Evening star., 1950-08-18
Labor Unrest PeriIs
Program Of Defense;
More Strikes Feared
by The Associofed .ress

in railroad, steel and other key
industries threatened to curtail
the country's defense program.
Wages were the major issue in the
disputes.
The labor picture, at a glance,
showed industrial strife in:
Railroads - Planned flve-day
token" strikes against two short
lines and three key terminals were
scheduled to start next Monday
and Tuesday. About $4,000 raj
workers will be made idle, a union
spokesman said. The workers
want a 40-hour work week at 4e
hours pay.
Steel-The Crucible Steel Coz
Sanderson Halcomb plant il
Syracuse, N. Y, was closed by {
walkout of 1000 of the plant!
$500 workers. In Phoenixville, Pa.
800 CIO workers at the Phoeni1
Iron g. Steel Co. remained or
strike.
One bright spot entered the
steel labor picture today, how.
ever, with the settlement of the
strike of 1000 CIO ore miners al
Birmingham, Ala. Picket lines
were withdrawn from two big
steel plants where an additional
1900 workers had been made
idle.
Automotive-The strike of g.
900 CIO United Auto Workers
against Packard Motor Co. in De-
troit was in its fourth day. Peace
talks continued.
Farm equipment-27 900 men,
bers of the United Farm Equip
ment Workers Division UE
to strike in a wage
dispute at IL International Har-
vester Co. plants in eight cities.
Electrical-A strike vote was to
be taken today by the some 5000
workers at the big General Elec-
trio Co. plant at Syracuse. N. Y.
GE has no contract with the In
ternational Union of Electrical
Workers.
The rail strike threat was by
the Brotherhood of Railroad
and the Order of Rail
way Conductors.
In a new effort to avert the
threatened strike, Presidential As
SiStant john r. Steelman called
members of the negotiating COM
mittee of the two unions to his
office at 4 o'clock this afternoon
to find some basis on which to
work for a settlement.
Mr.. Steelman conferred with
of management
yesterday.
Presidential Secretary Charles
G. Ross said that Mr.. Steelman is
still seeking a formula on which
he can base a call for a Joint
session" of the two groups.
A total strike by the 100000
members Of the two Unions would
paralyze the Nations major lines.
But labor experts in Washington
said the calling Of only short
token" strikes at strategic points
was obviously a tactic designed
10 avoid national emergency. Such
an emergency would undoubtedly
bring a court injunction.
Walkout to Start Monday.
The work stoppage was ordered
after President Truman rejected
the unions request for Govern
ment seizure of the carriers. The
trainmep called the walkout of
5000 yard workers at key termi-
nails in Louisville, st. Paul and
Cleveland, starting at am. Mon
day.
Five-day token strikes against
the short lines. the Elgin, Joliet
g. Eastern Railroad with head
quarters in Chicago, and the
Pittsburgh g. Lake Erie Railroad,
Pittsburgh. were called by both
unions. The walkout will start
at 6 am. Tuesday and will affect
some 5000 workers.
Both short lines are steel-carry-
ing roads. A spokesman for the
Elgin-Joliet line, which is owned
BY United States Steel Corp, said
the strike would cut production at
the big Carnegie Illinois Steel Co.
oy so per cent.
Violence had marked the strike
Of iron ore workers which was
settled at Birmingham today. The
ore miners employed by the Ten
nessee Coal, Iron & Railroad Co.,
had walked out Monday in sup
port Of demands for job reclassi-
flcations which would raise wages
8 to 1912 cents an hour.
Four thousand coal miners, mem
bers of the United Mine Workers,
also quit work Tuesday at FIVE
TCI mines.
TCI's two big steel mills at Fair
field and Ensley were closed yes
terday when employees on the
shift refused to cross
picket lines. Violence broke out
last night when pickets at the
Fairfield mills hurled sticks and
stones at automobiles entering the
plant shortly after non-strikers
started a mass meeting.
The agreement to settle the
strike was announced in Birming-
ham by r. E. Farr, district direc-
tor of the United Steelworkers.
It was reached at a lengthy con-
ference between high steelworker
officials and local union officials
that ended early this morning.
The Harvester strike threat
came from Gerald Fielde, director
of the FEW-UE's Harvester Coun-
Gil, after the union rejected the
company's five-year contract pro-
posal.
Offer Called insufficient.
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