**Date:** 7-27-67
**Source:** Unknown
—
Continued From Page 1
their cooperation during this long, hard strike.* Mengacci, weary from the long weeks in charge of the local’s headquarters in the borough, said that he was extremely happy it’s over and added that he hopes the membership turns out in a goodly number to the ratification meeting Saturday afternoon in the High School auditorium at 2:30.
Mayor Joseph C. Raytkwich, in a statement this morning, said he wished to thank the officials of all the unions for their cooperation without which serious incidents might have occurred. The Mayor is thankful no one was hurt during the long strike period.
Ronald Pohl, industrial relations manager of the Chemical Division of UniRoyal, said that some employees will be called back into work at 3 p.m. today and the company hopes to be back to normal by tomorrow. Some employes have been called to start work at the Synthetic plant at 3 p.m. today. Local 308 has called a meeting for Monday at 7 p.m. in the Portuguese Club to vote on ratification.
President of Local 45 George Froehlich will remain in Cincinnati working on the agreement. Another session was called for 9 a.m. this morning when the negotiators began work on the working of the agreement and proof-reading the final copy.
Union officials stated that they would allow the membership to begin work immediately instead of waiting for official notice of ratification. With 19 UniRoyal plants located all over the country, each represented by a local, it will take approximately two weeks for official notification of agreement from the International Union headquarters.
AKRON, OHIO (UPI) – The longest strike in the history of the rubber industry ended Wednesday night when UniRoyal, Inc., became the fifth major producer to reach agreement with the United Rubber Workers (URW). The strike, which at one time killed 76,000 men throughout the country and raised fears of a shortage of tires for defense and passenger vehicles, lasted 96 days. The agreements, all within the last two weeks, gave workers the largest wage and fringe benefit package in industry history. A vote will be taken Saturday by 5,500 URW men in Naugatuck, Conn. where the record walkout halted production at three UniRoyal plants. It was expected that the Naugatuck members would ratify the agreement almost unanimously. The UniRoyal agreement, stalled by disagreement on working conditions, followed the same lines as earlier agreements with General Tire & Rubber Co., the B.F. Goodrich Co., Firestone Tire & Rubber Co. and Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. All production workers are provided wage increases of 43 cents an hour in steps of 15, 15 and 13 cents under the contract that expires April 20, 1970. Skilled workers receive an additional 10 cents per hour immediately. Under the old contract, the workers averaged $3.68 an hour and non-tire workers $2.68. The three-year contracts achieved two important union goals: elimination of a pay raise differential between tire and non-tire workers and a supplemental unemployment plan giving laid off workers 80 per cent of their average hourly pay. The plan is considered a major step toward a guaranteed annual wage. The union also won increases in pensions and insurance payments from the company and other fringe benefits. The General and Goodrich pacts have already been ratified and production was resumed. Votes on the Firestone and Goodyear are continuing and production is expected to start soon. The U.S. Civil Air Patrol was organized as a division of the Office of Civilian -Defense in 1941.