**Source:** BEACON FALLS
—
The 13-week-old rubber-indus-| ment on a new pact Thursday try strike is continuing, despite night that calls for hourly in-| rumors that a settlement is creases of 43 cents over the| imminent. period.
No new developments have The Firestone agreement been reported in negotiations closely parallels settlements between the two strikebound reached earlier with B. F. tire companies, Uniroyal and Goodrich and General Tire & Goodyear, and the United Rub- Rubber Co.ers Workers (URW). All 1000 Firestone produc-
Uniroyal has plants at Bea- tion workers will receive im-| con Falls and Naugatuck. mediate 15-cents-an-hour raises,
Agreements have been reach- followed by another 15-cent ed within the past eight days raise next year and 13 cents| with Firestone, Goodrich and the third year.
General Tire & Rubber Co. A Union Goal Met
The strike, longest in rubber-| Tire workers averaged $3.68 industry history, has idled up an hour under the old contract to 76,000 workers across the while non-tire workers averaged nation.
Peter Bommarito, URW presi- The 43-cent raise applies| dent, went yesterday to Cincin- to both tire workers and non-| nati, where the talks are be- tire workers, which was a ma-| ing conducted to participate in jor union goal.
the negotiations, with Goodyear A union spokesman said the| and Uniroyal. Talks were contract also contains a “big| scheduled to resume today. step” toward a guaranteed an-| What issue or issues prevent-| nual wage in the form of an ed a settlement by the end of supplemental unemployment the week could not be learned. benefit plan giving laid-off work-| Eleven URW locals in nine ers 80 per cent of their reg-| states began preparations for ular pay.
Union and company officials voting next week on a new said work would resume at the| three-year contract with the Firestone plants immediately] Firestone Tire & Rubber Co. after the contract was ratified.