Milford chronicle., 1948-07-09
3rdROUnd
For Labor

THIS spring, industry took
i stand against a third round
of postwar wage increases for
labor. That line cracked in May
when General Motors agreed to
an 11-cents-an-hour boost in con-
junction with a cost-of-living sliding
scale.
The bulge became a definite break
through when John L. Lewis won a
raise Of 1914 cents an hour and other
bonuses for his United Mine Workers.
A court decision by Justice T. Alan
Goldsborough--Lewis' former "nem-
esis' provided the break in the coal
stalemate. The judge upheld Lewis
in his fight for $100 monthly pensions
for miners over So with 20 years
service.
Judge Goldsborough, who previ-
ously had fined Lewis and his union
S2,130,0OO for defying injunctions
against work stoppages, said the PEN
sion plan was mot at all unbusiness-
like" but was in fact "meager." The
mine operators, bowling to the court,
went back to negotiating.
Lewis won a 81 a day increase-to
Sl4.05 a day. This is 121z cents an
hour, compared to the Is cents which
the CIO United Auto Workers re-
ceived from Chrysler, Hudson, Nash
and several other auto makers. Lewis
miners also won 20-cent royalty on
each ton Of coal mined to build up
a 100000, ,000-a-year welfare and re-
tirement fund.
The GM Agreement
Before the dramatic General Mo-
tors agreement, industry seemed de-
termined to halt the wage-price
spiral by holding down salaries. Man
agements of us. Steel, General Elec-
trio and Westinghouse, Ford, the
American Telephone and Telegraph
Co., all said mo- to requests for pay
increases.
A bitter effort by CIO packing
house workers to better the nine
cent hourly increase accepted from
big meat packers by the rival AFL
meat cutters resulted in long and
costly strike for the CIO. It finally
had to settle for the nine-cent offer.
Against this united front, it looked
as though there might be a major
showdown this summer between Ia
Dor and management as prices con-
tinued to soar. The Bureau of La
Dor Statistics placed the consumer
price index at l70.5 on May Is on. The
basis Of 200 for the 1935-39 average.
But the GIN settlement, followed
quickly by similar wage increases fol
Chrysler and other motor plant.
changed the prospect Ford, Genera
Electric and Westinghouse abou
faced and settled quickly. Big Stee
has not yet reversed its stand agains
an increase for Philip Murray's CIC
Steelworkers but there are indica.
tions-that IL may.
Miners on Vacation
Big Steel did not sign a contrac
with Lewis for its captive coal mines
possibly fearing the reaction it Nigh
have on the $4,000 members of tn
steelworkers union. Many industris
observers believe such a contract Wi
be signed before the miners retur
from their annual To-day vacation o
July 6.
In any event, the Presidential Boar
Of Inquiry told Mr.. Truman the sna
over the union shop, which the stet
industry gave as its reason for M
signing coal contract when the otE
ers did, would not imperil the ma
tional health and safety.
Under the Taft-Hartley Law, M
Truman could ask for court injunC
tion if there was threat to the NJ
tion's welfare.
Meanwhile, members of Murray
Steelworkers Union at the Aluminu
Company of America agreed on
boost Of 10 to is cents an hour. TIL
brought even more pressure on B
Steel to change its mind,
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