Evening star., 1948-05-12
Chrys|er Strike
Begins; State
Law Invoked
Michigan Governor
Loys Groundwork
For Injunction
BY the Associated Press

DETROIT. May 12.-The CIC
United Auto Workers 75,0O(
Chrysler Corp. employees struck
today for a third round of post
war wage increases.
Gov. Kim Sigler Immediately or.
dered a complaint against the
strikers under Michigan's new Bo.
nine-Tripp labor law.
The law requires that the State
take strike vote before workers
can walk out. The CIO-UAW con
tends it does not apply when a firm
has plants outside of Michigan.
Gov. Sigler told reporters he hac
asked the State Labor Mediation
Board to make a complaint tc
Wayne County CDetroit) Prosecutor
James McNally. Under the law
Mr.. McNally then could ask a cour,
injunction.
Either the law is good or il
isn't" Gov. Sigler said. IF it's con-
stitutional. We might as well fine
out now"
Briggs to Lay Off $4,000.
Meanwhile. Briggs Manufacturing
Co. said $4,000 workers in its SIX
Detroit plants would be laid off by
Monday because of the strike. Briggs
supplies Chrysler with bodies.
Workers streamed from the De-
troit area Chrysler plants quietly
A few sang. Many joined picket
lines to bear placards reading:
I'VE are on the picket lines be-
cause We can't buy the things We
need" and MY wife can't buy pork
and beans on sympathy"
A flood of workers from the Dodge
main plant jammed traffic for &C
minutes. Guards threw the main
gates wide to allow the men ano
women to leave.
Food and sandwiches were await.
ing pickets. Union members were
preparing it two hours before the
strike deadline.
Within an hour all II Chryslel
plants in Michigan were idle. There
are three more in Indiana and one
in California.
Picket Sees Long Strike.
Cal Moorehead parading before
the big Dodge main plant. told re.
porters 1T looks like long strike.
This will probably be tough,
he added.
Picketing was quiet. Union head.
quarters said the first workers out
were those at the Dodge truck plant
They jumped the gun by 80 minutes
The union already is raising 6
million dollar kitty" to finance tn,
walkout. The Executive Board OF
the union met in special session a.
the strike began.
Negotiations broke down last
night on the JAWS wage demands
The union scaled its 30-cent an
hour demand down to II cents
without success The best company
offer was 6 cents an hour
First Chrysler Strike Since '39.
The Chryselr production workers
in the Is plants average about
$50 an hour now.
1t was the auto industry's first
major strike since November, 1945
when the UAW-CIO walked out at
General Motors Corp. to begin a
113-day siege.
1t was the first big strike at
Chrysler since 1899.
Police Commissioner Harry Toy
said he had been informed by the
union that nonstriking Office and
maintenance help would be permit
ted to go in and out as heretofore. -
Norman Matthews head of the
unions Chrysler division, told a
UAW-CIO meeting last night that
since Chrysler has forced us into
the position of striking. we will give
them the damndest strike they have
ever SEEN"
General Manager Herman L.
Weckler of the corporation, said
that, despite the strike, the COM
pany is still willing to discuss the
situation and to arrive at a rea-
sonable settlement"
Negotiations had been underway
(See AUTO WORKERS, Page A-3J