Ottawa County news. (Port Clinton, Ohio) 1931-1956, 1950-07-14
PLAN MEETINGS TO
HELP AVERT STRIKES
RESUME TALKS
AT LOCAL PLANT
Union President George Freeh
States: "NOne Of Us Is
Strike Happy"

Negotiations between Standard
Products management and union
representatives of the Port Clin-
ton and St. Clair locals were re-
sumed Thursday morning in an at
tempt to reach agreement on the
economic issues which have been
holding up the ratification of new
local contracts for the two plants.
The master contract for the two
plants has already been signed,
and becomes effective next week.
While street rumors have indi-
Gated this week that another strike
was imminent, possibly within a
few days, George Freeh, presi-
dent of Port Clinton Local 4e7,
told the News this morning "None
of us is strike happy"
He indicated that the union ne
gotiators were fully aware of what
another strike would cost the union
members as well as the company,
and declared that he wanted to
avoid strike, is possible. He
pointed out, however, that a strike
is the unions only weapon, and
that the strike weapon would havc
to be used if negotiations fail.
The issues at stake in present
negotiations are the economic is
sues, he said, the union being un-
willing ito accept the company's
fifteen cent package" spread over
a five-year contract. Expressing
his approval of a five-year plan as
being good security for the union
as we'll as the company, in that
such contract puts the company
in a. better position to bargain for
more new business to be produced
in the local plant. Mr.. Freeh stat
ed that what the union wants now
is to have bigger chunk of that
fifteen cent package to become
effective in the first year of the
contract. He said that the COM
pany wants to pay only seven
cents of the fifteen-cent package
during the first year, and that this
figure is less than is acceptable
under the international unions
program. (The seven cents re-
presents insurance benefits and a
general across the board increase,
Mr.. Freeh explained).
Under the escalator clause, the
remaining eight cents of the fif-
teen-cent package would become
payable in ensuing years of the
five-year contract, he says, but
what the union wants now is to
have bigger chunk of the pack
age payable from the first year.
Mindful of Last Strike
Mindful of the last Standard
Products strike four years ago
which lasted over 1O5 days, the
Port Clinton community is this
week hoping that the current
strike rumors are exaggerated and
that the company and union nego-
tiators will keep battling each
other as business men until the is
sues are s"ttled. To date there
has been none of the severe i'll
feeling and heated personal abuse
which characterized the pre-strike
negotiations of four years ago.
The problem seems to resolve
itself to finding a pattern which
can be used in both the Port Clin-
ton plant and the much smaller
ST. Clair plant, as insisted upon
by the union. The Port Clinton
union finds itself in the position
of insisting upon paying part of
the way for the St. Clair plant,
according to this reporters analy-
sis of the situation. The settle
ment may have to be on the basis
of what the two plants can joint
ly pay, rather than on what the
Port Clinton plant might be able
to pay if negotiations were sep