Evening star., 1952-03-20
Steel
CONTINUED From First Page

on a single one of the Is issues
in the dispute.
Injured Two Years Ago.
Mr.. Feinsinger, on leave as, a
law professor at the University of
Wisconsin, long has been promi-
nent in Government labor affairs.
He has been chairman of WSB
for six months and was a public
member of the War Labor Board
in World War II. He was injured
seriously in an automobile acci-
dent two years ago and still uses
cane to get around.
Major obstacles to agreement
were said to be the size of the wage
increase to be granted the CSC, ,0OO
lsteelworkers, and the unions de-
mand for a union shop. Under
lthe union shop. all workers in a
plant must join the union within
a stated period Of time or lose
their jobs.
Would Return Shop Issue.
Public members of the board, IL
was said. decided to toss the union
shop issue back to the parties 10,
further bargaining. along with d
statement indorsing the principle
of the union shop. This solution
satisfied neither the labor MEM
bers Of the board nor the indus
try members. The latter report
edly objected to the wording OF
the accompanying statement.
Industry objects. to the union
shop on the grounds that 1t com.
Ipels employees against their will
to join the union. The labor argu.
ment is that large part of gen.
eral industry already has this
form of union security and there
is no reason why the steel in.
dustry shouldn't accept it.
On monetary issues, the WISE
public members repeatedly are
recommending a package" settle.
ment amounting to about 2(
cents per hour on : the average
for the steelworkerS.
Object to Size Of Raise.
This proposed package" deal
is was understood, would include
a wage increase of IL to IA cent.
per hour, with the remainder ts
be made up in increased shift diff.
ferentials. paid holidays and i'm.
proved vacation arrangements.
Industry members Of the boarc
were said to have objected siren.
uously to the size of the monetary
settlement. Earlier they had pro.
posed a package" of 1871 cent.
per hour on the average. and thi.
was rejected by the labor and pub.
lie members.
On wages. the union has de.
manded a total increase of 1917
cents per hour, including an
across-the-board raise of Is cents
an hour and 31a cents per hour
additional to maintain the normal
spread of rates for various jot
classifications.
Even should the Government
win another postponement of the
strike. which defense production
lofficials have said would bt
"catastrophic," the threat of even.
tual shutdown of the steel mill.
still would remain.
| Price Increase Refused.
Steel producers have said they
lare unable to grant a wage in
.lcrease of any size unless the Gov
lernment allows them a com.
Ipensating increase in prices.
So far, Federal stabilization Of
Ifcials have fatty refused to grant
|any price increase to offset the
Iexpected wage boost. They con-
tend the financial position Of the
lsteel companies is such that They
can afford to absorb the wage in.
IcreaSe.
/ However, the steel companie.
have coming a price increase o1
about 50 per ton on steel as {
lineans of absorbing increased pro.
duction costs prior to last July
| The industry maintains that i
must be allowed to boost price,
about So per ton If it is to pa,
Increased labor costs Of 20 cent.
lper hour.
In Baltimore. officials of Beth
Ilehem Steel Company's big Spar
rows Point plant said they vii
lstart banking furnaces tonight un
. less prospects improve for settling
lthe dispute or postponing a strike
.. more than 5000 workers are EN-
lployed at the plant. which is on
lof the worlds largest.