URW

CHEM-TEXTS – 1978 – Page 4

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Page 004

Page 4 CHEM-TEXTS Volume 12, 1978

Recent Employee Retirements

Due to space limitation in the last issue the column on retirees was deferred until this issue.

John Ranney, center, retired after 43 years service. In the photo from left are Anthony Brazicki, Edward Plocha, Julius Grabowski, Ranney, John Rice, and Stephen Mankulics.

Alice Egan, center, retired after 43 years of service. Alice was secretary to ten Factory Managers. Three became Executives in the Company. David Beretta is presently President of Uniroyal; Sheldon Salzman is now President of the Chemical division and the late John Evans was a Vice-President of Uniroyal, Inc. From left are Philip Rice, Beretta, Alice, Salzman, and Robert Mazaika, present Factory Manager.

Donald Cowan, second left, a Foreman in Chemical Production retired after 43 years service. From left are Douglas Ritchie, General Foreman; Cowan; Eric Johnson, Manufacturing Manager; and Robert Breton, Asst. General Foreman.

Dr. Norman Sundholm, 4th left, a Sr. Research Chemist in R&D retired after 33 years service. He received 27 patents for his research in agricultural and polymer chemistry. From left are Heinz Brandt (retired), Dr. Harry Jancis, Dr. Edward Wheeler, Dr. Sundholm, Dr. Wadim Batorewicz, and Richard Gencarelli.

Oscar Johnson, second left, retired after 41 years service from Chemical Maintenance. From left are Thomas Dowling, General Foreman, Johnson, James Lavery, Foreman, and Raymond Kubick.

Domenic Nardozzi, Control Dept., retired after 12 years service. From left are Marie Gonneville, Donald Poehailos, and Nardozzi.

Harold Steele, center, Chemical Maintenance, retired after 36 years service. In the photo are Fred Rosa (left), and James Lavery, Foreman, right.

Frank Chiodo retired as a Storehouse Group Leader after 35 years service. From left are Edward Fischer, Joseph Gallagher, Chiodo, Antonio Moura, Charles Roland, URW Local 308 President, and Norman Brummett.

John Dayner, center, retired from Chemical Production after 32 years of service. In the photo from left are Robert Bell, Foreman, Dayner, and Antonio Branco.

Stephen Matcheson, retired after 33 years. From left are Charles Roland, URW Local 308 President, Andrew Marki, Matcheson, Manuel Matos, Lucien Camire, and Joseph Antonucci.

Robert Foltz, Area Foreman in Chemical Production, retired after 38 years’ service. In the photo from left are: Thomas Dowling, Area Foreman; Foltz and Edward Runowicz, Foreman.

Mario Jannetty, second left, retired from Chemical Maintenance after 38 years’ service. From left are Francis Walinski, Jannetty, James Lavery, Foreman; and Joseph Corona.

John Flickinger, Chief Chemist in Lotol and Dispersions, retired after 35 years service. From left are John DiSantis, retired, Stephen Mankulics, retired, Anthony Brazicki, Flickinger, and Louis Moniz.

E. Leonard Borg, left, Manager, Research & Development Administration and Services, retired after 35 years service. Congratulating him at right is Dr. Charles McCleary, Director of Research & Development for the Chemical Division.

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Joseph Speck, center, retired from the Materials Dept. after 32 years service. From left are Bert Scullin, Superintendent, Speck, and John Tierney, General Foreman.

Harry Searl, center, retired from Chemical Production after 26 years’ service. In the photo from left are Peter Shreder, Arthur Birch, Searl, Earl Roller, Foreman; Hilario Ramos, and Edward Koslowski.

CHEM-TEXTS
PUBLISHED BY THE INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS DEPARTMENT
UNIROYAL CHEMICAL, NAUGATUCK, CONN. 06770
Equal Opportunity Employer
EDITOR: William F. Lavelle.

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Strike 4 Weeks Old; No Signs Of Settlement

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Strike 4 Weeks Old; No Signs Of Settlement

5-12-67 [handwritten]

No news is available as to how the negotiations between the United Rubber Workers Union and the “Big Five” Rubber Companies is progressing in Cincinnati.

The strike, now in its fourth week, is beginning to affect the economy of the borough as the striking workers have faced their second payless payday.

Strong rumors circulated the borough yesterday that B.F. Goodrich Rubber Co., one of the “Big Five” was close to a settlement with the union on the master contract. The consensus of opinion is that if one of the companies involved in the negotiations settles, the others will follow suit.

However, on the other hand, rumors are to the effect that the strike will be a long drawn-out process. Which rumor is right is anyone’s guess, since no statements have been issued from either side.

A rumor was circulating the borough this morning that members of management and non-union UniRoyal personnel would begin making shoes in the Footwear Division Monday.

John Smith, factory manager, said this morning he would not confirm the story.

Picketing at the UniRoyal gates in the borough remained quiet. Small teams of pickets have been maintained in spite of the rain for the past few days.

Local officials of the union, operating with the threat of an injunction over their heads, have been careful to maintain all conditions of picketing imposed upon them. They have been checking all points of picketing periodically, to insure tempers are kept in hand by the now “edgy” strikers.

CHEM-TEXTS – 1976-v10-s246

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Page 246

Vol. 10, 1976 CHEM-TEXTS Page 3

143 People Honored for Service

One hundred and forty three people were recently honored for their years of service with the Uniroyal Chemical division.

Forty three employees were made new members of the Uniroyal Chemical Twenty Five Years Service Club.

Sixty four members were advanced to the Thirty Year Group; twenty-nine were advanced to the Thirty Five Year Group; six to the Forty Year Group; and one to the Forty Five Year Group.

Over 600 of the 1120 people at Naugatuck have 25 years of service or more.

New 25 Year Club Members: from left, Salvatore Falcone, Joseph Savageau, Odell Hines, Roderick Gaetz, Harry Searl, John Tabaka, son of Walter Tabaka who recently passed away, Robert Mazaika, Factory Manager, Charles Roland, President of URW Local 308, Orrin Huntley, Robert Shortt, Frank Wasilesky, Robert Smith, Richard Shaw, Joseph Semasko and Frank Commendatore.

New 25 Year Members
H. Andersen, E. Anderson, D. Bell, F. Commendatore, R. Cranney, A. Cross, R. Edmonds, S. Falcone, R. Gaetz, W. Gailevege, M. Guastaferri, R. Hinchey, Jr., O. Hines, O. Huntley, E. Johnson, R. Lestage, J. Lydem, C. Mahaffey, J. Martinoli, A. Meskauskas, P. Murray, D. McCormack, W. Newall, J. O’Connor, J. Paige, F. Pikula, D. Pinto, L. Raskauskas, G. Ravenscroft, J. Rek, C. Roland, J. Sauvageau, E. Schwartz, W. Scott, H. Searl, J. Semasko, R. Shaw, R. Shortt, R. Smith, W. Tabaka (deceased) R. Terino, L. Walker and F. Wasilesky.

30 Year Members
G. Anderson, V. Anderson, W. Anderson, W. Balchunas, E. Baummer, Jr., A. Birch, E. Brooks, R. Burns, T. Chmielinski, P. Czech, J. Dayner, J. DeFranzo, C. Dierling, E. Diver, J. Doran, D. Douty, D. Edwards, T. Engle, B. Federowicz, C. Ferguson, M. Finsel, C. German, J. Grady,

A. Harris, R. Harrison, W. Hubbard, T. Hubbell, R. Knapp, W. Mariano, L. Marous, H. Marques, A. Matulionis, A. Mencio, J. Miller, W. Molnar, G. McCabe, R. McDermott, P. Norton, B. Pranulis, R. Pronovost, L. Rizzuti, E. Roller, N. Ruby, E. Ruella, S. Sandora, L. Scheithe, H. Schenck, M. Schluensen, H. Semrow, P. Sgrillo, R. Shipman, P. Shreder, J. Sickola, K. Snyder, H. Solomita, E. Tata, P. Tortorici, J. Tully, L. Vadnais, A. Verrier, R. Whitehill, J. Zukel, D. Yoder and G. Zitzmann.

35 Year Members
V. Adamski, J. Banno, S. Blancato, C. Connelly, M. Csepes, Jr., A. Cutrali, J. DiSantis, J. Enamait, A. Jankowski, J. Lengyel, C. LoBalbo, I. Mankowich, R. Mariano, J. Moniz, Jr., L. Moniz, A. Nole, C. O’Sullivan, P. Petti, H. Pyshna, C. Rinaldi, L. Rizzo, H. Robinson, H. Steele, R. Stutzman, W. Tay-
(continued on page 4)

30 Year Members: from left, Victor Anderson, Martin Schluenson, Ted Hubbell, Charles Dierling, Thomas Engle, William Mariano, John Dayner, Ann Harris, Eugene Tata, Mildred Finsel, Paul Tortorici, John Miller, Robert Mazaika, Factory Manager, Teddy Chmielinski, Donald Yoder, Elbridge Brooks, Hollis Schenck, Patrick Sgrillo, Edward Diver, John Sickola, Earl Roller, Robert Burns and Donald Douty.

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35 Year Members: Robert Mazaika, Factory Manager, congratulates from left Santo Blancato, Wilfred Taylor, Pasquale Petti, Lawrence Rizzo, Richard Valentine, Mazaika, Joseph Moniz Jr., Julius Banno, Harry Pyshna, John DiSantis, Harry Steele, and Anthony Cutrali.

Editors Note: Photographs of other department groups who were honored for their service will appear in the next issue of CHEM-TEXTS.

Four Retire in Month All Top 30 Years Service

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Page 4 CHEM-TEXTS Vol. 7, 1973

Four Retire in Month All Top 30 Years Service

[IMAGE: Woman in photo]

After 40 years service Beatrice Smey, Research & Development, retired. In photo she is congratulated by Louis Coscia.

[IMAGE: Man cutting cake]

Eugene St. John cuts cake honoring his 31 years service while Jacqueline Davino holds it.

[IMAGE: Woman in photo]

Florence Kelsey, retired after 37 years service. Congratulating her is Michael Banik.

[IMAGE: Two men in photo]

Philip McPhail, retired after 30 years service. Congratulating him is Bert Scullin, right.

Letter to the Editor

In the last CHEM-TEXTS a reference was made to youth— Bill Broden and Chet Zawacki— winning over old age in the Twilight Golf Tournament finals. The statement was misleading.

Although George Baktis and I are 55 year old men, and in the twilight of our golf careers, we had to give the two youngsters 14 strokes for 9 holes.

When we were young fellows, we gave the strokes to the old men.

Stanley Mazanski

Don’t get a snow job on snow tires.

[IMAGE: Snow tire]

Get Uniroyal Winterides

[IMAGE: Woman with tire]

ADVANCE TIRE SERVICE
510 Meriden Rd.
Waterbury – 756–7205

FITZPATRICK’S, INC.
78 East Main St.
Ansonia – 734–3318

MEZZIO’S
792 New Haven Rd.
Naugatuck – 729–5988

POUST’S SERVICE STATION
144 Rubber Ave.
Naugatuck – 729–0433

Synthetic…

(Cont’d from page 1)

the first part of 1974 and is expected to be completed about the end of March 1974.

Eligible Employees To Receive Benefits

Affected eligible employees will receive termination or pension benefits in accordance with the existing Company employee benefits programs.

There are 205 people employed at the plant, 175 of whom are members of URW Local 308. An estimated 40-45 of the Local 308 people will be retained to continue the operations in Bldg. 17 and the Synthetic Pilot Plant.

The plans do not affect the Chemical and Reclaim operations.

First Synthetic Rubber Plant in U.S.

The Synthetic Rubber plant in Naugatuck was the first to be built in the U.S. to manufacture synthetic rubber. It was constructed in 1942 during W.W. II and operated for the U.S. government to manufacture the man-made material.

Top UG…

(Cont’d from page 1)

pledged the highest total amount of $6125. EMIC not only had the highest single pledge of $500 but also the highest individual average, $38.

The Chemical Pilot Plant was the only group with 100% participation by employees.

Committee Members

Committee members and canvassers were Constance Antrum, R. Barnes, W. Broden, Katherine Dowling, R. Foltz, R. Frank, W. Lavelle, P. Murray, C. Roland, J. Rzeszutek, D. Shantz, R. Shaw, J. Tarara, and J. Vergosen. R. Gaetz was chairman for the drive.

