Evening star., 1949-09-10
President Gets
Board rd'sFindings
In Steel Dispute
Wage Boost Reported
Opposed, 10 Cents
Allowed in Benefits
BY the Assoeioted Press

BY The Assoeioted Press
President Truman's three-man
fact finding board today filed its
recommendation for settling the
crucial steel dispute with Mr.. Tru-
man.
Contents of the boards report
were kept secret but the White
House promised to make them
available for publication at 6 pm.
today.
The President had expressed
hope in advance that the flnd-
ings would become the basis for
an agreement to head of an
industry Gripping steel workers
strike due next week.
The report had added impor-
tance because industry and labor
alike look for any steel settle
ment to become guide in other
industries facing fights over q
fourth round of postwar wage in
creases.
Recommendations Secret.
Despite the secrecy of the rec
concentrations. reports circu-
lated among the parties in ad-
vance that they called for no
wage increase, but approximately
10 cents an hour for each worker
in pension and insurance benefits.
The CIO steelworkers union
had asked a 30-cent increase in
cluding 12.5 cents in added wages
an hour, 1923 for pensions, and
6.27 for insurance. The unions
million members now get an av-
erage of about $1.64 an hour.
Thus a recommendation for a
10-cent settlement would be q
third of what the union asked.
The steel industry has been flatly
opposed to granting any general
wage increase or pension plan
now. Denial of a general pay
boost would likely become heavy
hurdle toward higher wages in
other industries.
Findings Not Binding.
Whatever the board recon-
mends Is not binding on either
the steel industry or the union.
Either side can accept or reject
according to terms of the 60-day
truce President Truman arranged
last July to avert a strike and let
the board sift claims of both sides.
Members of the board would not
comment in advance on the re-
ports it would recommend an ap-
proximate 10-cent hourly i'm
provement for workers in pension
and insurance benefits.
The members are Prof. Carroll
r. Daugherty. former New York
State Judge Samuel I. Rosenman
and David L. Cole, Paterson. N. j.,
attorney.
President Truman has indicated
he may ask an extension Of the
truce to give the steel companies
and the union time for bargain
ing on the boards recommended
tions. The new strike deadline
is set for just after midnight
Tuesday.
It was reliably reported that the
President would ask To-day
truce extension if, after reading
the report, he considered 1t COM
plicated enough to warrant the
extra bargaining time.
Led Way in Increases.
The steelworkers' union helped
lead the way in postwar wage in
creases by winning boosts of 1874
cents an hour in 1946. Is cents in
1947 and 1919 cents in 1948.
A number of union men have
been saying privately that the
present steel factfinders could not
60 much higher than the 10-cent
increase level because Of the
business lag this year.
The CIO Steelworkers based
their demands for money mainly
on record profits earned by the
steel industry in 1948. The in
dustry replied at the lengthy
hearings before the fact-finding
board in New York that profits
are declining this year and new
wage costs in steel or other in
dustries would further depress
| the Nations economy.
The steelworkers announced in
Pittsburgh that members in four
States requiring strike ballots have
voted Is to / for a walkout if no
agreement is reached. The States
are Minnesota, Wisconsin, Utah
and Missouri.