liability under
the new Jaw will be dated from the
cate of the Ford-UAW contract
still to be drawn.
Negotiations Resume Thursday.
Negotiations on other contract
issues, including the reported $20,-
900, ,000-a-year workers pension plan,
will resume Thursday, both sides
said.
The Ford-UAW statement ex.
pressed the confidence" of company
and union officials that the remain-
ing issues could be solved within
a relatively short time"
A strike against Ford had been
threatened in an effort to enforce
the unions demand for a contractuaI
clause giving it immunity from the
Taft-Hartley penalty provisions.
The law permits an employer to
sue union for damages in event Of
a violation of its contract with man
agement. This the UAW has sought
to avoid by private contract in all
current negotiations.
Agreement Called Compromise.
Press headquarters was given the
joint statement a full 10 hours after
IA verbal company union agree
ment, according to sources on both
sides, had been reached.
Calling the agreement over the
Taft-Hartley dispute a "compro-
mise the statement set 1t forth In
a series of eight points.
Summarized, these call for the
following procedure:
Afour-man committee-two from
the union, two from the company
will be named to work out a solu-
ton to the question of the liability
of the union, its officers and mem
bers, for damages by suit for breach
of contract"
If the committee Is unable To ar.