URW Local 218 Names Officers

Frederick R. Mayo has been named Secretary of URW Local 218 to fill the unexpired term of Michael Rosa who resigned to take a position in Distribution and Scheduling. Mayo presently works in the Process Development laboratory. He started with Uniroyal Chemical in 1948.

David R. Cornetski has been appointed to fill the post of Treasurer, replacing Walter Scott. Cornetski joined Uniroyal Chemical in 1968 and is a member of the Rubber Compounding laboratory, TSSC.

SAFETY IS MY RESPONSIBILITY

DON’T DRINK AND DRIVE

The Twelve Steps of AA

The twelve steps of AA were written by the founder of it, Bill W. and several of the original members about one year after they had achieved sobriety. They grouped together and asked themselves, how had they conquered their drinking problem.

They realized, as they thought about it, that they had in fact gone through these twelve steps. The steps today are the foundation of the AA program.

Some AA meetings are strictly for the purpose of discussing the steps and sharing experiences about them. The steps are a way of life for the recovered alcoholic. They are the guidelines for getting sober in the first place, and for mantaining sobriety. The steps keep members of AA free of resentments and away from that “first” drink.

WE . . . admitted we were powerless over alcohol—that our lives had become unmanageable.

2—Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.

3—Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.

4—Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.

5—Admitted to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.

6—Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.

7—Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.

8—Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.

9—Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.

10—Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.

11—Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.

12—Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

Crim…

(Cont’d from page 1)

Crim who joined Uniroyal in 1947, is a graduate of Purdue University’s School of Engineering.

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CHEM-TEXTS
PUBLISHED BY THE INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS DEPARTMENT
UNIROYAL CHEMICAL, NAUGATUCK, CONN. 06770
EDITOR: William F. Lavelle.

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Uniroyal Talks Start Up Again

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Uniroyal Talks Start Up Again

Wed, MAY 17, 76

NAUGATUCK— Negotiations on the master contract between United Rubber Workers Union and Uniroyal resumed Tuesday in Cincinnati, but due to the agreement between the two groups, no news of progress could be received when negotiators were contacted in Cincinnati Tuesday night. Negotiations will continue today.

The contract between the URW and General Tire Co. expired Monday night, but at that time an agreement was made to continue production at the firm on a day-to-day basis. A settlement at General Tire or any of the other four firms could affect the outcome of negotiations between the union and the firms still talking.

Activity in the borough remains quiet, although Uniroyal is shipping during the day. Local 45 pickets who were on 24-hour picket duty since May 3 resumed 12-hour picketing Monday following an agreement with management that no shipping would be done after 6 p.m.

CHEM-TEXTS – Vol. 3 No. 7 – Page 3

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Page 003

Vol. 3 No. 7 | CHEM-TEXTS | Page 3

KNOW YOUR BENEFITS: by W. Kirkendall

Some Questions And Answers On Bereavement Pay Benefits

The bereavement pay benefit is one of the many different benefits which Uniroyal gives to people employed at a plant where a United Rubber Workers Union exist. At the Naugatuck plant there are two URW locals: Local 218 covers the Chemical and Reclaim plants; and Local 308 covers the Synthetic plant. This benefit applies only to the wage members of the two Locals.

In 1968 Uniroyal contributed $318,303 in Bereavement Pay Benefits to employees working in plants covered by the United Rubber Workers Union contract.

Q. When am I eligible for bereavement pay?
A. An employee who is absent from work after 30 days from date of hire because of the death of a member of his immediate family, or a dependent who lives in the household, shall be paid his straight time average hourly earnings, if an incentive worker or his current hourly rate if on day work for time lost from his regularly scheduled shift.

Q. How many days’ pay do I receive?
A. You shall be paid (3) consecutive working days. It is understood the 3 days of paid bereavement pay shall be related in time to the death for which such payment is made.

Applies To Your Immediate Family

Q. Who is immediate family?
A. Immediate family is defined to mean husband, wife, father, mother, grandfather, grandmother, brother, sister, or the employee’s children. The foregoing intended to cover legal as well as blood relationships.

Q. Are uncles, aunts, nieces, nephews and cousins covered under bereavement pay?
A. No. They are not members of the immediate family.

Q. What happens if death occurs while I am on vacation?
A. Your vacation will be extended and payment will be made, provided the employee notifies a designated member of management.

Legal Relatives

Q. What does legal relationship mean?
A. The term legal relationship is interpreted to mean father-in-law, mother-in-law, brother-in-law and sister-in-law, the spouse’s grandparents and legally adopted children. A brother-in-law or sister-in-law is the employee’s spouse’s brother or sister. Although by custom or practice the spouse of an employee’s spouse’s brother or sister is referred to as a brother-in-law or sister-in-law to the employee, such relationship is not contemplated by reference to brother-in-law or sister-in-law for eligibility for bereavement pay.

Q. Must I attend the funeral to be eligible?
A. No. While it is not necessary that the employee actually attend the funeral, as in the case of a relative who dies in some distant place, the time off must be related in time to the death and cannot be arbitrarily deferred to some later time, such as an addition to a vacation or the like.

How To Apply

Q. What must I do as an employee in case of bereavement?
A. You should contact your supervisor or foreman and make sure you are eligible for bereavement pay. You must then bring in a clipping from the newspaper when you return to work and your supervisor will turn in a bereavement pay form to the Industrial Relations department.

Consult Foreman

Q. Who can inform me on bereavement pay benefits?
A. For further information on bereavement pay benefits, speak to your foreman or supervisor. He will be glad to answer any questions you have on this benefit or other benefits provided by Uniroyal. If he doesn’t have the answer, he will obtain the proper information for you.

Appointments Announced

Ken Stewart has been named Sales Manager for Kralastic ABS plastics, the Chemical division’s leading plastic product.

John Murray assumes the position of Acting Credit Manager for Uniroyal Chemical.

SAFETY IS MY RESPONSIBILITY

Safety Contest Winner Named

[IMAGE: Group photo showing people with “SEND HELP” signs]

Cliff German distributes litter bags to the Plastics Compounding and Physical Testing groups for winning the Safety Contest in June. Left to right are Fernando Gagne, Betty Kopp, German, Manny Andrade, Joyce Lockwood, Nick Tiscione, and John Kankel. 300 employees in Research & Development received the award for no-lost time accidents or serious injuries in June.

by Bob Shortt

The Safety Department announced the winner in the new plant Safety Contest. The contest is similar to last year’s “free coffee” cards which were distributed to members of a department completing a full month without a lost-time accident or a serious injury.

In this new Safety Prize program there is an added incentive, in that each successive month a department continues its record intact (no lost-time accident or serious injury) all members become eligible for a more valuable prize.

Several weeks ago, everyone in the plant was given Uniroyal pocket protectors which automatically placed them on the first step of the Safety program. The prize which was won by the Research and Development department was a handy litter container and Help sign for automobiles.

The contest will continue through 1969, with a new contest starting in January 1970.

The breakdown of departments is as follows: Chemical Production; Reclaim Production (including Dispersions and Raw Stock); Materials Handling at Chemical and Synthetic (including Small Packaging, Parcel Post and Janitors); Synthetic Production; Research and Development (Pilot Plants and Laboratories); Mechanical Departments (Synthetic and Chemical).

The winners for the first month’s contest were all persons in Research and Development, including the Pilot Plants and Laboratory sections.

Other prizes included in the Safety Contest are key chains, pocket memo pads, change purses, bottle and can openers, ash trays and coffee mugs.

33 Join U.S. Bond Plan

[IMAGE: Two people at desk with bonds]

Marge Lasky, left, of Reclaim R & D signs herself and Rufus Lydem to purchase U.S. Savings Bonds.

The annual U.S. Savings Bond and Freedom Share drive which was recently concluded saw 33 employees purchase Bonds and Shares through the thrifty, systematic payroll plan. Twenty-one increased their participation in the plan. The total number now enrolled in the plan is 595 or 35% of the plant employees. Company-wide participation in the U.S. Savings Bond plan is approximately 52% with some Uniroyal plants participating 100%.

A committee of seventy-three canvassers, organized in different sections of the plant and sales headquarters, contacted all employees during the drive.

Two departments deserve special recognition for increased employee participation during the drive: Reclaim Production and Reclaim Research and Development.

Anyone may still join the payroll deduction plan anytime during the year by contacting his foreman or supervisor.

No July Accidents

For the first time this year, no lost time accidents or serious injuries took place in the plant. Hopefully, July is the beginning of another 1,000,000 manhours worked without a lost time accident which was achieved in 1968.

With every employee’s personal involvement in following the safety rules required in the different plant areas and in his particular job, a 1,000,000 manhours can be reached again.

The most important person in continuing this encouraging trend is YOU. Only YOU can help prevent accidents to yourself and the people you work with in your area. Your daily concern for working safe will make the Naugatuck plant a better, safer place to work.

LATE FLASH

A Chemical operator, not wearing his safety goggles, was splashed with caustic acid for a serious injury, marring our August record.

URW Suggests 3-Year Pact, Reports Claim

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URW Suggests 3-Year Pact, Reports Claim

6-14-67 [handwritten date]

NAUGATUCK—A URW counter proposal being discussed by Uniroyal and four other major rubber producers calls for a three-year agreement and includes pensions and fringe benefits, it was learned Tuesday.

The United Rubber Workers submitted the counter proposal after rejecting an industry-wide offer Friday.

The three-year counter proposal represents a turnabout in the union stand in the negotiations.

During a mass meeting of the Local 45 membership, held May 29, Pres. George Froehlich reportedly told those in attendance that the union would settle for neither a three-year pact nor an agreement which included pensions and fringe benefits.

According to sources, however, the union has come to the conclusion that the three-year pact was necessary, primarily because it seemed the only way to force the companies into offering higher wage benefits.

When the companies made their original offers, the wage terms and supplemental unemployment benefits were considered inadequate by union negotiators.

Management claimed, however, that none of the items in the contract offers could be raised until they had some idea of what the union was seeking in pension and fringe benefits.

The first hint of significant progress came about two weeks ago, according to sources, when all five companies were scheduled to sit at one table and discuss a pact. The meeting failed, however, due to the union negotiators from Goodrich, the sources claimed.

Election Problems

Despite the problems with the contract itself, sources have indicated that another obstacle in the negotiations is the forthcoming union elections on the local level.

Some of the union negotiators, who are seeking reelection, have been adamant in their demands in order to satisfy the rank and file membership. Uniroyal union representatives, however, were not indicated as being among this group.

The union plan submitted Friday calls for a straight five per cent increase, sources revealed.

Among the items called for in the counter proposal are an increase in pensions to $5.50 per man per year, and supplemental unemployment benefits up to 80 per cent.

Management reportedly had last offered an increase in pensions to $5.25, and supplemental unemployment benefits up to 75 per cent.

Union negotiators claimed that their proposed five per cent general increase would cost the company 73 cents, but management has claimed that it would cost $1.40.

UAW Aid

Although the union has been promised aid from the United Auto Workers Union, sources said that the aid was in the form of a loan.

UAW negotiators have to date chosen to reduce strike benefit checks to $15 from $25 weekly, and try to raise money among URW members still working at General Tire, Goodyear and other smaller rubber firms.

One week’s collection, it was said, brought only $6,000 in donations from rubber workers not on strike.

Not only are there problems within the union, but management is suffering some within the ranks of the five companies, it was reported.

Firestone has been claimed to be the dominant figure in the negotiations, but a Goodyear victory at the Indianapolis Speedway on Memorial Day has resulted in signs of a change in management leadership, according to sources.

Uniroyal Talks Depend On Other Firms, Claim

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6-15-67

Uniroyal Talks Depend On Other Firms, Claim

NAUGATUCK—Talks between Uniroyal and United Rubber Workers negotiators continue in Cincinnati today, but informed sources said progress would depend on talks between the union and some of the other rubber firms, notably B. F. Goodrich and Firestone.

It is with these two companies, said one source, that the heaviest negotiating is taking place.

A source close to the negotiations said although on the surface some of the labor-management negotiators from other companies seem to say little to each other “a lot is going on underneath.”

Union negotiators were reportedly surprised during recent talks when management challenged a claim that the union’s counter-proposal would cost only 73 cents.

