**Source:** Unknown
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NAUGATUCK—United Rubber Workers negotiators Friday re jected a new three-year contract proposal offered by the five major rubber producers, including Uniroyal.
This is apparently the second time during the week that the union has rejected company pro posals.
URW Pres. Peter Bommarito termed Friday’s offer “inadequate” and said the union would continue its strike against Uni royal, B. F. Goodrich and Firestone.
A statement appearing in a lo cal newspaper Friday, attribut ed to Bommarito, said that the union was prepared to strike an other 30 days.
While many of the striking United Rubber Workers in the borough expressed dismay about the possibility that they would have to continue the strike that much longer, Local 45 officials expressed reservations about whether Bommarito had said this.
One official, contacted Friday night, said that an attempt to check out the statement brought no results and it could not be determined whether Bommarito had made the remark.
A letter sent to Footwear Plant workers Thursday by Factory Manager John Smith stated that the union had rejected a three-year proposal Tuesday. Upon rejecting the proposal, said Smith, the union presented a counter proposal.
Management then apparently made a second proposal which, according to press services, was rejected during Friday’s session.
Talks between the URW and the rubber companies recessed until Monday.
In his letter to Footwear em ployes, Smith stated that the three-year proposal by the com pany offered wage increases, an additional pay for skilled work ers, liberalized vacation pay, supplemental unemployment bene fits up to 75 per cent of aver age pay, a 60 per cent in crease in regular pensions, an increase in company-paid life in surance, an increase in the cov erage for the maximum stay in the hospital from 365 to 730 days, an increase in sickness and accident benefits and other items.
Wage increases in the tire plants, said Smith, amounted to 38 cents over three years, and in non-tire plants they amounted to 31 cents. The management also offered two weeks vacation pay for employes with one year of seniority and three weeks for employes with five years.
Miscellaneous contract clauses, he added, included “up to 40 hours pay depending on the size of the plant for union time.”
Regular pensions were in creased a 60 per cent from $3.25 to $5.25 per month per year of service, said Smith.
These increases, said Smith, “total about 70 cents per hour over a three-year period. This is approximately a five per cent yearly increase in wages and benefits for employes over the entire three years,” added the manager.
A Uniroyal spokesman said Friday the UFW’s demands would cost “at least $1.40 an hour.”
The union estimated that Gen eral Tire and Rubber Co.’s of fer, which includes wage in creases averaging 40 cents an hour over three years, will cost the company 63 or 64 cents an hour.
The companies Friday valued their offers at more than 70 cents an hour.