Evening star., 1950-09-08
US. Mediators Renew
Attempts 10 Settle
General Electric Strike
BY the Associated Press

Federal mediatorS today re-
rewed' efforts to settle the Cen
eral Electric Co.'S dispute with
the CIO. international Electrical
Workers Union after reporting no
progress at initial talks.
The prospect of prolonged ne
gotiations was raised by Lemuel
Boulware. GE vice president and
chief management negotiator. He
said it might take II or 13 days
more to tell the company's story,
judging by the pace of yesterdays
negotiations.
Shunted aside temporarily was
q suggestion by James B. Carey,
the unions chairman, that Pres
ident Truman name a fact finding
board to recommend settlement
terms. He proposed that if the
company agreed in advance to
accept such a boards eventual
recommendations, the present
strike of IUE members would be
called off. Mr.. Carey has not yet
carried this proposal formally to
the White House, however.
General Electric Opposed.
Moreover. General Electric is
opposed to the plan. Cyrus S.
Ching, Federal Mediation and
Cancellation Service director. said
he considered the fact-flnding
board idea premature.
About $4,000 Tue members are
on strike. out of the unions
claimed representation of $4,000
in GE plants. which employ 1885,
900 workers in all. The CIO union
seeks a 15-cent wage-and-welfare
settlement, as against company
offer estimated to equal 10 cents
hourly. Il
Mediators told reporters at the
close of yesterdays day-long
talks the union did not mention
fact finding although Mr.. Carey
made the suggestion Wednesday.
Mr.. Boulware said the company
was opposed for several reasons,
including:
First, the dispute is neither
company wide nor industry wide;
second, there is no national
emergency because none of GE's
critical war contracts is af-
fected; and third. the precedent
would spur strikes against war
contractors since unions would be
encouraged to bring their dis
puteS to Washington instead of
bargaining.
UEW Parleys Cited.
GE has been negotiating Simul-
taneously with IUE's rival union.
the United Electrical Workers.
Management representatives said
they believed settlement with
UE could be achieved quickly on a
basis of the company's "last Of
fer"
UE claims $4,000 to 10000 GE
workers. membership retained
after UE was expelled from the
CIO 10 months ago in a purge of
leftist-led unions: IUE was Gre
ated at that time and is doing it's
first contract bargaining.
Mr.. Boulware said the company
has made numerous concessions
and now lis "all through giving"
A "gneat majority" of GE's non
CIO employees are willing to ac-
cept the present offer, Mr.. Boul- |
ware said.
None Critical. He Says.
Mr.. Boulware also said military
contracts are scattered through
GE plants over the country, a.
number of them in plants shut
down by the IUE strike. He ex-
planned, however, that none of |
these is considered to be in the
critical" class. from the stand
point of defense Importance or
immediacy of delivery date.
Jet engines for the Air Force
are being produced at the Lynn,
Mass, plant, company officials
said. None of the company's
urgent work on the atomic pro-
gram, however, is affected. Much |
of GE's defense work is centered |
in factories where IUE has not |
obtained representation.
At the opening of today's nego-
tiations, Federal mediators kept
the union and company spokesmen
apart and shuttled back and forth |
between rooms at the Mayflower
Hotel. There was no indication
that new offers or new compro-
misses were being dropped into
the bargaining.
GE Asks Court to Guard