In a surprise move during recent talks, management presented what is referred to as a “roll up” to challenge a claim that the union’s economic package would cost only 73 cents.

In use, sources say, the “roll up” shows that although a raise apparently amounts to, say, 16 cents, the raise may be more like 17 or 18 cents due to the overtime and machine down time.

Union negotiators were reportedly caught off guard by the term, and claimed that management was using a weighted wage figure, and accused them of inflating the cost of the economic package.

Union spokesmen contacted Wednesday night said that this item was no longer a major obstacle and hinted that the union may be reconsidering the apparent cost of the package.

Some of the larger obstacles, it was said, are non-economic.

One such obstacle is referred to as the “bogie.” A golfing term, it has been applied to the efficiency rating used in at least one company’s plants.

A person who works at a particular job, according to plant employes, is expected to turn out a certain number of articles before he is entitled to full pay.

Assuming no breakdowns on the machine, if an employe does not meet his efficiency rating, he will not receive full pay.

These ratings are reportedly established by time and motion study men.

It is the union’s contention, say sources, that older people in the plant cannot always produce what a younger employe can produce, and some of the ratings are therefore to high, causing the union to want them eliminated.

It has been learned that the union’s counter proposal includes pensions and fringe benefits, which have come under a separate contract in the past.

Although some of the union negotiators are far from happy about discussing these items in a master contract, the union has reportedly found it necessary to do so in order to obtain the goals sought in the master contract.

As yet, however, the rank and file union members have not had the opportunity to express their wishes, at least to local negotiators, concerning pensions.

While the International URW funds are running low, efforts are in progress to obtain donations from URW workers who are not on strike. The efforts have been reportedly unsuccessful. During one week of canvassing, only $6,000 in donations were obtained.

Duration Record Will Be Set In URW Strike

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6-16-67

Duration Record Will Be Set In URW Strike

If the United Rubber Workers strike continue past Saturday, a new record will be set for duration of strikes in the rubber industry. In 1959, the Firestone Tire and Rubber Co. was struck by URW for 58 days.

Negotiations continued yesterday with the groups still discussing a counter-proposal submitted by the union last week. Talks are scheduled to continue today.

The membership of the three borough Locals faithfully take their turn at picketing at the plants here in Naugatuck. The pickets are stationed at the Footwear plant gates from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. leaving their strike placards hanging on the gates at night. Pickets are at the Chemical Co. gates on a round-the-clock basis; sitting in their cars on rainy days and can be seen lounging on blankets on the hot humid days.

Some strikers have found other employment on a full time basis in other industry in the area, according to reports, terminating their employment at UniRoyal.

The union is seeking a higher hourly rate and a 95 per cent supplementary benefit for workers who are laid off. The “Big Five” has dubbed the demand as a “request for a guaranteed annual wage.”

Tire workers currently average $3.69 an hour while other production workers average $2.68. The union is also trying to do away with the pay differential for the two classes of employes.

Negotiations between the rubber companies and the union continue on a daily basis but, thus far, there has been no signs of settlement.

According to sources, true negotiations have begun at last. Both sides are giving on a few minor points.

Sessions began in Cincinnati on March 20, one month before the contract was due to expire. Up until this point, neither side was willing to give. The companies knew what they wanted to give and the union clung to its demands.

Progress Signs Seen In Talks

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Progress Signs Seen In Talks

Friday MAY 19, 1967 [handwritten]

NAUGATUCK Negotiations between the United Rubber Workers and Uniroyal, Inc. are scheduled to continue today in Cincinnati, with informed sources indicating Thursday that signs of progress are being made.

As the strike entered its fifth week, rumors swept the borough to the effect that Firestone had either settled or was very close to settlement. The rumors remained unconfirmed, however, as sources claimed that Firestone did not meet with the union Thursday. They, too, however, are scheduled to meet today.

The signs of progress in the Uniroyal talks were indicated when informed sources said that the number of issues being discussed had dropped from approximately 50 to about 20. What any of the issues are, however, remains unknown.

In addition, sources said, management had offered a guaranteed annual wage amounting to 75 per cent base wage in case of layoffs. The union is reportedly seeking over 90 per cent.

Details of the 75 per cent clause could not be obtained.

The scene in the borough remained quiet again Thursday, and many pickets seemed more cheerful as the rumors of Firestone’s progress ran around town.

In Waterville, a trucker approaching the URW picket line at a Uniroyal warehouse there chose to honor the picket and the truck was taken into the warehouse without incident by a white collar employe.

UniRoyal – URW Show Cause Hearing Thurs.

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UniRoyal – URW
Show Cause Saturday
Hearing Thurs. MAY 27, 1967

Superior Court Judge Leo V.
Gaffney continued the hearing
for an injunction sought by the
Chemical Division of UniRoyal
against the United Rubber
Workers Friday.

The continuance followed an
early morning session of peace-
ful picketing by Local 218 at
the Elm Street entrance to the
plant. No personnel were denied
entry.

In its court appearance
Thursday, the local must show
cause why an injunction should
not be issued against “illegal
picketing activities.” Eight
pickets were arrested at the
same gate Thursday morning.

At that time, pickets were
attempting to prevent manage-
ment personnel from entering
the plant to produce items said
to be necessary to the Viet-
nam war effort.

Judge Gaffney said he knew
“There was a spark of patrio-
tism” in everyone and added
that he hoped this would lead to
a lessening of tensions at the
Chemical plant.

Union President Joseph
Rzeszutek firmly denied that
any of the items produced
Thursday were going to Viet-
nam. He was one of the eight
arrested.

No witnesses were called in
the case. Judge Gaffney met with
union and management lawyers
in chambers and then issued
the order in open court.

Please Turn to Page 10

Froehlich Returns From Ohio Parleys

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Froehlich Returns From Ohio Parleys

4/25/67 [handwritten]

NAUGATUCK—Union members of Locals 45 and 218 of United Rubber workers were informed on the progress of negotiations in Cincinnati although union officials declined to say what specifically had been discussed at the meetings Monday.

The presidents of the three locals, George Froehlich from Local 45, Joseph Rzeszutek from Local 218 and Edward Alves from Local 308, returned from Cincinnati over the weekend for a breather and a chance to talk to the union members.

Whether the meetings held were for information only or for policy review was not learned, although Froehlich siad he had “met with the executive board” Monday morning. He will return to Cincinnati today to resume negotiations Wednesday.

Although picketing remains quiet at the borough operations, with no official report of difficulties, officials of the Chemical Division, Local 218, report that members of the local will picket the plant “24 hours a day, seven days a week.”

In addition, it was reported, members will picket in three-hour shifts. Local 218 began a buildup of picketing Friday when some members decided to picket throughout the night and most of Saturday.

Local 45, Footwear Plant, continue to picket in two-hour shifts from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. The same procedure is being used by Local 308.

The Associated Press reported that pickets from a rebel Chicago local paraded Monday at facilities of the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. — the only one of the industry’s “Big Four” not hit by a URW strike.

Work continued on a day-by-day basis at Goodyear under a contract extension after the contract ran out Thursday.

Although talks are reportedly still in progress between Goodyear and the URW, some 500 members of Local 532 walked out at Goodyear’s industrial hose plant in North Chicago. Local leaders said they would try to urge other Goodyear locals to follow suit.

A score of pickets at the plant carried signs saying,”Must we stand alone?” and “Local 532 on strike.”

Besides the approximately 5,000 workers at the borough Uniroyal plants, some 16,000 other Uniroyal employes connected with the URW are on strike, as are 17,585 at Firestone and 10,930 at B. F. Goodrich.

ONLY MOMENTS BEFORE he was arrested by Naugatuck police this morning, Cy (Doc) Blanchard, center, held the attention of striking members of Local 45, United Rubber Workers, at the central office entrance of the Uniroyal Footwear plant. Blanchard, vice-president of Local 218, URW, at the firm’s striking Chemical Division, was among union officials and members arrested today.—King Photo.

by

5-4-67

ONLY MOMENTS BEFORE he was arrested by Naugatuck police this morning, Cy (Doc) Blanchard, center, held the attention of striking members of Local 45, United Rubber Workers, at the central office entrance of the Uniroyal Footwear plant. Blanchard, vice-president of Local 218, URW, at the firm’s striking Chemical Division, was among union officials and members arrested today.—King Photo.

DOZEN POLICEMEN stand in a cluster at a Maple St. gate of Naugatuck’s Uniroyal footwear plant today moments before moving into crowds of striking United Rubber Workers to make arrests for breach of the peace. Those arrested were escorted to nearby Police Headquarters for booking.—King Photo.

LOOKING SULLEN as management and office workers file into the Maple St. gate of UniRoyal Raymond Memorial, vice-president of Local 45, URW, checks each person to be certain all are UniRoyal employees. Some who didn’t have UniRoyal badges shown prominently were asked to display them.

by

LOOKING SULLEN as management and office workers file into the Maple St. gate of Uni-Royal, Raymond Mengacci, vice-president of Local 45, URW, checks each person to be certain all are UniRoyal employes. Some who didn’t have UniRoyal badges showing prominently were asked to display them. —(News photo by Jensen)

[Handwritten note on right margin:]
8-5-67

Court Restrains Uniroyal Pickets

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Court Restrains Uniroyal Pickets

5-6-67 [handwritten]

By PATRICK KEATING
Register Staff Reporter

NAUGATUCK — Management of the Footwear Division, Uniroyal, was granted an injunction against Local 45, United Rubber Workers, Friday afternoon at Waterbury Superior Court which will restrict the overall picketing by the union of the plant, effective immediately.

See PHOTO Page 25

The injunction, which had been sought by Uniroyal, will limit the manner of picketing and also restrain the union from stopping management personnel, company trucks, and independent carriers from entering and leaving the Footwear premises.

Management had requested the court action to curb in the future any near-rioting that was prevalent Thursday and Friday as pickets clashed with management personnel and police.

Seventy-one union members were arrested for a breach of peace and several hospitalized during the two-day outbreak.

Local 45 had challenged the entry of office help and supervisors, and also sought to prevent the company from shipping merchandise to its customers.

Friday afternoon, the company was able to have the New Haven Railroad switch five freight cars into its central warehouse. These cars are being loaded by male supervisory help and will be shipped as early as possible.

Pickets were unsuccessful in their efforts to prevent the freight cars from entering the warehouse on its spur line. The switching engine was manned by railroad officials as the regular crew, members of the Brotherhood, recognized the strikers by refusing to cross the picket line.

Two of the pickets were injured slightly by contact with the moving freight train which forced the strikers to jump to

See UNIROYAL Page 2

Five Hurt When Train Won’t Stop

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Five Hurt When Train Won’t Stop

5-7-68 [handwritten]

NAUGATUCK—An attempt to push five railroad freight cars into a Uniroyal warehouse on Elm St. Friday afternoon resulted in injuries to at least five men as police officers tried to move picketing United Rubber Workers out of the way of the constantly moving train.

According to reports from some of those involved in the incident, a locomotive and five cars approached the gate leading to the warehouse at about 1 p.m.

Policemen at the scene said they expected the train would stop to allow them time to clear the track and gate of circulating pickets. They added that the train did not stop, but continued toward the warehouse at an estimated 10 mph. They had reportedly received a call claiming that the train would not stop.

Pickets held their position in front of the gate while police, some of whom were unaware that the train was still coming, trid to haul the pickets out of the path of the train.

Both police and pickets suffered injuries as the cars continued into the gate. Men from both sides were occasionally shoved against the moving cars.

Two pickets, Robert Sequenzia, 440 South Main St., and Mario Carniero, 18 Bridge St., were taken to St. Mary’s Hospital where they were treated and released.

One patrolman, Ronald Pruchnicki, received bruises and was treated at the hospital, returning to work for the 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. shift.

Police Lt. Richard Payne received a groin injury, but was not taken to the hospital.

Strike Scene Quiet Following Judge’s Warning To URW Union

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Strike Scene Quiet Following Judge’s Warning To URW Union

5-6-67 [handwritten notation in top right]

NAUGATUCK—Picketing at all three Uniroyal plants here was quiet today, following two days of scuffles by police and striking members of the United Rubber Workers union. Small clusters of pickets, mostly women, were on duty early today at the footwear plant where near-violence erupted both Thursday and Friday mornings.

