Evening star., 1959-11-29
|CautiOus Hope
Ito Mark New
Steel Talks
BY LEE NJ. COIN
Star star Writer

NO QuACk dSIcculeIlI Is likely
but chances are considered
fairly good for a settlement In
January-averting a new strike
by 100000 members of the
United Steelworkers of America
The steelworkers went back
to their jobs November Z under
an injunction halting their 49,
day strike. Unless the dispute
Is settled, the union will be free
to resume the strike when the
S0-day injunction expires jan
uary 26.
Hopes for a settlement spring
from various factors:
/. Concessions by both sides
have brought the union and the
companies within reach of
agreement on wages and fringe
benefits.
2. Some evidence of flexibility
has appeared on the stubborn
ssue of changes in local work
rules.
3. Recent suspensions Of ne
otiations has allowed tempers
cool on union and manage
Uent bargaining teams.
4. The Eisenhower admins
ation is applying heavy pres
Re for a settlement.
B. Both sides in the dispute
ar Congress will enact tough
gislation If they fail to settle
ne strike on their own.
Climax in January
But these inf1uences-along
with economic pressures-will
not reach maximum force until
January. A board of INQUIRY
must report to President Eisen-
hover on the dispute by Janu-
ary 6. During the ensuing IS
days, the Steelworkers must
vote on accepting or rejecting
the companies final offers.
Until then, neither side will
be under maximum pressure to
make the final concessions re-
quired to achieve a settlement.
They viii have little to lose by
waiting.
Rejecting this wait-and-see
strategy, q union source said
yesterday he doubts either side
will make any new proposals
this week.
II think they'll let Finnegan
kick 1t around and come up
with some suggestions, he said.
Joseph F. Finnegan, director
Of the Federal Mediation and
Cancellation Service, will be in
charge Of negotiations.
Finnegan in Charge
When Mr.. Finnegan starts
putting compromise proposals
on the table, real bargaining
will begin with union and man
agement negotiators under
pressure to make constructive
counter proposals.
Mr.. Finnegan, who has lived
with the steel dispute since
last May, limited yesterday that
he has formulated some ideas
for the .negotiators to chew on.
He and his aides probably
will start Tuesday afternoon
by comforting separately with
union and management nego-
tiators to test the mood. If
tempers have indeed cooled
since the last conformation,
the mediators probably will
bring both sides together
promptly for Joint bargaining
sessions. Otherwise, separate
discussions viii continue for a
while.
Taylor in Touch
DR.. George w. Taylor, chair
man Of the presidential board
OF inquiry, said yesterday he
will keep in close touch with
negotiations through Mr.. Fin
negan. For the moment, DR..
Taylor said by telephone from
Philadelphia, he will not inter-
vene directly.
Il hope we won't have to get
into 1t at all; I hope they set
tle," DR.. Taylor said. He noted,
however, that his three-man
board must report to the Presi-
dent by January 6. Unless the
dispute is settled sooner, the
board probably will hold hear
ings during the week Of De-
cember %.
DR.. Taylor's board may step
In before then If the mediators
bog down. Serious labor nego-
tiations usually are held be-
hind closed DOORS, but in some
situations public hearings can
force concessions by putting
labor and management on the
spot. That's what happened
last month during hearings by
the Taylor board.
Even If DR.. Taylor stays on
the sidelfnes, he probably will
pass suggestions along to Mr..
Finnegan,
Money Held Secondary
"The money question is not
TOO big, q union source said
Yesterday. The union is ask
ing wage increases of z to IS
cents an hour during the sec
pnd year of a new contract,
and the companies are offering
to IL cents an hour in each
pf the second and third years.
Differences on insurance,
pensions and other fringe bene-
Its are wider, but the COM
panies made a major conces-
ION earlier this month by Of
ering to pay the full cost of
life, sickness and accident in
urance.
The big stumbling block is
engagements demand for in
reased freedom to change
peal work rules governing
UGH matters as crew sizes and
eSt periods. The companies
lave offered to submit the is
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