**Date:** JULY 15, 1967
**Source:** Naugatuck, Conn.
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SATURDAY, JULY 15, 1967
10 PAGES
Price Seven Cents
Take Weekend Break
AKRON, Ohio (UPI) — With UniRoyal, B.F. Goodrich, a n d Firestone have been closed the nation’s rubber production down to 25 per cent of its total, the negotiators for four major tire companies and the striking United Rubber Workers (URW) took a weekend break.
There was little hope a tentative agreement reached Thursday with General Tire & Rubber Co. would pave the way for a settlement between the union and UniRoyal, B.F. Goodrich, Firestone and Goodyear. General Tire’s 3,000 idled workers could return to their jobs Sunday night.
A pay raise differential between the tire and non-tire workers appeared to be the major stumbling block in talks with Goodyear, the largest producer.
Tire workers averaged $3.68 an hour under the old contract and non-tire employes $2.69 an hour.
Goodyear offered a 43-cents-an-hour to wage increase to tire workers—the same as General—but two cents less to non-tire workers.
The tire workers’ increase would go into effect in steps of 15, 15 and 13 cents over a three year period. A Goodyear spokesman maintained that although the non-tire workers’ increase was two cents lower, it would go into effect sooner and, in effect, eliminate the differential.
A union spokesman called the offer “substandard.” It was the final offer when negotiations broke up for the weekend. Talks resume Monday.
UniRoyal, B.F. Goodrich, a n d Firestone have been closed the past 12 weeks. Goodyear was closed early Friday, bringing the number idled to 78,000.
The URW general agreement included a supplemental unemployment benefit plan that will pay a worker laid off 80 per cent of his salary.
URW President Peter Bommarilio said the plan “makes it possible for the blue collar worker to plan his family expenditures for months ahead.”
The rubber strike appeared to pose no immediate threat to the automobile industry.
Auto factories one-by-one are halting production for the annual model changeover and large supplies of tires will not be needed until production of 1968 autos start in August.
Raymond Mengacci, vice-president of Local 45, URW, said yesterday afternoon he had talked with George Froehlich, president of the Local and who is in Cincinnati, yesterday at noon time.
Mengacci told Froehlich the UniRoyal negotiators had asked for the afternoon off to discuss the offer made by General Tire and were expected to begin negotiations again this morning at 9 o’clock.
Froehlich said he expected UniRoyal to make an offer to the URW very similar to that of General Tire.