STRIKE THREATENED

Evening Star, Issue 21633, 31 January 1934, Page 7

STRIKE THREATENED

AMERICAN STEEL WORKERS DELEGATION TO WHITE HOUSE Press Association—By Telegraph—Copyright. WASHINGTON, January 29. Bearing threats of a strike of 75,000 steel workers, a union. delegation arrived to-night prepared to explain to President/Roosevelt to-morrow that the long delay in settling the dispute is undermining the confidence of .employees in the N.R.A. and the. National Labour Board. According to ' the spokesman the steel workers arc on the edge of revolt because all their efforts to obtain redress have been unavailing. He declared that unless the situation was immediately remedied there would he serious disaffectipns among the '450,000. other steel workers throughout the country. • • THE PRESIDENT’S PROMISE. : : WASHINGTON, January 30. (Received January 31, at 12.30 p.m,) Taking cognisance of the threat of a general strike in the steel- industry, involving perhaps 450,000 men, President Roosevelt ■ to-day promised the Labour leaders that he would force another poll of the Weirton workers to ascertain whether they wished to be independent or to join the union. N.R.A. officials will supervise the voting to ensure a fair election. The long-disputed labour section of the Recovery Act appears to_ be reaching a head, with the unionists determined to force “ closed shop ” conditions in the large industries, notably steel and coal, _ while the owners are striving to maintain a semblance of free labour competition. . .Weirton officials, will not give an immediate answer to the President’s proposal, but it is believed that they will insist that the first election which favoured the union should now be abrogated.