Evening star., 1948-03-17
| Presidential Board
Due 10 Begin Work
In Packers Strike
by the Assoe;oisd Press

In Packers Strike
by the Assoeioisd Press
CHICAGO, Mar. 1.-THE day.
old strike of 100000 CIO meat
packing workers came under the
official scrutiny of a presidential
board today.
President Truman, whose earlier
pleas to. delay the walkout were
rejected by union officials, named
the board yesterday. It was the
first procedure under the Taft Hart
ley Act designed to end strikes that
imperil the Nations health and
safety.
The meat strike, which halved the
Nations meat production, may pro-
vide major test Of the new labor
law.
The three-man board planned its
first meeting in Chicago today to
begin investigating the wage dispute
which led to the work stoppage in
about 140 of the Nations major and
Independent packing plants.
Union Promises Cooperation.
The striking union, CLIO United
Packing House Workers of America,
promised President Truman every
possible cooperation" with the fact
finding board. Similar co-opera-
ton was promised by one of the
major packing companies.
The board, named under a pro-
vision Of the Taft Hartley Act, has
until April to make a written re-
port covering the facts of the dis
pute to Mr.. Truman. 1t will not
make recommendations, but after
the board reports the President can
ask the Attorney General to seek
an injunction to end the strike.
An injunction, If obeyed, would
have the effect of ending the strike
for at least 80 days. After a second
study Of the dispute by the fact
finding board the National Labor
Relations Board would take a secret
ballot among strikers in connection
with the employers last settlement
offer.
NLRB Would Certify Results.
| The NLRB would certify the re-
suits to the Attorney General who
would ask for release of the in
junction. If the dispute remained
unsettled the President could refer
it to Congress.
Members of the board are Nathan
P. Feinsinger, professor of law at
the University of Wisconsin; Pearce
Davis, chairman of the department
of business and economics at the
Illinois Institute of Technology, and
Walter v. Schaefer, professor of
law at Northwestern University.
There was no major violence re-
ported in the picket lines at packing
plants across the country during
the first days strike. Supplies of
meat animals to market were cut
sharply and prices on the wholesale
market were higher. Industry
spokesmen said prices probably will
continue to rise as fresh meat at
| the retail stores dwindles.
Three Weeks Supply on Hand.
The full effects of the strike were
not expected to be felt by con-
sumers for about 10 days or two
weeks. The present supply OF meat
/ in warehouses Is sufficient to meet
the Nations average need for three
weeks. Still on the job at the plants
are about 10000 workers, members
of the AFL or Independent unions
who have settled their wage issue
with the packers.
In New York, 95 refrigerator cars
laden with 5000 900 pounds OF
dressed meat remained on sidings
in railroad yards.
A packing firm official estimated
the value of the meat at between
$500, 900 and 5000 900 and said it
had arrived in the yards in the
last three days. Railroad workers
were assigned to ice the cars each
day to keep the meat from spelling.
Pickets Block Sidewalk.
Union pickets formed sidewalk
block today and prevented an at
tempt to move meat from an Ar
mour planti
The pickets gathered in force
when they saw employees appear at
q door Of the plant with meat
piled on a. hand truck. They blocked
the sidewalk between the plant and
trucks parked at the curb.
About 5000 CIO workers at 80
plants in the metropolitan area re-
manned away from their Jobs and
a union official said the strike was
100 per cent effective" in this
section.
In Boston, at least one woman
Office worker and two pickets were
reported injured in one skirmish
Yesterday in the strike to enforce
wage demands made to the Nations
jor packers.
Police said that details were Or
dered out to escort workers through
picket lines at two branches of
Swift 81 Co., the j. P Squire plant
in East Cambridge and the New
England Dressed Meat and Wool
Co., Somerville.
The CIO union had asked for a
wage increase of % cents an hour.
The packers offered 9 cents. The
unions final offer was acceptance
of the 9-cent boost, retroactive to