Evening star., 1950-08-23
Rail Unions Declare
Strike Moratorium;
Token Idle $4,000

Lie LIlIcdG Vi NdtlUu-WlUc
rail walkout was dimmed today
as striking conductors and train
men who have tied up three big
terminals and two strategic short
lines to enforce their wage de-
mands agreed that the current
five-day token" stoppages would
not be extended.
With nearly $4,000 workers idle
In railroads and steel mills in the
strikes which started Monday, the
brotherhood leaders agreed to
withdraw their threat to pull their
100000 members off the job, out
of consideration for the settlement
efforts President Truman has been
making.
= They said the move had not
been requested by the President,
but was out of respect for him"
There was no indication of how
long the moratorium might last,
and in the meantime, Presiden-
tial Assistant John r. Steelman
arranged new conferences with
the disputants.
Canadian Lines Out.
Canadian lines were out on al
countrywide basis for the first
time in history.
I The conductors and trainmen
struck the terminals at Cleve-
land, Louisville and Minneapolis
st. Paul Monday. Yesterday
morning they followed up on the
Elgin, Joliet and Eastern and
Pittsburgh and Lake Erie. lines
serving the steel regions.
The strikes were called for only
i've days in a maneuver by the
unions to avoid any strike-end-
ing injunction but to hasten
Government seizure of the roads.
Three times the unions have
formally called upon Mr.. Truman
to seize the properties, saying
they'll work for the Government at
the present wage and hour con-
tract.
Both sides acknowledged there
had been no progress at yester-
days White House meetings.
Wage Raise Offered.
Still in the picture was an
offer made by the railroads last
Saturday to grant wage increases
In exchange for a three-year no
strike agreement. The wage raise
to members Of the two unions in
yard service would amount to %
cents an hour, to help Offset the
loss Of pay in cutting back from
l8 hours to 40 a week. i
The unions want the shorter
week at the same pay for work
in the yards. They are asking for
wage hikes for those in train
service outside the yards. il
The employers also offered a
b-cent hourly pay increase for
those in train service.
The railroads negotiating COM
mittee said the union demands
would cost $50 million annually.
They estimated their offer would
cost the Nations rail carriers a
total of $45 million, or about two
thirds of the union demands.
Cost-of Living Tie-in Sought.
Besides the outright wage in i
creases it entails. the railroads
offer would hitch the wage rate
to the Governments cost of liv-
ing index, as in the General
Motors contract with the CIO
United Auto Workers.
While the Pittsburgh g. Lake
Erie strike halted service to many
points in that highly Industrial
lied area. steel production con-
tinued without interruption there.
United States Steel Corp. and
Jones & Laughlin Steel Corp,
both with big plants served by the
railroad, said they had stockpiled
ClOuSIl uldOcI ldlS VI cIldUlc tI1CI4i |
to operate during the short walk
out.
There were immediate effects in
the Chicago area. however. About
$4,000 men were laid off at the
South Chicago plant of the Car
negie- Illinois Steel Corp, and
about $4,000 at the same COM
pany's plant in Gary, Ind.
The Canadian strike put $4,000
men on the sidelines in a move to
enforce wage demands.
American newspapers were
warned that a prolongation would
hit newsprint supplies to the
United States. Some 80 per cent
of the domestic consumption
comes from Canada.
Most daily papers were reported
to have about 40-day supply as
of. July 81.
Postmaster General Donaldson
restricted postal service to Canada.
The department will accept only
first-class letters, postcards and
49, o~on1r F4y In1;ryarxy