Conciliator, Uniroyal Groups To Meet Today

6-22-67

NAUGATUCK — Representatives of both management and the United Rubber Workers are gathering their numbers for top level talks today in Pittsburgh, Pa., with William Simkin, director of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service.

Leading the team of union negotiators from Uniroyal will be Herbert Dawson. Local 45 President George Froehlich will be the only one from the borough operations to be at the table in Pittsburgh.

Uniroyal management team will be led by their top negotiator Eugene Worchester, who has chosen three men from the New York office to accompany him at the table.

Formal talks in Ohio among management and union negotiators will be suspended while the Pittsburgh gathering is in session.

There was no progress reported in the Ohio talks on the eve of the conference, and URW employes at the General Tire plants in Akron, Ohio and Waco, Texas walked off the job to picket Wednesday at midnight. night.

What the exact nature of the talks in Pittsburgh would be could not be learned, but sources indicated that Simkin would probably act as moderator while union and management representatives talked at one table.

Once Simkin finds the real sources of trouble, some of which are said to be personality conflicts, he will probably make recommendations which will enable each side to move toward settlement.

Although management made no commitments on how much it was prpared to give, high union officials have been reported as saying they were not prepared to be forced to give up some of their important demands.

It has been a feeling among union people that government induced agreements often favor management.

In response to questions about the meeting, Simkin told the press that this would be more than exploratory, and that he is hoping that a settlement would result.

How long the meeting will last is anyone’s guess, but observers feel that it will be at least a few days before positive action results.

On the local level, Local 45 Vice President Raymond Mengacci told reporters Wednesday that over $100,000 has already been contributed to date toward the depleted strike benefit fund by union people still working.

The vice president cited a contribution of $10,000 weekly by a Goodyear local in Akron.