Evening star., 1951-07-01
Capital Transit Strike U. 5. Mediafors Call
Begins General Tieup; Labor Scene Peaceful
w. N. A. Wa|kout Off Despite trouble Here

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Federal mediators last night
described the national labor re-
lations scene as more peaceful
than it had been in a long time
despite Washington's transit trou-
bles and the threatened strike of
Western Union employees.
Outside Of the telegraph situa-
ton. there not only were no major
strikes in progress but the
horizon was unclouded by the
threat of a work stoppage of
national Importance.
The Nations waterfronts will
be quiet for at least two months
following the recent settlement of
wage-hour differences with a
number of maritime unions. That
dispute tied up a large portion of
American shipping for several
days.
Clyde M. Mills. deputy to Fed
Ieral Mediation Chief Cyrus S.
Ching, said that or-manage-
ment relations over the country
as whole were about as peaceful
as at any time he could recall.
Disputes Clearing Up.
He said that some tough dis
lputes in various areas involving
the CIO Communications Workers
and subsidiaries of the American
Telephone g. Telegraph Co. were
clearing up very well.
Likewise two big companies of
the electrical manufacturing in
Idustry-General Electric and
Westinghouse-had settled their
strike threats with the unions.
The settlements called for a g.
cent per hour wage increase, sub
ject to Wage Sterilization Board
approval.
Most of the big industries-like
automobiles and steel-are work.
ing under long-term contracts
with organized labor. and John L.
Lewis and his United Mine
Workers are not due to come in
with new demands until probably
next spring.
All but three of the railroad
unions have signed long con-
tracts. The three holdouts
Conductors. Engineers and the
Firemen and Enginemen-are ma
jor unions. But it is unlikely their
dispute will erupt in a strike.
Centered on Little Stuff"
Most of the attention of Mr..
Ching's mediators over the coun-
try is being devoted to what Mr..
Mills called little stuff"-disputes
involving small groups of workers
or ones that are largely local.
Contracts involving three large
maritime unions expire in Sep
tember, and Mr.. Mills saw that as
possible major source of trouble.
The three unions, all affiliated
with the AFL, are the Internation-
al Longshoremen's Association,
representing most Of the dock
workers at East Coast ports. the
Sailors Union Of the Pacific and
the Seafarers International,
made up of East Coast seamen.
But the shipping companies and
the waterfront operators have a.
long time in which to work out
a workers agreement.
Pay Trend Upward.
The pattern of recent wage set
Elements has been above the 10
per cent ceiling the Wage Board
put on increases since January Is,
1850. That is shown by the fact
that the board has a blacklog of
nearly 1000 contracts awaiting
action. Only wage boost that seem
to exceed the 10 per cent ceiling
require approval.
Because living costs have con-
tinued to rise even under price
controls, the board now is in proc
ess OF rewriting its wage control
policy. It already has approved al
number of contracts calling for
increases that are above-ceiling
In most cases this has been done
where the pay Of the workers in
volved Jagged behind the general
average in the years preceding i'm
position of controls.