It is not known if today’s peaceful picketing is the result of normal weekend inactivity at the plant or the result of a stern warning issued to strikers Friday by Superior Court Judge Leo V. Gaffney.

The judge warned the union to refrain from violence and any interference with operations of the Uniroyal plant, pending Tuesday’s court hearing on an injunction petition to halt mass picketing during the strike.

The rubberworkers struck the nationwide chain of Uniroyal plants two weeks ago. In the two days of clashes between union members and police, 64 strikers were arrested on breach of peace charges. The clashes occurred as police attempted to aid management personnel enter the Central Office of the footwear plant on Maple St. and were the basis for the firm’s action is seeking a court injunction to end mass picketing.

Only hours after the injunction hearing, a group consisting of Mayor Joseph C. Raytkwich, Chief of Police Frank J. Mariano, Police Commissioners Henry Marlor and William Simmons and representatives of the union gathered in the mayor’s office.

Following the session, which lasted almost two hours, during which loud voices could be heard from behind the closed doors, no statements were issued and no comments were made.

Local 45 representatives said that they would leave the question of a statement to the discretion of Mayor Raytkwich, whose only comment was that the group had held “a round robin discussion.”

At about 1 p.m., only an hour before the hearing in Waterbury, police became involved in an incident with pickets who were trying to stop the passage of five railroad cars into a warehouse on Elm St. Several pickets and police were injured in the incident, and three were taken to St. Mary’s Hospital for treatment.

When the session during which pickets were warned against mass picketing had ended, an injunction hearing was set for 11 a.m. Tuesday.

During the injunction hearing, the union must show cause why an order restraining it from engaging in mass picketing should not be issued.

In the meantime the strikers have been cautioned against any incidents which would interfere with the company’s business, and against any type of violence.

“In the event there is any interference with the operations of this plaintiff’s (Uniroyal’s) business or any violence of any sort or nature between now and such time as the court rules on the conjunction application,” Judge Gaffney said, “then upon a showing of the facts, a temporary restraining order will be issued forthwith.”

In its petition for the injunction, Uniroyal claims union members have “engaged in mass picketing . . . intercepted and blocked persons who approached the plant and plant premises by foot and by vehicle, pushing and shoving such persons, kicking them, stepping on their feet, calling them names in loud and menacing manner…”

The strikers “have congregated in large and unruly masses,” the action says, in attempts to block entrance to or exit from the plant “by threat of force or violence” and have “obstructed the police in the performance of their duties and made the employment of force and large numbers of police officers necessary, resulting in breaches of the peace and creating an atmosphere of fear and tension…”

By reason of such “unlawful acts and threats,” the company claims, it “has been and will continue to be unable to perform functions vital to its operations . . . and will continue to be unable to handle contracts with its customers, among which is the Defense Department of the United States Government for items needed in national defense…”

The company wants the court to issue an order restraining the pickets from engaging in mass picketing, from blocking entrances and exits to and from the plant and “from in any way injuring, damaging or destroying its plant, machines, equipment or stock of materials on hand.”

No property damage was reported throughout the three days of mass picketing, and the object of pickets was to prevent white collar employes from entering the plant.

Despite pleadings and warnings from officials of Local 45, pushing, shoving and subsequent arrests punctuated the early hours of Thursday and Friday. Forty-three pickets were arrested after clashes with police Thursday, and another 21 were arrested Friday.

Union officials charged that the early morning incident Friday was deliberately provoked by the company, which had been taking pictures at the scene to bolster efforts to get the court injunction against mass picketing.

Quietness Reigns In Strike Here

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Quietness Reigns In Strike Here

The three Locals of the United Rubber Workers in the borough maintained their teams of picketers at the gates of the struck UniRoyal plants today.

Picketing is being conducted in a quite orderly fashion with no incidents reported. White collar workers of UniRoyal continue to pass in and out of the gates across the lines, maintaining their regular work schedules.

Trucks have been permitted in and out of the Elm St. gate to the Warehouse. Some Teamster Union truck drivers, however, have refused to cross the lines. It has been noted that several of the trucks coming to the warehouse are driven by officials of the trucking concerns doing business with UniRoyal.

Surprise Move

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn., (UPI) – Teamsters boss James

[Handwritten text at top right of image:]
BAR LIBRARY
SUPERIOR COURT STENOGRAPHER
LADIES ROOM

PRINCIPALS in yesterday’s action in Superior Court in Waterbury talked over the situation in the lobby of the County Courthouse after Judge Leo V. Gaffney continued for two weeks the UniRoyal petition for an injunction and restraining order against the United Rubber Workers Union. Left to right are Atty. Dwight Fanton, UniRoyal Counsel; Raymond Mengacci, vice-president of Local 45, URW; and Atty. Daniel Baker, counsel for the union.

-(News photo by Jensen)

Union Demands, Logical Attainable – Bommarito

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Union Demands, Logical Attainable - Bommarito

Union Demands, Logical Attainable – Bommarito

6-10-67 [handwritten notation at top]

United Rubber Worker President Peter Bommarito said the union’s demands are “logical, justifiable and attainable.”

According to a UniRoyal spokesman yesterday, the URW’s demands would cost at least $1.40 an hour. The companies value their offers at more than 70 cents an hour.

Bommarito said there are a number of issues involving working conditions that must be settled before a contract can be reached.

He was pessimistic about prospects of a quick settlement, but other ranking union officials said the new offers should at least provide a basis for agreement.

The URW membership of the borough Locals learned yesterday for the first time, exactly what the companies were offering. UniRoyal mailed to all employees, a letter stating what the offer comprised. The union rejected the offer late Tuesday afternoon.

The 50-day old strike is taking its toll financially from everyone concerned, the membership, the union and the company as well as business in town.

The union, at the onset of the strike, had been promised financial help from the auto industry union, but were forced to announce that strike benefit checks were being cut from $25 to $15 beginning with this week’s check.

Hopes ran high this week, locally, that the strike would end soon. However, yesterday’s announcement ended this hope.

Only three of the “big five” rubber companies are struck. Workers at UniRoyal, Firestone and Goodrich are out while employes of Goodyear and General Tire are working on a day-to-day basis.

Negotiating session were recessed for the weekend and are scheduled to be resumed Monday.

Negotiators To Study URW Counter-Proposal

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Negotiators To Study URW Counter-Proposal

6/12-67

Negotiators To Study URW Counter-Proposal

The five major rubber companies in the U.S. will consider a URW proposal today after two contracts which were proposed by the companies last week were rejected by the union.

One source said the union counter-proposal is only slightly different from its original demand which, according to the companies, would cost the companies an additional $1.40 for each employee.

The company offered a three-year contract and tried to include pension and welfare negotiations, which has habitually come under separate contract. The current welfare-pension contract does not expire until September.

In their offer, the companies provided a $.38 wage increase for tire workers and $.31 increase to non-tire workers.

URW are demanding equal across-the board raises for all employees, while the companies claim that this would worsen their already poor competitive position in non-tire products.

URW President Peter Bommarito stated that the union is prepared to continue its strike for another month. Local UniRoyal employees are beginning to look a little grey about the pocketbook with Bommarito’s statement and the reduced strike benefit checks.

Alleged promises from the United Auto Workers union to aid the URW strikers financially has not yet materialized.

The strike goes into its 53rd day today, with 50,000 employees of Firestone, Goodrich and UniRoyal idle.

After the weekend recess, the companies, which had time to study the union offer during the respite, and the URW will resume negotiations at the bargaining table.

Rubber-Labor Pact Is Possible This Week; General Tire Increases Its Offer to Union

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6-12-67

Rubber-Labor Pact Is Possible This Week; General Tire Increases Its Offer to Union

By a WALL STREET JOURNAL Staff Reporter

AKRON—After a week of marked progress in negotiations, the United Rubber Workers union and five major rubber companies will reopen bargaining sessions at 10 a.m. today with some expectation of reaching a single-package settlement covering wages, pensions and welfare benefits before another week passes.

A settlement would end the strike against three of the major concerns—Firestone Tire & Rubber Co., Uniroyal, Inc. and B. F. Goodrich Co.—which has idled 51,000 workers for 53 days since former contracts expired April 20. It would also conclude negotiations with Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. and General Tire & Rubber Co., where production has continued on a day-to-day basis despite similar contract expirations.

Separate bargaining sessions with the five companies began making headway last week. Management offered wage boosts totaling 38 cents an hour for tire workers and 31 cents for other production workers over three years, plus pension-and-welfare-contract improvements. The package was technically rejected by the union as inadequate, but it opened the door to several counter proposals presumably being studied by the companies.

Differentials an Obstacle

At the weekend, General Tire was said to have sweetened its offer on several points, boosting the pay proposal for tire workers to 40 cents an hour over three years and offering further pension, vacation and supplemental unemployment benefit payments. General’s contract negotiations, however, cover only 3,000 workers in two tire plants, in Akron and Waco, Texas, while those of the four other concerns cover other production workers as well. The proposed differentials between tire workers and other production employes could still be a difficult obstacle in this week’s talks.

General’s wage offer for tire workers would break down to 15 cents in 1967, 13 cents in 1968 and 12 cents in 1969. The 38-cent offer of the other concerns comprises 16 cents this year and 11 cents in each of the next two years.

Peter Bommarito, URW international president, termed the offers of the four companies, other than General, as representing a gain of less than 4.5% compared with what he said has been a 5.8% raise granted in other manufacturing industries. He also called for the naming of an independent fact-finding board to determine the “fairness” of the union’s demands.

Uniroyal, in a letter to employes, put the gain in wage and other improvements at “about 5%” and said its offer would cost the company about 70 cents an hour, the largest proposal it had ever made to the union. Firestone and Goodrich also sent letters to employes discussing the negotiations, with Goodrich also putting its offer as “in line with the 5% pattern” set in other industries.

Another improvement in General’s weekend offer, which Mr. Bommarito yesterday called “attractive” as a basis for a settlement, was an improvement in supplemental unemployment benefits payments providing for 80% of average straight-time pay for laid-off workers or for those on short workweeks; this total would include unemployment compensation. Offers of the other companies had provided for up to 75% of straight-time pay. The previous contract called for up to 65% plus $2 for each dependent up to four.

The union has demanded as a “full employment” plan, or guaranteed annual wage, payments of up to 95% of regular straight-time pay for laid-off workers, including unemployment compensation. The union has put the company cost for this at 7 cents an hour per worker, up from the present 5 cents. The companies’ offer has been about 6 cents.

General’s offer also included a provision for six weeks’ vacation after 30 years’ service and two weeks after one year’s, along with existing intermediate vacations. The other companies made no provision for six weeks’ vacation but offered three weeks after five years’ service, along with other existing vacation allowances.

The pension-payment propsosal by General also was a bit higher than the increase to $5.25 per month from $3.25 for each year of service proposed by the others. Though the General amount wasn’t specified, it was understood to be close to $5.50 per month for each year of service.

Mr. Bommarito also disputed the companies’ claims that their “total-package” offers represented employment-cost increases of 70 cents an hour. He estimated them at about 64 cents for General’s package and 60 cents for the others.

Other Benefits

All the offers also included improvements in life insurance, hospitalization, sickness and accident insurance, an additional increase of 10 cents an hour for skilled tradesmen and improvements in grievance-pay allowances.

Should a settlement be achieved on a “single-package” basis, it would be the first time in the rubber industry. Pension and welfare matters have previously been reserved to a separate contract, the existing one due to expire next Sept. 15. Previously, however, the wage contract and pension agreements have expired on at least alternate years. The proximity of the pension-contract expiration this year to the wage contract’s conclusion was held to be an obstacle to an earlier settlement on wages.

The companies acknowledged they were reluctant to “expose” themselves to a substantial wage-cost increase only to be faced in a few months with another strike threat over pension and other welfare matters. Until two weeks ago, however, the union apparently had been adamant about keeping the two contracts separate.

General Tire Offers “Attractive Package”

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General Tire Offers "Attractive Package"

Rubber Strike

6-13-67

General Tire Offers “Attractive Package”

AKRON, Ohio (UPI) — Negotiators in the national rubber strike today prepared for another long session over the problems of wages, contract length, the elimination of differentials in wage hikes, employes and job security.

Three of the nation’s five largest rubber companies have been on strike for 54 days, with about 55,000 employes idled around the country.

