Evening star., 1948-05-16
Possibility Of Strike
lat Oak Ridge Rises
las Conference Fails
sy the Assee;o,sd Press

I OY tHo SSSOStosO0 Fs0es
The threat Of an atomic energy
strike bounced back into America S
troubled labor picture yesterday.
| Negotiators in the long dispute
over wages and welfare benefits at
the Oak Ridge tTenn9. national
Laboratory l6oked at each other
across . table here, didn't say much.
and broke up without scheduling
further meetings.
The labor spokesman, Kenneth
Scott, AFL organizer at Oak Ridge.
told reporters the "only hope" Of
averting 4 strike after June 7 Is
for the Atomic Energy Commission
to move In and reach an agreement
with the unions.
The commission refused to COM
ment.
Injunction Expires June !.
June I is the final date OF an 30
day court injunction by which the
Government headed OH a strike at
the laboratory March 10 under the
national emergency provision OF the
Taft Hartley law.
The. management spokesman,
Silas w. Pickering II, industrial
relations director OF the Carbide q
Carbon Chemical Corp, told report
Eers the conferees accomplished
nothing conclusive" yesterday but
are on call for further meetings II
either side wants them.
Carbide. A Carbon operates the
Laboratory on contract with the
Atomic Energy Commission. which
owns the plant.
The strike is threatened by the
IAtomic Trades and Labor Council,
which represents 900 workers-the
,Inionized portion of the $500
neople in the laboratory. The 900
belong to Is national unions. all
AFL except the Machinists dnde-
pendent).
Mediator Continuing Efforts.
Yesterdays meeting was arranged
nv the Federal Cancellation Service.
The mediator, Clyde Mills, told re-
porters the parties are still Tar
apart. We are continuing our efforts,
but thre are no present pans for
futher meetings" ;,
It is legally uncertain whether the
Atomic Energy Commission can step
IN and negotiate with the union
council, without first removing the
company entirely from the manage
ment of the plant.
Nothing in the company's con-
tract with the Government specln-
cally permits the comission to ne
gotiate directly with labor.
Mr.. Scott, the -AFL spokesman,
said the union regards a strike as
"unthinkable" In an atomic plant,
and that the workers do not want
to walk out. But he said the COM
pany's policy has forced the strike
call.
15-Cent Raise Sought.
The unions want blanket wage
raise of IS cents hourly and re-
tention of present vacation and sick
leave benefits. The company has
offered wage increases ranging from
Ia, to 17ls cents an hour. Inc
company says the increases average
1914 cents; the union claims they
average only "a cents The man
agement sought to cut vacations
and sick leave to make them COM
parable to the benefits in other
Oak Ridge plants.
The compayn made a revised PIP
posal Wednesday, but Mr.. Scott =
ported the workers have rejecfd
it unanimously. He said it did not
contain new wage, vacation or SICK
leave offers. They have offered
nothing better" he added.
For the company. Mr.. Pickering
refused to say whether the Weonfe-
taaHa proo0sal wass t}aew6NM =
final Offer" in the meaning OF 4 xe
Taft Hartley Act.
| Truman to Get Report.
The law requires that when a
ma ational emergency injunction has
been in force go days, the companys
| final offer shall be voted on by the
workers within the next IL days.
The National Labor Relations Board
conducts the special election.
The so days will expire Tuesday.
Around that time, too, an inquiry