Evening star., 1951-12-25
S.WaitstoSee
Il Steel Union
Defies Truman
Murray Executives
To Meet Thursday on
New Years Day Strike
BY the Associated Press

mandate from President Truman
to keep the Nations steel mill:
producing aroused speculation
today whether the powerful CIC
United Steelworkers will bow tt
the Chief Executive.
The union has summoned its
executive board and 170-mau
wage policy committee to meet
Thursday.
BY Thursday night Mr.. Tru-
man and the Nation should know
whether the union led by Philip
Murray will go through with its
threat to strike New Years Day.
The President declares he will
use every power at his command
to keep steel production rolling
Contract Expires December 81.
Before Mr.. Truman stepped
into the deadlocked contract
dispute Mr.. Murray said his men
would not work without a con-
tract. 1t expires at midnight,
December 81. One minute later
650,000 USW members employed
in basic steel producing plants
are scheduled to stop work.
President Truman referred the
dispute to the Wage Sterilization
Board for a recommended settle
ment and declared emphatically
the union must" keep production
rolling because steel is SO vital to
the Nations defense effort and
economic program.
The President was even more
emphatic last night at his home
in Independence, Mo. AS he
pressed a telegraph key to light
the National Community Christ
mas Tree in Washington a re-
porter asked If. he would use the
Taft-Hartley law If necessary to
stop a strike.
Mr.. Truman declared he will
use whatever laws there are on the
books to keep steel production
going.
80-Day Injunction Possible,
Under the Taft-Hartley Act an
injunction could be secured to halt
the strike 80 days.
Mr.. Murray had no comment on
Mr.. Truman's statement.
Sources close to the union, how
ever. said the fact Mr.. Murray is
calling together his policy makers
may mean he will go along with
allowing the Wage Sterilization
Board to recommend a settlement.
The board can't issue its recon-
mendations before the strike dead
line.
The unions Wage Policy Board
has called a special steelworkers'
convention January 3 at Atlantic
City. Union sources say if Mr..
Murray decides to go along with
Mr.. Truman's settlement plan the
Wage Policy Board may cancel the
convention, or at least set it back
until later in January.
Guaranteed Wage Demanded.
In addition to asking an aver
age Of 1872 cents hourly increase
for his men who now average
under 81 an hour, Mr.. Murray is
demanding a union shop, a guar
anteed annual wage, improved in
centive pay plans and other con-
cesSions.
United States Steel Corp, which
employs $4,000 USW members
and which has led negotiations
with the union, says it can't af-
ford to raise wages without in
creasing prices. Mr.. Truman's
answer is that this is a question
for the Office of Price Stabiliza-
ton.
In certifying the dispute to the
WSB, Mr.. Truman said:
The law and regulations as
sure steel companies price in
creases if they are entitled to them.
No other advance assurances are
necessary"
The union meetings Thursday
come just few hours before the
steel companies are scheduled to
begin cutting back operations
preparatory to shutdown. Such
operations are necessary to keep
furnaces and other machinery
from being damaged.