In Connecticut, some 5,500 workers at three UniRoyal plants in Naugatuck are affected by the walkout. There are no other unionized rubber industry plants in the state.

Wage contracts expired April 20 between the United Rubber Workers (URW) and the Firestone Tire and Rubber Co., Uniroyal Inc., and B. F. Goodrich Co.

Day-to-Day

Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., whose contract expired the same day, and General, whose contract expired May 15, continued production on a day-to-day basis.

A break seemed most likely to occur in talks with General Tire & Rubber, which has proposed a slightly higher package than the other four companies.

General boosted its pay proposal for tire workers from 38 to 40 cents per hour over three years, and offered increased fringe benefits, particularly in the crucial area of supplementary unemployment benefits.

Spokesmen for the other four companies would not say if their negotiators were following suit.

Wages Behind

URW President Peter Bommarito said the wage offers of the four companies, including General, would leave the rubber workers behind other industries. He said the rubber companies are offering 4.5 per cent increases, as opposed to the 5.8 per cent national pattern.

In letters to their employes, the three struck companies set the percentage of their offer at 5 per cent, its cost at 70 cents per hour, and its size as the largest in industry history.

The companies said the fringe benefits are substantial and an increase in supplementary unemployment benefits from 65 per cent of straight time pay to 75 per cent will cost them six cents per hour alone.

The union has demanded unemployment payments of up to 95 per cent of basic wages. Bommarito calls this request “a full-employment plant.”

“Attractive” Basis

General had raised its offer on supplementary unemployment benefits to 80 per cent. This proposal won Bommarito’s approval as an “attractive” basis for settlement. General also increased vacation and pension benefits.

The tire workers now average $3.69 per hour. Company employes in other divisions make an average of $2.68. The last two settlements have increased the differential. Bommarito insists the next settlement grant equal raises to both types of production workers.

The request does not affect General, which is negotiating for only 3,000 tire workers in Akron and Waco, Tex. But the other four companies maintain they can only offer 31 per cent wage increases to non-tire workers.

Please Turn to Page 12

Local Strike

Strike Situation: No New Developments In Negotiations

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Strike Situation: No New Developments In Negotiations

Strike Situation: No New Developments In Negotiations

6-14-67

AKRON, Ohio – Spokesmen said today that despite the progressive tone of talks between the United Rubber Workers and the General Tire and Rubber Co., there were no new developments in contract negotiations.

General had offered a slightly higher wage package than other members of the industry’s big five.

URW President Peter Bommarito said the offers of the companies, excluding General Tire, would leave rubber workers behind other industries.

A major block in the settlement of the strike was the union’s demand for unemployment payments of up to 95 per cent of basic wages. The rubber companies have described the demand as tantamount to “a guaranteed annual wage.”

Elimination of the pay differential between tire and non-tire workers was also a key union demand.

Locally

At a Local 45 membership meeting in May, President George Froehlich reportedly said that the union would not go for a three-year contract nor an agreement that would include pension or fringe benefits.

No new information on the progress of the negotiations in Cincinnati has been released today. Members of the three Locals in the borough, suffering from 54 days without work, are anxious for news of the sessions.

Local strikers, speaking as individuals, are eager for another meeting of the membership.

Union officials have explained that the promised financial help from the auto industry union was in the form of a loan which the union decided not to take, but rather to cut the amount of benefits to its members and seek to raise additional monies from the working members employed at General Tire and Goodyear.

However, one week’s collection amounted to only $6,000 in donations.

Local URW members, when questioned, are wondering if the hold-up in settlement will, in the long run, prove beneficial to the members here in the borough. Local 45 with its more than 4,000 members, is one of the largest in the URW.

URW To Expand Strike

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General Tire Added

6-17-67

URW To Expand Strike

AKRON, Ohio—Another rubber company was added to the three already on strike Friday when the executive board of the United Rubber Workers Union voted to send out General Tire and Rubber Co. workers.

More than 3,000 employes in two plants, Akron and Waco, Texas, will be directly affected by the walkout.

Top sources indicated that the picketing would begin sometime during the coming week, possibly Monday or Tuesday.

This is the only major change in the picture, and Uniroyal negotiations were reported as making no progress Friday.

The fact that General Tire’s URW members will be on strike is expected to put pressure on Goodyear, the only company of the so called “big five” not on strike.

General Tire executives were informed of the executive board’s decision Friday evening.

The picketing will also porbably put pressure on the union’s strike fund, already seriously depleted. What financial action the union plans to take to alleviate pressure was not learned Friday.

Although the United Auto Workers union had promised financial aid to the striking union in the form of a loan, the URW has been hesitant to accept the loan and has tried, instead, to raise money through donations from URW members still working.

These efforts have been reportedly unsuccessful, and the original strike fund of $6.5 million has been drained at a rate of $1.25 million a week.

Unfair labor practice charges filed by International Union Pres. Peter Bommarito are presently being investigated by the National Labor Relations Board.

Bommarito charged that the strike pact agreed upon by the companies involved in the negotiations was hindering progress.

The pact reportedly states that companies affected by a strike will be given financial aid by those which are not struck.

Obstacles preventing a settlement at the present time were reported Friday as being mainly economic.

The union feels that the value of the economic offers being made by the companies is not high enough yet.

Sources also indicated that the supplemental unemployment benefits are not high enough, and may well end up as the number one obstacle to a settlement.

According to those close to the negotiations, the companies have a “philosophical objection” to paying people for not working.

In addition it is possible that the auto manufacturers are putting pressure on the rubber firms not to grant the so-called guaranteed annual wage because the car companies will be facing the same request when the United Auto Workers begin talks in July.

The union’s counter proposal, submitted over a week ago, is still being discussed. Talks recessed for the weekend Friday and are scheduled to resume Monday.

Fourth Rubber Co. Struck By URW

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Fourth Rubber Co. Struck By URW

6-17-67

The Executive Board of the United Rubber Workers union has voted to call its members out from another of the “Big Five” rubber companies.

More than 3,000 employes in two plants of General Tire and Rubber Co., located in Akron, Ohio, and Waco, Texas, will be involved.

According to sources, picketing at these plants will begin either Monday or Tuesday.

With this new move, union

Local 45 URW has called a mass meeting of its membership for Monday, June 19, at 3 p.m. in the auditorium of the Naugatuck High School.

President of Local 45, home from negotiations sessions in Cincinnati, will address the members and bring them up to date on the progress of the negotiations.

workers in four of the five rubber companies will be out. The fact that General Tire’s URW members will be on strike is expected to put pressure on Goodyear, the only working company.

General Tire executives were informed of the executive board’s decision Friday evening.

The picketing will also probably put pressure on the union’s strike fund, already seriously depleted. What financial action the union plans to take to alleviate pressure was not learned Friday.

Although the United Auto Workers union had promised financial aid to the striking union in the form of a loan, the URW has been hesitant to accept the loan and has tried, instead, to raise money through donations from URW members still

working.

Obstacles preventing a settlement at the present time were reported Friday as being mainly economic.

The union feels that the value of the economic offers being made by the companies is not high enough yet.

Sources also indicated that the supplemental unemployment benefits are not high enough, and may well end up as the number one obstacle to a settlement.

According to those close to the negotiations, the companies have a “philosophical objection” to paying people for not working.

In addition it is possible that the auto manufacturers are putting pressure on the rubber firms not to grant the so-called guaranteed annual wage because the car companies will be facing the same request when the United Auto Workers begin talks in July.

The union’s counter proposal submitted over a week ago, is still being discussed. Talks recessed for the weekend Friday and are scheduled to resume Monday.

AKRON, Ohio (UPI) — The impasse over negotiations in the national rubber strike remained unbroken today with increasing signs the 52,000 striking employes and the United Rubber Workers Union were feeling the pinch.

Rubber workers here—where nearly 10,000 have been on strike for 59 days—were applying for welfare benefits in increasing numbers.

Mrs. Joyce N. Artis, Summit County welfare department representative, said 78 applications

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Fourth Rubber

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Fourth Rubber

6-17-67

Continued From Page 1

from rubber workers had been approved by mid-week, and a big influx of further applications had come in since then.

She said the county at first requested rubber workers to spend strike benefits for shelter and utilities and use public assistance for food.

“But now,” she said, “The benefits are so low they do not meet the other bills.”

Union-paid strike benefits totalled $25 at the start of the strike. They were cut to $15 this week and were expected to go lower, and possibly end, in a few weeks.

The URW struck the Firestone Tire & Rubber Co., the B.F. Goodrich Co. and UniRoyal Inc. on April 20 when wage contracts expired. Contracts with Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. and General Tire & Rubber Co. also expired, but work has continued on a day-to-day basis.

In Connecticut the strike has crippled production at three UniRoyal plants in Naugatuck.

The union’s treasury, which contained about $6.5 million at the start of the strike, has been reduced at a rate of $1.25 million a week. Union President Peter Bommarito recently turned down an offer of a loan or a gift from the United Auto Workers strike fund. Speculation here places the refusal to a wish not to be obligated to Walter Reuther in his feud with the leaders of the AFL—CIO.

The companies have offered hourly wage increases of 38 cents over a three-year contract period to rubber workers, who average $3.69 hourly. To non-tire workers, the companies have offered 31-cent increases. These workers average $2.68 hourly.

The union contended the offer was not in line with the 5 per cent wage increases granted in other industries.

4 Rubber Firms Now On Strike

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6-19-67

4 Rubber Firms Now On Strike

AKRON, Ohio (UPI) — The United Rubber Workers (URW) called a strike Sunday against General Tire & Rubber Co., the fourth of the big five tire producers to be hit by a walkout.

Some 1,300 workers at General’s Waco, Tex., plant voted to strike at midnight Sunday. General’s plant here, which employs 1,800, will be struck Wednesday, according to union officials.

The strike at General will bring to 54,100 the number on strike across the nation.

The URW strike against Firestone Tire & Rubber, B. F. Goodrich and Uniroyal entered its 59th day Sunday, breaking the old strike record of 58 set against Firestone in 1959.

Work continued at Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. on a day-to-day basis after the URW’s contract expired April 20.

Contract talks between the big five producers and the URW resume today.

Federal Mediation Begins Tomorrow In Rubber Strike

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Federal Mediation Begins Tomorrow In Rubber Strike

6-21-67 [handwritten]

AKRON, Ohio (UPI) — Federal mediators will meet Thursday in Pittsburgh with negotiators for the five major rubber companies and the United Rubber Workers Union in an effort to break the nine-week strike in the rubber industry.

William Simkin, director of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, made the announcement Tuesday in Washington. Simkin said he would join the other federal mediators who have been trying to end the strike against Firestone, Uni-Royal and B.F. Goodrich.

Nearly 52,000 workers have been idled in factories across the country by the strike, already the longest in industry history.

A spokesman for the United Rubber Workers said Tuesday that no progress had been made in negotiations during the day. Nearly 3,000 more URW members, at the General Tire and Rubber Co. facilities here and in Waco, Tex., are expected to walk out at midnight tonight.

URW President Peter Bommarito said the locals at the two plants voted to strike over the weekend when negotiations failed Friday to reach an accord on pensions.

The strike against Goodrich, Firestone, and UniRoyal began April 20 when wage working conditions contracts expired. The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. contract expired the same day, but production had continued on a day to day basis, as it did in the General Tire plants after their contract expired May 15.

In Naugatuck, Conn. the strike has crippled production at three UniRoyal plants.

Simkin said in telegrams to the union and the five companies that “Both sides have a public responsibility to exert every effort to reach an agreement.” He said the strike was hurting the companies, the workers, and the communities involved.

Federal Mediation 6-21-67 [handwritten]

Continued From Page 1

gotiators.

This meeting could go on for weeks, according to a union spokesman. He added that union officials are tightening their jaws and preparing to hold out for their demands.

At the heart of the dispute were union demands for substantial wage increases and supplementary unemployment benefits that would bring pay for workers laid off to 95 per cent of their regular straight time pay.

The companies have broadened negotiations to include discussions of pensions and welfare benefits. All five companies have made offers of a three-year contract that would wrap up wages, welfare, pensions and working conditions in one settlement.

Wage contracts and pension contracts have been traditionally negotiated separately in the rubber industry, the two-year wage contracts expiring in the spring and three-year pension contracts ending in the fall.

The union strike benefit fund, at $6.5 million when the strike began, is exhausted, and strike benefits have been reduced from $25 to $15.

