Evening star., 1955-07-01
Steel Workers
Get 15 Raise
End Strike
Biggest Producer
Sets Pottern; OK.
By Others Waited

PITTSBURGH, Jaly / R.-
United States Steel Corp. and
the CIO United Steelworkers
today agreed on a i5-cent-plus
average hourly wage boost to
end the shortest Nationwide
strike in the steel industry's
labor history.
The unions Wage-Policy Com
mittee gave q cheering. wilistling
ovation to Union President David
J. Mcdonald.
Mr.. Mcdonald personally
negotiated the wage pact in
nearly night-long talks with
John A. Stephens, vice presi-
dent and chief negotiator for
United States Steel, the in
dustry's biggest producer.
The walkout began at mid
night last night. but the settle
ment was expected to get idle
mills and furnaces back into
operation In quick order.
Others Expected to Agree
Other major steel firms were
expected to quickly fall in line
with similar settlement agree
ments. with the prospect that
the prospering steel industry
would be back humming in full
operation by Tuesday morning,
following the Fourth Of July
holiday.
However. union leaders said
picket lines would be MAIN
tanned outside struck steel plants
until agreements at each COM
pany were signed and sealed.
The union planned to meet
Immediately with officials of
five other major steel producing
companies for expected negotia-
tion OF identical 15-cent wage
increase agreements.
These companies are: Bethle-
hem. Republic, Jones & Laugh
lin, Youngstown Sheet and
TUB, and Inland Steel COM
panies.
HOisted on Shoulders
AT the unions wage-policy
committee meeting. other union
officials hoisted Mr.. Mcdonald
on their shoulders in a victory
dance. For nearly an hour, vari-
GUS union district presidents and
other union officials kept pump
ing his hand.
The, agreement calls for a
basic lIla cent hourly pay
boost and an increase of one
half cent in the spread between
the 80 job classifications, max
ing the between-jo differential
six cents per hour instead of
Sla cents.
The industry's average hourly
wage rate previously had been
$2.33 per hour. This pact would
bring the new average rate to
$248 per hour.
The increases are effective be-
ginning today.
The negotiations were under
4 reopening of the two-year
agreement negotiated a year ago
and were limited solely to pay
rate adjustments. The entire
contract expires June 80, 1856.
The pact. while half again
more than U. S. Steel Corp. had
originally offered, was hailed by
both corporation and union.
Hood Cites Concessions
Clifford F. Hood, U. s. Steel
president, said:
with steel consumption run
ming at q record pace to sup
port an expanding economy, both
sides made concessions in order
to work out an acceptable agree
hACA1es bCiiCtC VIC IlUW NdIl LOOK
forward to continued high steel
production"
Mr.. Mcdonald said he expected
the U. s. Steel agreement to pro-
vide "the basis for concluding
mutually satisfactory agreements
between the United Steel work
ers and the basic steel CON-
panies.'
A comparison between the steel
pact and the recent auto indus
try settlements Is difficult. Steel
gave q 15-cent plus straight wage
settlement. The Ford and Gen
eral Motors auto companies gave
package" deals valueds at 90
cents-an-hour per worker, but
all except seven or eight cents
Of this amount was negotiated
In pension, guaranteed layoff pay