**Date:** 1967-06-23
**Source:** Waterbury Republican
—
PITTSBURGH, Pa.— one table during Thursday’s 160,000-member union was the Negotiators from five major talks, then adjourned to meet wage offer from General Tire. talks in one large group separately. which had been stepped from the Rubber Workers and federal Although RW officials have last offer of 40 cents to 43 mediators sat down Thursday to stated they would stand by their cents, with raises of 15 cents the begin talks in one large group wage demands, RW President first year, 15 the second and 13 Thursday, but a swift end to a Peter Bommarito has indicated the third. 63-day-old strike was not appar- to reliable sources that he may Bommarito reportedly feels ent. be willing to move on the un- this is still too low, and is look- ion’s demand for a supplemental ing for at least 50 cents. Although no one would predict unemployment benefit totaling General Tire’s wage offer, how long the talks in Pittsburgh 95 per cent of the weekly wage. however, is five cents higher might last, one could presume Bommarito was reportedly than wage offers from the other they will not end quickly, as pleased to some degree with four companies. An observer progress made on working con- recent General Tire offer which Thursday that if General ditions during separate talks granted 80 per cent of the so- Tire could raise the wage offer, will be subject to renewed dis- called “guaranteed annual Bommarito would probably be cussion on a group level. wage.” willing to settle. Moderating the talks between What displeased the internal All companies are talking the United Rubber Workers and president of the three-year with the union, pensions and the top five rubber producers contracts are talking insurance was director of the Federal Me- included, Bommarito said the diation and Conciliation Serv- RW was holding a policy com- ice, William E. Simkin. mittee meeting in Cleveland Thursday’s talks, according to Monday to discuss pension sources, were mostly geared to plans. laying the groundwork for fur- On another angle, spokesmen ther talks, the first of which is for the nation’s auto makers slated to begin today at 9 a.m. said Thursday the strike has created no shortage of tires for This was the first time since new cars. Production of 1967 1947 that all five companies and models, they said, would be comthe union talked together at one plete without shortages. table. An attempt earlier in this One source said Thursday that series of negotiations failed the only difficulty might be in when B. F. Goodrich union rep- the area of molded and extruded resentatives refused to join a rubber parts, such as motor group meeting with the other mounts and grommets, which companies because they did not the companies do not heavily want to talk a three-year con- stock. tract. The auto industry will shut According to a news source, down in July for the changeover the five companies, including to new models. Spokesmen Uniroyal, met with the union at would make no predictions about what would happen if the rubber strike continues into the model changeover.