Tire inventories of the three struck companies have been substantially reduced, but there is no indication of shortages of passenger tires yet. Original equipment supplies are believed sufficient to the end of the model year. The five companies have a mutual strike assistance pact. The URW has been trying to have this pact declared an unfair labor practice.

Local 45, URW, announced this morning that its President George Froehlich had been selected as one of a three-man team to attend the mediation sessions in Pittsburgh. Froehlich, they said, received the largest number of votes to represent the union in talks concerning UniRoyal.

The chief UniRoyal management negotiator will be Eugene Worchester and the chief UniRoyal union negotiator will be Herbert Dawson. It is not known who the third man on the UniRoyal negotiating team will be.

The feeling among union people, according to a union spokesman, is that government included settlements generally go in favor of management.

This represents the second attempt to get all of the “Big Five” companies and union to sit down at the same table and talk. The first effort was thwarted by Goodrich union ne-

Union Seeking Restraining Order Against UniRoyal

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Union Seeking Restraining Order Against UniRoyal

To Stop Production

6-22-67

Union Seeking Restraining Order Against UniRoyal

Federal Mediation In Rubber Strike Begins Today

PITTSBURGH (UPI) — In an effort to end the longest strike in rubber industry history, the federal government summoned negotiators for the nation’s top five producers and the United Rubber Workers (URW) to Pittsburgh today for a joint bargaining session.

Employes of UniRoyal, Inc., B. F. Goodrich and Firestone Tire & Rubber Co. walked out 63 days ago when their old contract expired.

The URW struck General Tire & Rubber Co. plants in Akron, Ohio, and Waco, Tex., last midnight to bring to 54,000 the number of workers on strike across the nation.

Operations at Goodyear tire plants continued on a day-to-day basis.

Firestone and General negotiators had been meeting in Cleveland, Goodyear and UniRoyal in Cincinnati, and Goodrich in Columbus, Ohio, until William E. Simkin, chief of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, asked all five groups to meet here.

The first session was scheduled to get underway at 4 p.m. in the Penn Sheraton Hotel.

The issues blocking a settlement included wage hikes, supplemental unemployment benefits, wage differentials between tire and “non-tire” employes and the length of the contract.

All the companies except General offered the URW wage hikes of 38 cents an hour for tire employes and 31 cents for “non-tire” employes offered a 40-cent an hour hike and supplemental unemployment benefits totaling 80 per cent of the workers’ wage.

Supplemental Benefits

The union had sought supplemental benefits of 95 per cent. The companies claimed the union demand amounted to a “guaranteed annual wage.”

URW President Peter Bommarito also asked that the “non-tire” workers receive the same wage hikes as other employes.

Tire employes averaged $3.68 cents an hour under the old contract and other workers, $2.69.

For the first time, the URW and the companies bargained about wages and pension and welfare benefits at the same time. In the past, the URW has signed a two-year wage agreement and a three-year welfare proposal. The current welfare agreement does not expire until September.

The companies claim their offer of wages and fringe benefits will cost them 70 cents per each man hour. Bommarito put the cost at only 60 cents an hour.

The lengthy strike, which on Sunday passed the 58-day record set against Firestone in 1959, has drained the URW treasury. Strike benefits ware cut from $25 to $15 a week last week.

Bommarito was understood to have turned down a loan offer from the United Auto Workers

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Officials of Local 45, United Rubber Workers, will seek to restrain UniRoyal, Inc., from starting up production lines in the borough for the purpose of making sample items, Vice-President Raymond Mengacci reported today.

Union officials appeared in Superior Court in Waterbury yesterday before Judge Leo Gaffney with complaints that non-bargaining unit personnel (non-union employes) were working on assembly lines in the firm in violation of a written agreement between the union and management, Mengacci

Israel Willing Internationalize Jerusalem Parts

By BRUCE W. MUNN
United Press International

UNITED NATIONS (UPI)— Latin American diplomats said Israeli Foreign Minister Abba S. Eban told them today Israel is willing to internationalize the holy places in Jerusalem.

The statement, made to a private meeting of the Latin American countries, was the first indication of Israel’s willingness to relinquish authority over any part of the Old City of Jerusalem it seized from Jordan.

The report came just before the General Assembly went into its fourth day of debate on the crisis. French Foreign Minister Maurice Couve de Murville was expected to expand on President Charles de Gaulle’s charge Wednesday that Israel started the war and that the war was an outgrowth of U.S. intervention in Vietnam.

Smaller nations were attempting to arrange a compromise between the U.S. and Soviet proposals on the Middle East but diplomatic sources said they had made little progress.

said.

The agreement, made April 18, two days before the 62-day-old strike began, states that in return for an orderly shutdown of the plant in the event of a strike by the union, management would not start any production lines or do any work by non-bargaining unit employes which would normally be done by union personnel.

An attempt to reach high-level management officers of the local plant were unsuccessful this morning. The NEWS was told they were “in conference.”

According to Mengacci, when union and management people met with Judge Gaffney yesterday in his chambers in Superior Court, the judge asked a company lawyer if the firm intended to break the agreement made between Mengacci and Thomas Nelligan, labor relations manager of the rubber company.

Mengacci said the company lawyer indicated the firm intended to “produce samples.”

Judge Gaffney reportedly said, “There will be bloodshed in Naugatuck if you violate this agreement,” Mengacci told the NEWS.

According to the vice-president of the local 5,500-member

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Conciliator, Uniroyal Groups To Meet Today

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Conciliator, Uniroyal Groups To Meet Today

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.

Federal Officials Enter Talks In Rubber Strike

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Federal Officials Enter Talks In Rubber Strike

18—Waterbury Republican, Friday, June 23, 1967

Federal Officials Enter Talks In Rubber Strike

PITTSBURGH, Pa.— Negotiators from five major rubber producers, the United Rubber Workers and federal mediators sat down Thursday to begin talks in one large group Thursday, but a swift end to a 63-day-old strike was not apparent.

Although no one would predict how long the talks in Pittsburgh might last, one could presume they will not end quickly, as progress made on working conditions during separate talks will be subject to renewed discussion on a group level.

Moderating the talks between the United Rubber Workers and the top five rubber producers was director of the Federal Mediation and Counciliation Service, William E. Simkin.

Thursday’s talks, according to sources, were mostly geared to laying the groundwork for further talks, the first of which is slated to begin today at 9 a.m.

This was the first time since 1947 that all five companies and the union talked together at one table. An attempt earlier in this series of negotiations failed when B. F. Goodrich union representatives refused to join a group meeting with the other companies because they did not want to talk a three-year contract.

According to a news source, the five companies, including Uniroyal, met with the union at one table during Thursday’s talks, then adjourned to meet separately.

Although RW officials have stated they would stand by their wage demands, RW President Peter Bommarito has indicated to reliable sources that he may be willing to move on the union’s demand for a supplemental unemployment benefit totaling 95 per cent of the weekly wage.

Bommarito was reportedly pleased to some degree with a recent General Tire offer which granted 80 per cent of the so-called “guaranteed annual wage.”

What displeased the international president of the

Regional Hospital View Cited

HARTFORD (AP) — A regional approach to meet the pressures of future hospital expansion in the face of slim federal support was urged Thursday by Dr. Edwin L. Crosby, executive vice president and director of the American Hospital Association.

Speaking to more than 200 hospital officials at the 49th annual meeting of the Connecticut Hospital Association at the Hartford Club, Dr. Crosby warned that the state’s hospitals cannot remain “voluntary” without freedom from federal control.

160,000-member union was the wage offer from General Tire, which had been upped from the last offer of 40 cents to 43, cents, with raises of 15 cents the first year, 15 the second and 13 the third.

Bommarito reportedly feels this is still too low, and is looking for at least 50 cents.

General Tire’s wage offer, however, is five cents higher than wage offers from the other four companies. An observer said Thursday that if General Tire could raise the wage offer, Bommarito would probably be willing to settle.

All companies are talking three-year contracts with the union, pensions and insurance included. Bommarito said the RW was holding a policy committee meeting in Cleveland Monday to discuss pension plans.

On another angle, spokesmen for the nation’s auto makers said Thursday the strike has created no shortage of tires for new cars. Production of 1967 cars, they said, would be complete without shortages.

One source said Thursday that the only difficulty might be in the area of molded and extruded rubber parts, such as motor mounts and grommets, which the companies do not heavily stock.

The auto industry will shut down in July for the changeover to new models. Spokesmen would make no predictions about what would happen if the rubber strike continues into the model changeover.

Man Held,

UniRoyal Summoned To Show Cause Hearing Tuesday

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Union Seeks Injunction

6-23-67

UniRoyal Summoned To Show Cause Hearing Tuesday

By Ruth Nichols

UniRoyal agreed yesterday in Waterbury Superior Court to stop production on footwear until a hearing is held next Tuesday at 11 a.m.

Judge Leo V. Gaffney signed an application submitted by Local 45 URW seeking a restraining injunction against UniRoyal yesterday afternoon.

Local 45 sought the injunction on the grounds that the company had violated an agreement signed by management on April 18 to the effect that no supervisory personnel would perform jobs normally done by bargaining personnel.

The company had notified the union that it intended to resume production yesterday morning.

Judge Gaffney said that if the company did not agree to stop production and return to the status of 6 p.m. June 21, he would take evidence yesterday afternoon and issue an injunction immediately, because the “exigencies of this situation are so grave.”

He also assured the union, through its counsel Daniel Baker, that he would be available all weekend, if the company failed to keep the agreement not to produce and it should be called to his attention.

The agreement that the union was using as a basis for its complaint had been signed three days prior to the strike. In it the union agreed to an orderly shut down of the plant in case of a strike.

A union official said yesterday that the union had lived up to this by keeping 185 men in the plant after the strike was called at midnight April 20 to see that the machinery was shut down in an orderly fashion.

Since the onset of the strike, the union has permitted electricians and maintenance men to work to maintain the plant.

The hearing yesterday afternoon was preceded by a lengthy consultation between the attorn-

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Alanskas. 6-23-67

UniRoyal Summoned

Continued From Page 1

ey representing UniRoyal, J. Kenneth Bradley, of the Bridgeport firm of Pullman, Conley, Bradley and Reeves, the union attorney Baker and Judge Gaffney.

Raymond Mengacci, vice-president of Local 45, and Joseph DeCarlo and Anthony Mascola of the union’s negotiating team were in court yesterday. George Froehlich, president of the local, is in Pittsburgh attending the Federal mediation sessions.

T. Rex Behrman, industrial relations manager, and Thomas Nelligan, labor relations manager for the footwear plant, were in court to represent the company.

The Local has been conducting its picketing under the threat of a restraining injunction since the first part of May. After two days of turmoil, when union members sought to keep management from entering the plant, the company applied to Superior Court for an injunction.

Since that period the local has been conducting its picketing in an orderly fashion, allowing supervisory personnel

“Show Cause” Hearing Scheduled Today

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Rubber Strike

6-27-67 (handwritten)

“Show Cause” Hearing Scheduled Today

UniRoyal management and officials of Local 45, United Rubber Workers Union (URW), were scheduled to appear in Superior Court in Waterbury today for a “show cause” hearing instigated by the union last week when it accused the rubber firm of violating a written agreement between the two parties.

Superior Court Judge Leo V. Gaffney called the hearing for today when union officials sought an injunction and restraining order to keep UniRoyal non-bargaining personnel from running production lines.

Union leaders said they had a written agreement with UniRoyal that in return for an “orderly shutdown” of the firm’s footwear division here in the event of a strike, UniRoyal promised not to engage in production in non-bargaining unit personnel.

The union charged last week that production was going on in the concern by management in violation of the agreement.

In court last week, Judge Gaffney said he would not hesitate to issue the injunction and restraining order against UniRoyal if the union could produce evidence that the firm violated the agreement following the court appearance.

It is expected that today’s hearing will be continued, placing the company and the union on similar grounds.

Earlier in the 60-plus-day-old strike, UniRoyal sought an injunction and restraining order against the union, charging mass picketing and violation of the law in keeping management from the plant.

In court appearances at that time, the court continued the matter as long as there was no more violation of the court’s instructions to the union not to hinder management from entering or leaving the UniRoyal plants.

