**Date:** 7-1
**Source:** Unknown
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AKRON, OHIO (UPI)—The head of the United Auto Workers Union said Friday a wage offer to striking United Rubber Workers (URW) by major tire producers was “miserly.”
Walter Reuther, who has taken up the cause of the striking rubber workers by pumping more than $1 million into the URW’s strike fund, said a wage increase offer of 43 cents per hour by the “big five” tire producers was “miserable, inadequate and unaccepdata.”
The 43-cent wage offer, which would boost the hourly pay of rubber workers to $4.11, was made by General Tire & Rubber Co., which was struck last week.
The 10-week-old walkout, longest in industry history, has idled 54,000 workers across the nation.
General also offered an 80 per cent supplemental unemploy payment plan.
Firestone, Goodrich and UniRoyal, where work is continuing on a day-to-day basis, was the only one of the “big five” still operating.
No progress was reported in negotiations Friday.
Talks between bargainers for Goodyear and UniRoyal and the union were recessed until Wednesday while Goodrich and Firestone were to meet with union representatives again today.
Besides the wage issue, talks have deadlocked over union demands that the wage differential between tire and non-tire workers be eliminated.
Average pay for non-tire workers under the old contract was $2.69 per hour, 99-cents less than tire workers earned.
While talks continued, the 54,000 strikers were faced with an increasing financial burden.
The URW’s depleted strike fund can now pay only $15 per week to many of the union members in strike benefits. Union officials said the auto workers’ loan would only enable the union to continue benefit payments at that level, not increase them.
County welfare officials report many of the striking rubber workers have joined the welfare rolls, with more being added every day.
Few of the strikers have been able to find temporary jobs in an area dominated by the rubber industry.
Rumors yesterday in downtown Naugatuck to the effect that the strike had ended once again raised the hopes of many families feeling the pinch of the 71-day United Rubber Workers strike against UniRoyal.
The fact that the company had asked permission of Local 45 to allow others to work in the plant, added to the knowledge that George Froehlich, president of Local 45 and Joseph Rzeszutek, president of Local 218, were returning to the borough for the long holiday weekend, was like adding fuel to the fire.
A second story circulating the borough yesterday sent many strikers to the Unemployment Office in Waterbury seeking compensation.
Gov. John Dempsey signed into law yesterday a more liberal compensation act; however, the portion of that bill covering strikers receiving compensation was stricken from the General Assembly.