THE NEW YORK TIMES,
7-11-67
GAINS REPORTED
IN RUBBER TALKS
Chief U.S. Mediator Moves
Back Into Negotiations
By DAVID R. JONES
Special to The New York Times
WASHINGTON, July 10—The
Government’s top labor medi-
ator moved back into the rub-
ber industry, labor negotiations
today, amid reports of prog-
ress in settling the industry’s
81-day-old strike.
William E. Simkin, director
of the Federal Mediation and
Conciliation Service, went to
Columbus, Ohio, to keep an
eye on bargaining there be-
tween the B. F. Goodrich Com-
pany and the striking United
Rubber Workers.
A union official said that
“real progress is being made”
in the talks with Goodrich.
Ward Keener, Goodrich presi-
dent, also said progress was
being made.
Meanwhile, the union set a
strike deadline of 12:01 A.M.
Thursday against the Goodyear
Tire and Rubber Company.
Goodyear, which employs 21,-
000, has been operating on a
day-to-day basis while ne-
gotiating on a new contract
to replace one that expired
April 20.
The union struck Goodrich,
the Firestone Tire and Rub-
ber Company and Uniroyal,
Inc., on that date and shut
down the General Tire and
Rubber Company several weeks
later. About 54,000 workers
have been made idle by the
strike.
Signs of Optimism
The precise reason for Mr.
Simkin’s trip to Columbus was
not disclosed, but there were
signs of some optimism that
a break might be near with
Goodrich. Mr. Simkin called
the union and the five com-
panies together a few weeks
ago in Pittsburgh in a bid for
agreement, but that failed.
Informed sources said Good-
rich and the union had re-
solved most of the important
noneconomic contract items and
were returning to the money
issues. The two sides bargained
throughout the weekend while
other negotiations, carried on
individually with each com-
pany, recessed yesterday.
All the companies except
General were last reported to
have offered the union a wage
increase of 40 cents an hour,
plus a supplemental unemploy-
ment benefit of 75 per cent of
straight-time hourly wages for
those laid off. General offered
43 cents an hour and an 80
per cent layoff benefit.
The union’s tire workers now
average $3.68 an hour, while
nontire workers average $2.69.
A key union demand has been
to raise the layoff benefit from
the present 65 per cent of
wages to between 92.5 and 95
per cent.
The negotiations have been
complicated by the presence of
a new union president, Peter
Bonmarito, who was elected
this year on a militant plat-
form and has been under pres-
sure to achieve big gains.