AKRON, Ohio (UPI) — A busload of union members were hauled into court today when they refused to disband in violation of an injunction limiting pickets at the Firestone Tire & Rubber Co. plant.

The injunction against mass picketing was issued Monday by Summit County Judge Frank Harvey. His order limited pickets to two at each gate of the Firestone plant.

About 100 pickets, members of the United Rubber Workers, showed up at the plant this morning. Summit County Prosecutor James Barbuto and Major Alan Morrison, acting for Sheriff James Campbell, also appeared at the plant.

Barbuto read the injunction notice to the pickets and they were ordered to disband. When

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“Show Cause” Hearing

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they failed to disperse they were loaded aboard a bus and hauled to the courthouse. Barbuto said they would be charged with contempt of court.

Pickets kept salaried employes inside the plant for about an hour Monday.

Negotiations in the strike against the nation’s largest rubber producers were scheduled to resume today after four days of unsuccessful talks in Pittsburgh.

William E. Simkin, chief of the federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, summoned the URW and rubber company negotiators to Pittsburgh last week for the talks which ended Sunday.

“There had been intensive exploration of the issues, but no agreements were concluded,” Simkin said after the talks.

Some 50,000 rubber workers struck Firestone Tire and Rubber Co., B. F. Goodrich Tire and Rubber Co., and UniRoyal, Inc., on April 20. The General Tire and Rubber Co. plants in Waco, Tex., and here, were struck last Wednesday, idling another 4,000 workers.

URW members are continuing to work at the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. on a day to day basis while negotiations continue.

The companies, excluding General, have offered the union hourly pay hikes of 40 cents and a 75 per cent unemployment supplemental benefit plan.

General has offered 43 cents in raises and an 80 per cent benefit package for laid off workers.

The union wants bigger hourly increases and a 95 per cent unemployment package.

Tire workers currently average $3.68 an hour while non-tire workers get $2.69. Elimination of this pay differential is also a high priority goal of the URW.

Judge Delays Ruling

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Judge Delays Ruling

In Uniroyal Case

Judge Delays Ruling

6-29-67 (handwritten)

A decision on whether Uniroyal, Inc. should be restrained by court order from resuming production at its strikebound Naugatuck Footwear Plant will not be rendered for at least a week.

Superior Court Judge Leo V. Gaffney said at the close of a hearing Wednesday on a petition by Local 45 of the United Rubber Workers Union for an injunction against the company, that his decision can be expected by the end of next week.

He has given counsel for the company and the union until Wednesday to file legal briefs.

Judge Gaffney said his ruling will follow soon after receipt of the briefs, probably not later than Friday.

He added, however, “The best decision of all would come from Cincinnati” where negotiators have been trying to agree on a new union contract since the strike began April 21.

“I’d like to see that decision first,” he said.

The union asked for the injunction last week when the company began production of samples of its new footwear designs, using non-union supervisory personnel.

At an appearance in court last Thursday when the union’s petition was filed, the company agreed to halt production until after completion of a hearing before Judge Gaffney.

Violation Claimed

Local 45 claims production of the samples constitutes a violation of an agreement signed by the parties April 18.

The agreement, which provides for orderly shutdown and maintenance of the plant while the strike is in progress, states in part that for the duration of the strike, the company will not perform any work normally done by union employes with non-union personnel.

Testimony on the issue was completed Wednesday, with presentation of the company’s case.

Most of the testimony centered on two main points: That the company will suffer “severe damage” if it is not permitted

(Cont’d On Page 2—Uniroyal)

to make samples for use by its salesmen in obtaining orders from retailers; and that the company maintains that the union violated the agreement first and rendered it void when in early May pickets blocked entrance gates and violence erupted between strikers and police.

To company representatives, Judge Gaffney posed the question, “Did you ever write a letter to any union officer to the effect that the agreement was no longer in effect”

In each instance, the answer was, “No.”

At several points along the way he indicated that damage the company might suffer was not at issue in the case. He said the central issue was whether the agreement had been violated.

Whenever counsel for either Uniroyal or Local 45 dwelled too long on what the jurist described as “side issues,” he admonished them to “get back on the track, which is whether or not this contract has been violated.”

Financial Loss

Thomas J. Nelligan, labor relations manager, testified that the company will suffer a “very severe financial loss” forcing a “reduction in production” unless it is permitted to produce samples for its salesmen to “take into the field” in August.

He said the samples to be produced, between 400 and 500 pairs a day, would be for the spring and summer season next year.

Nelligan said the samples are normally made between April and July. He said they go out to the salesmen in August “when the entire industry” sends out its samples for retail orders.

Failure of the company to have samples to show its customers in August will mean “a very large reduction in the amount of production needed for the coming year, and in turn, ess employes,” Nelligan said.

Nelligan contended that the union stood to benefit if the injunction is not granted because production of samples leads to sales and “stable employment and perhaps increased employment.”

Operating under full capacity, the company is able to produce between 120,000 and 130,000 pairs of shoes a day, Nelligan said. He said the company wants to make up about 45,000 samples over a six-to-eight week period.

In response to questions from both union counsel Daniel Baker and Uniroyal counsel J. Kenneth Bradley, Nelligan said it would “not be practical or possible ” to produce the samples at some other Uniroyal plant other than Naugatuck.

Machinery Needed

He said machinery necessary for production is not available at other Uniroyal facilities.

Nelligan also was questioned at some length on meetings he attended May 8 and May 15 with other company officials and union leaders.

He said at a May 15 meeting, Jack Smith, plant manager, told the union “very emphatically” that the shutdown agreement had been broken when the union pickets blocked entrance gates.

He added that Smith also said that although he didn’t believe the agreement was in effect the company would still honor it.

He also admitted that “except for a few isolated instances” the union had complied with the agreement.

Smith denied that he ever said he would honor the agreement even though he felt it had been violated.

He said the union broke the agreement when the company announced in May that it would begin shipments from the plant. He said Raymond Mengacci, Local 45 vice president, warned that there would be nothing shipped from that facility. . ”

Smith testified that on the scheduled day of shipping, violence on the picket line prevented any shipments.

Smith contended that “We don’t have an agreement because the union chose to abrogate it and we consider ourselves to be relieved of any obligations under the agreement.”

Under cross-examination, Baker attempted to establish that the picket line violence resulted when the company allegedly broke a verbal agreement not to have any personnel in the plant after 6 p.m.

He asked both Nelligan and Smith about the alleged agreement and questioned them about “30 or 40 people” who were brought into the plant after 6 p.m. to begin preparations for shipment on the following day.

Donald Hadley, sales manager, claimed that between 50 and 60 per cent of the company’s business comes from sales of new styles.

Says Samples Vital

Responding to Bradley’s questions, he said without samples to show potential customers, damage to the company “conceivably could never be made up.”

It was at this juncture that Judge Gaffney reminded Atty Bradley that “it is the claimant (the union) not the defendant (Uniroyal) who has to show irreparable damage.”

Bradley said he wanted to show the company would suffer substantial harm if it can’t produce the samples.

“Then I would suggest,” the judge quipped, “that perhaps you should bring an injunction to stop the union from bringing this injunction.”

Brief testimony also was taken from Joseph J. Foley, a strike captain and member of the union negotiating committee.

Foley said, “I think there would be a lot of violence” if the court order is not issued, because the union “would have no way” of controlling the strikers.

Mengacci had predicted the same result in testimony Tuesday. He warned of “bloodshed in Naugatuck.”

Bradley questioned why, if union leaders were able to control the pickets after Judge Gaffney had cautioned them against violence in May, they could not control them in the future. He was not permitted to pursue that line of questioning any further.

The hearing concluded with a reaffirmation by the company that it “will not undertake to do anything” in the way of production until after the judge’s finding.

Rumors Of Production

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Rumors Of Production

Continued From Page 1

the city’s income tax revenues.
The Chamber of Commerce said
retail store sales also dropped
off in May and June and banks
reported a heavy draw on savings.

It also was reported that
many wives of strikers had gone
to work and that strikers themselves were finding jobs.

URW President Peter Bommarito said Thursday that a $1
million check from the United
Auto Workers union to bolster
the URW’s nearly depleted
strike fund would enable the union to “carry out our strike benefit plan indefinitely.”

The union’s strike fund stood
at $6.5 million when the strike
began.

About 50,000 rubber workers
were on strike against Firestone Tire & Rubber Co., B.F.
Goodrich and Uniroyal. The
firms were struck April 20.

Another 4,000 workers were
idled last week when the union
struck two plants of the General Tire & Rubber Co.

Work at the Goodyear Tire &
Rubber Co. continued on a day-
to-day basis.

Peace resumed in Akron
Thursday after mass picketing
incidents the last two days. Local 5 members met with union
officials and Summit County
Prosecutor James Barbuto and
aired a list of grievances that
triggered the picketing. Included was a charge college students were hired to do production work, which was denied.

Rubber Strike Negotiations Resume Today In Cincinnati

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Rubber Strike Negotiations Resume Today In Cincinnati

Rubber Strike Negotiations Resume Today In Cincinnati

7-5-67 [handwritten]

Negotiations in the URW – UniRoyal strike are scheduled to resume today in Cincinnati for another try at reaching a contract settlement.

Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. is the only one of the big five rubber companies continuing to operate with tire production from its plants assisting the other four companies in filling customers orders under a mutual assistance pact drawn up by the five companies prior to the strike.

Sources close to the negotiations said the bargaining has bogged down into a “sticky and confusing” situation with purely local grievances at times blocking the progress toward settlement. While agreements have been reached on several occasions, sources on both sides have become cheery about predicting an early settlement.

Economic issues, including pay boosts and details for a union – proposed full – employment or guaranteed annual wage program, continued to dominate the stale-mate, which has made the dispute the longest work stoppage in the history of the industry.

Economic pressure would appear to be the greatest on the union negotiators, however, despite the financial aid of $1 million lent the URW by Walter Reuther’s United Auto Workers Union with more pledged if requested. The $15 a week benefit check for strikers, reduced from $25, for the 54,000 employes off their jobs represents a weekly drain of more than $800,000 on the union’s resources.

Reuther’s willingness to help

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the Rubber Workers is interesting aside from his friendship with Peter Bommarito, URW president. The URW begins its new contract negotiations with the auto companies next Monday and Reuther has let it be known that a guaranteed annual wage, a key hurdle in the rubber talks, will be an agreement “must” in the auto bargaining.

Meanwhile, pressure on the companies to resume production is eased by the combination of high tire inventories, an estimated 50 per cent of the industry still at work, auto manufacturers’ switchover to 1968 models coming earlier than usual and the industry’s mutual assistance pact.

Consequently, the companies can be expected to remain firm on the basis of their latest contract offers, which they say rep-

resents additional employment costs in wages, fringe benefits, pensions and insurance of some 70 cents an hour over three years. But URW officials contend the offer, which they claim adds up to about 60 cents an hour, is inadequate.

Locally, the URW Local 45 and the UniRoyal footwear plant is awaiting the decision of Judge Leo V. Gaffney on the request for a restraining injunction to be issued against the Footwear plant. The Judge is expected to make his finding known sometime the latter part of the week.

The Footwear plant seeks to start production on some 45,000 pairs of sample shoes using non-bargaining personnel. The Local is blocking this move, bringing into court an agreement made between plant officials and the Local, April 18.

The Judge must find whether this agreement was in effect at the time the company sought

No Break In 76-Day-Old Rubber Industry Strike

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No Break In 76-Day-Old Rubber Industry Strike

No Break In 76-Day-Old Rubber Industry Strike

7-6-67 [handwritten]

The five major rubber companies and the United Rubber Workers union resumed talks yesterday in Ohio. Representatives of the borough’s three Locals and UniRoyal representatives met again in Cincinnati with other talks being conducted in three other Ohio cities.

No indications of a break in the 76-day-old strike were forthcoming, according to sources.

The offer of Akron Mayor John S. Ballard to assist in negotiations of the four Akron based firms of Goodyear, Goodrich, Firestone and General and his appeal for around the clock negotiations was not eagerly accepted by all concerned.

Goodrich and Firestone, among the companies and the union, replied to the request, citing their willingness to conduct negotiations continuously. Doubt was expressed, however, that third-party participation for a single community would be helpful, since talks embrace company plants in numerous cities.

According to sources many local issues have bogged down the negotiations.

