LABOUR TROUBLES

Evening Star, Issue 22626, 19 April 1937, Page 9

LABOUR TROUBLES

AMERICA AND CANADA POSITION AT OSHAWA Press Association—By Telegraph—Copyright OSHAWA, April 17. A mass meeting of strikers accepted the proposal of General Motors for the resumption of peace negotiations without the attendance of C. 1.0, officials. Mr Millard, the president of the local union, and Mr Cohen, the union’s attorney, will represent the strikers. All the parties predicted a speedy settlement. Earlier Mr Homer Martin said the U.A.W. would charge the Ford Motor Company with violation of the Wagner Act before the Labour Relations Board, but refusing to disclose the nature of, the charge. It is rumoured that it will involve the clause forbidding an employer to coerce or intimidate employees, possibly citing the recent Ford warnings against unions. A Detroit message states that Mr Reuther, president of the Westbide local U.A.W., announced that a drive to organise Ford employees would be started soon by a series of mass meetings. He said that several thousand had enrolled already. CONFERENCE FAILS. TORONTO, April 18. After two hours’ deliberation, when the strike was on the verge of settlement, Mr Hepburn disbanded the conference, alleging that Mr Cohen had refused to sign a statement specifically declaring that he and Mr Millard represented the local union only and were not instructed by the C. 1.0. The Premier said the company , was prepared to reopen the plant to-morrow, and to make reasonable concessions in wages, hours, and conditions. The Premier appealed to the strikers to choose their true representatives. The A.W.U. immediately served notice on the company that it would order a walk-out of 110,000 employees of General Motors in the United States unless the company settles the strike at Oshawa. The A.W.U. claims that the company violated the United States settlement agreement, which provided that the company would recognise the union in Canada as well as in the United States. FORD WORKERS RESTIVE v KANSAS CITY, April 17. Ford workers have threatened a new strike in retaliation for assaults on officials of the U.A.W. They placed the blame upon hired thugs. Two officials were waylaid in the street and beaten with blackjacks. HOTEL EMPLOYEES STRIKE ORDERED/IN SAN FRANCISCO. SAN FRANCISCO, April 17. Officially sanctioned by the City Labour Council, a strike of more than 3,500 employees of 15 large hotels has been ordered to start at 5 o’clock this afternoon, following the collapse of negotiations. A threatened strike of 8,500 employees of the Sduthern Pacific Railway has been postponed pending the receipt of the report of the Emergency Mediation Board appointed by President Roosevelt. Train men and firemen allege discrimination in favour of engineers and conductors. A TENTATIVE AGREEMENT. SAN FRANCISCO, April 18. A tentative agreement halted the hotel strike. It is believed that a compromise will he effected. LOSS TO INDUSTRY DETROIT, April 18. It is estimated that strikes in the automobile industry in the past five months have cost the workers 70,000,OOOdol in .wages, and 10,000,000 “man” days have been lost. The value of the delayed business is estimated at 200,000,000d01, part of which has actually been lost. However, the exact amount lost cannot he estimated. Optimistic reports indicate that the companies are rapidly nearing full production again, and 130,000 cars will he produced nest week, which is the highest level since 1929.