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If Goodyear Workers Strike
Federal Intervention Possible In Strike
The United Rubber Workers Union has notified the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., that unless settlement is reached it will strike its plants at 12:01 a.m. Friday.
The 21,000 workers at Goodyear’s 11 plants have continued working on a day-to-day basis since the termination of their contract, April 20.
In the event Goodyear’s plants are closed, there has been some speculation that the government would invoke the Taft-Hartley Act providing for an 80-day “cooling off” period. During this time, presumably all the struck companies would return to work while negotiations continued for contract settlement.
However, one source indicated some doubt the administration would seek an injunction at least immediately, although he conceded a strike at Goodyear would ultimately make a move for an injunction more likely.
In another move to force the issue, the United Rubber Workers called a strike last Saturday against Schenuit Rubber Co. in Baltimore, a smaller concern producing aircraft and industrial tires. This possibility will bring added government pressure for a settlement among the five major concerns because of military aircraft tire requirements.
Schenuit was struck by Local 293 of the union, also in a dispute over a new contract, idling about 400 workers. Schenuit’s aircraft tire production goes entirely to the government and represents about 20 per cent of its aircraft tire requirements, according to industrial sources.
William E. Simkin, director of the U.S. Mediation and Conciliation Service, appeared in Columbus, Ohio Monday to as-
sist in negotiating a contract settlement between B.F. Goodrich and the union. Peter Bommarito, International President
of the union, also went to Columbus from Akron, Monday to join the negotiations.
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A conciliation service spokesman in Columbus discounted the government’s aircraft tire position as being Simkin’s reason for seeking a Goodrich strike settlement. Rather, he said, he believed Simkin felt “it would be more fruitful to start with Goodrich” in seeking company-by-company settlements among the five major concerns.
Officials of the Schenuit Rubber also were meeting with union bargaining representatives in Baltimore yesterday with mediation service personnel taking part in the talks. The Schenuit contract had expired June 30 but workers continued on their jobs on a day-to-day basis until Saturday.
AKRON, Ohio (UPI) — The United Rubber Workers (URW) plans to shut down the nation’s largest tire producer, Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., if no contract agreement is reached by Thursday midnight.
A strike against the fifth member of the “big five” tire producers prompted fear of government intervention.
Some 54,000 URW members ready are on strike against our other major rubber companies. Three of them have been closed for the past 82 days the longest strike in industry history.
Kenneth Oldham, a member the union’s Goodyear Policy mmittee, said Tuesday in ncinnati that about 22,000 un members will walk off their ps at 11 Goodyear factories ross the country at midnight ursday, if negotiations, taking ice in a Cincinnati hotel, were successful.
The strike vote was taken by individual URW locals at Goodyear plants.
Negotiations with Goodyear and the B. F. Goodrich Co. intensified.
In both sets of talks, agreement was reported reached on all non money issues.
URW President Peter Bommarito and Chief Federal Mediator William Simkin sat in on the Goodrich negotiations in hopes of reaching a pattern setting agreement that could end the strikes at other companies.
About 51,000 workers have been on strike against Goodrich, Firestone and UniRoyal since April 20, when contracts expired.
Another 3,000 URW members struck two general tire plants June 21.
With Goodyear also struck, about 75 per cent of industry capacity will be idled, and the flow of tires and other materials to the defense industry will be sharply cut.
Major stumbling blocks in all negotiations were wage increases, supplementary unemployment benefits, and pay boost differentials between tire workers and other production workers.
Tire workers average about $3.58 per hour and non-tire workers about $2.69.
The URW Tuesday confirmed reports of another “seven-figure” loan from the United Auto Workers to replenish the URW’s depleted strike funds.
The auto workers previously loaned the striking union $1 million.