Third Ward Republican Burgess Edward McGrath had appealed to Gov. John Dempsey to help in the negotiations; however, the Borough Board was informed that he was watching the situation. No concrete action in mediation was mentioned in his communication.

Locally, picketing remains quiet at all gates of the three UniRoyal plants in the borough with strikers taking their turns on the picket line as matter of course.

The financial drain on the strikers is becoming more evident with each passing week. The $15 a week union benefit check is far from sufficient to maintain a family. An increasing number of borough residents are finding it difficult to maintain their installment payments, although local banking institutes have been most understanding of the situation.

Striking UniRoyal workers are looking forward to receiving vacation pays to give them a temporary financial lift.

AKRON, Ohio (UPI) — The president of the B. F. Goodrich Tire & Rubber Co. said today if the record-long strike against the rubber industry continues much longer the firm’s operations here will be reduced.

“We will not leave Akron but the operation will become smaller,” said J. W. Keener. “The longer the strike goes on the less certain we are to maintain customers.” Goodrich employes about 5,000 workers here.

Keener said reduced operations would result “because of the inability to stay in some businesses by becoming non-competitive.”

The strike, in its 77th day, was called against Goodrich, UniRoyal Inc., and the Firestone Tire & Rubber Co. when United Rubber Workers (URW) contracts expired April 20.

General Tire & Rubber Co. was struck June 21. Work has continued at the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. on a day-to-day basis.

“With the offer that we made to this union our costs are increased to a degree greater than the small companies with

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which we compete,” Keener said.

General has offered 43 cents an hour in wage increases over three years, 80 per cent supplemental unemployment benefits, an additional paid holiday, and an increase in pension payments from $2 to $5.50 a month for each year of service.

The other firms offered 38 cents an hour to tire workers, 31 cents to non-tire workers, an added 10 cents an hour to skilled tradesmen, 75 per cent unemployment benefits and pension payments of $5.25 per month.

Keener turned down an offer from Mayor John Ballard to assist in marathon bargaining sessions. He said marathon negotiations and formal mediation efforts did not offer the best hopes for an early settlement.

Ballard received no reply Wednesday from the URW and General, but both indicated answers were forthcoming. Firestone declined the offer.

Raymond C. Firestone, board chairman of the Firestone Company, said the firm would meet regularly with union negotiators until a settlement is reached.

“We are deeply concerned with the extended strike and the interests of our 17,000 employes who have been out of work in 11 cities,” Firestone said.

Nationally the strike has idled 54,000 URW members in 34 cities.

Negotiations On Strike Settlement Stalemated

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Negotiations On Strike Settlement Stalemated

Negotiations On Strike Settlement Stalemated

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Negotiation talks continued yesterday in Cincinnati between the United Rubber Workers Union and UniRoyal, Inc. However, sources indicate that negotiations are still stalemated.

Some progress has been noted since the beginning of the sessions, but the wage differential is said to be a barrier against settlement. Also, according to reports, the union’s

The office of the Clerk of Waterbury Superior Court, when contacted by the NEWS this morning, said that a decision from Judge Leo V. Gaffney on the Local 45 suit seeking a restraining injunction against the footwear plant of UniRoyal had not been handed down as yet.

Judge Gaffney had said at the end of the two-day court hearings, that he would reach a decision as soon as possible and hoped for one by today.

insistence of a guaranteed annual income is barring settlement.

According to a statement in a New York financial news-

paper, “Another worry to auto makers is the special interest Walter Reuther is taking in the rubber industry negotiations, where guaranteed annual income is a key unresolved issue. Officials of the United Rubber Workers union have consulted with the UAW on strategy and recently borrowed $1 million from the UAW after their strike fund was depleted.

“There is a strong suspicion in Detroit that Reuther is trying to engineer, by proxy, a breakthrough on guaranteed annual income in the rubber industry and then get an improvement on the rubber pattern from the three auto makers.”

William Simkin, director of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, has issued no recommendation following the three-day talks in Pittsburgh. It appears that the government has bowed out after a brief attempt to mediate.

AKRON, Ohio (UPI) — A statement that the 78-day old strike against the rubber industry could jeopardize future operations of the B. F. Goodrich Co. here brought a sharp retort from the United Rubber Work-

ers Thursday.

URW President Peter Bommarito criticized Goodrich President J. W. Keener for using “the good offices” of Mayor John Ballard to “threaten employes and counter with retaliatory action against the employes” who are exercising their right to strike.

Ballard had offered to assist in mediating the strike and called for round-the-clock bargaining sessions if they were needed to halt the walkout. He got a polite no.

Keener said Goodrich would not shut down its Akron plant, but might be forced to reduce the size of its local operation because of loss of competitive power.

He said the strike had “serious implications for the future of the company’s operations.”

Bommarito said Keener’s statements were “not conducive to a quick or durable settlement” and added the union will accept nothing less “than that to which they are entitled under sound economic logic and social morality.”

Bommarito said the union appreciated Ballard’s offer, but said he could not commit the five URW policy committees to marathon sessions.

“Each policy committee decides its own course of action outside the URW International,” he said.

More than 54,000 rubber workers have been idled by the strike against Firestone Tire & Rubber Co., Goodrich, Uniroyal, Inc., and the General Tire & Rubber Co.

Work at the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. has continued on a day to day basis.

The latest General offer, higher than the others, called for

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State Refunds $2,885

Naugatuck Locals May Quit Talks, Seek Own Accord With Uniroyal

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Naugatuck Locals May Quit Talks, Seek Own Accord With Uniroyal

Naugatuck Locals May Quit Talks, Seek Own Accord With Uniroyal

7-9-67 [handwritten]

By PATRICK KEATING
Register Staff Reporter

NAUGATUCK — Speculation was growing here this weekend that striking Locals 45, 218 and 308 of the United Rubber Workers, AFL-CIO, may pull out of talks between their union’s International Policy Committee and the management of Uniroyal, Inc., and go their own way in an attempt to end the 80-day-old walkout.

The three locals — representing, respectively the Footwear, Chemical and Synthetic Divisions of Uniroyal here — have a membership of more than 5,000.

Their representatives, together with officials of other United Rubber Workers locals striking against Uniroyal, B. F. Goodrich and the Firestone Tire & Rubber Co. have been engaged for several weeks now in talks at Cincinnati with the rubber panies.

Last week, Local 45 held an executive board meeting in Naugatuck with George Froehlich, local president, in attendance. There was reportedly strong talk or ordering Froehlich and the local’s other representatives on the International Policy Committee to return home this weekend if no firm progress were made.

Indications were that the other locals would follow Local 45’s lead.

It was also indicated that there is a widening of a breach between the tire plant workers of Uniroyal and non-tire employes, including those in Naugatuck. This disagreement reportedly stems from the wage increase differential between tirement and the non-tire group.

If the Naugatuck locals decide to bargain on their own, union sources said, it would not necessarily be considered a desertion of union principles.

Although union officials here were not available for comment on the rumor, progress reports from Cincinnati from time to time indicate that URW negotiators have been meeting separately with their respective companies.

Long Rubber Strike Seen Test of Labor’s Strength

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Long Rubber Strike Seen Test of Labor's Strength

THE WORKER. JULY 11, 1967

Page 3

Long Rubber Strike Seen Test of Labor’s Strength

By PHIL BART

AKRON, O.—This rubber city with some 300,000 population is in the throes of a long drawn out strike that has passed its 80th day. There are 52,000 on strike in 36 cities, about 15,000 of them here. They work in Firestone, Goodrich and Uniroyal whose base is in Detroit.

Two weeks ago the workers in General Tire joined the strike. Goodyear with 21,000 workers, 10,000 of them in Akron continue to work on a day-to-day basis. It is one of the longest strikes in this industry. Its outcome may help influence negotiations in other major industries.

DEMANDS

Among their demands are a general wage increase, wage adjustments for skilled tradesmen and numerous grievances which remain unsolved. The United Rubber Workers Union (URW) opposes an attempt by the companies to institute a wage difrefential between tire production and non-tire plants. The only reason for this is to split the workers in the industry.

Pension matters are being negotiated separately.

Prior to the strike date of April 21 the companies stockpiled large reserves of tires. The big 5 in the industry arranged a mutual assistance pact similar to the one established among the air line corporations. The object is to have a financial kitty to help the struck companies continue to keep their workers out.

URW president, Peter Bommarito, charges that this pact is a “conspiracy” against the strikers. The union has filed unfair labor practice charges against the companies.

PRICE RISE CITED

The United Rubber Worker, union organ, states, that the cost of living since the beginning of 1966 has more than wiped out the 9 cents gain of the past year. Productivity has increased by more than 7 percent a year, according to J. Ward Keener, president of B. F. Goodrich Co. In addition, Mr. Bommarito shows that sales went up from 6 percent to 13 percent while profits jumped from 8.5 percent to 21.8 percent during the past year.

The Goodrich company in a letter to the strikers claimed it was offering them a 73 cents an hour package over three years. The union countered by pointing out this misrepresentation and said that the offer is closer to 60 cents over that period. Previous contracts ran for a period of two years.

COSTLY BURDEN

The union faces considerable financial problems. It is spending $1,500,000 weekly. The strikers were receiving $25 weekly, which has now been reduced to $15. Those with large families supplement their needs with food stamps. The union has received an initial loan of one million dollars from the United Auto Workers Union.

In talking to strikers one immediately recognizes the militancy and unity in their ranks. Some have had to pull in a notch in their belts but it does not show on their faces. There is a grim determination to win. Pickets are stationed at all gates. An injunction has reduced pickets to two at the Goodrich gates. Office and managerial personnel have been going into the plants daily. There is a feeling among the strikers that they are doing work inside. Sentiment is building up to keep them out.

EFFECT ON CITY

Akron is a rubber town. When rubber production stops the whole city feels it.

We talked to a local newspaper editor. Akron has a one percent income tax for capital improvements. He told us that the loss in income is around $14,000 a week. Where will funds come from for city improvements—that he does not know. It will be felt, however, in months ahead. In a conversation with a couple of small businessmen we were told that they already feel the pinch.

For 20 years wage adjustments in the rubber and auto industries have paralleled each other. These relations have become known as the “tandem relationship.” Evidently the rubber barons are trying to break these relations which have been beneficial to workers in both industries.

The effects of the attacks in rubber may be felt in the auto industry. We asked a union official whether he sees a protracted strike. He said it is possible. He added, that there is opinion prevailing here that the auto industry may be pressuring the rubber corporations to hold out longer and thereby influence negotiations in auto.

As the strike continues it serves as a warning signal against renewed anti-labor attacks. Pickets in Akron and 36 other cities are walking the line not only for themselves but for all labor. A growing movement of support to the rubber strikers is essential now. It is the kind of solidarity which helped advance the interests of the whole labor movement in the past and it must do so again.

Union Sets Deadline At Goodyear

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Union Sets Deadline At Goodyear

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AKRON, Ohio (AP) — United Rubber Workers sources said Monday that 21,00 employes at 11 Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. plants are set to join the rubber strike at midnight Wednesday.

The announcement said the workers would walk out unless there is significant progress in negotiations which resumed Monday in Cincinnati.

Goodyear is the only member of the nation’s big five rubber companies still working in the strike which began April 2 against Firestone, Uniroyal, and Goodrich. General Tire & Rubber was struck three weeks ago.

The statement followed a vote of confidence to the URW bargaining team by Local 2 at Goodyear here.

John Nardella, president of Local 12 said the vote was taken “in case some other course of action should become necessary within the next few weeks.” Nardella said none-economic issues in the strike had been settled by Friday.

So far, the strike has idled more than 52,000 rubber workers.

Federal Intervention Possible In Strike

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Federal Intervention Possible In Strike

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If Goodyear Workers Strike

Federal Intervention Possible In Strike

The United Rubber Workers Union has notified the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., that unless settlement is reached it will strike its plants at 12:01 a.m. Friday.

The 21,000 workers at Goodyear’s 11 plants have continued working on a day-to-day basis since the termination of their contract, April 20.

In the event Goodyear’s plants are closed, there has been some speculation that the government would invoke the Taft-Hartley Act providing for an 80-day “cooling off” period. During this time, presumably all the struck companies would return to work while negotiations continued for contract settlement.

However, one source indicated some doubt the administration would seek an injunction at least immediately, although he conceded a strike at Goodyear would ultimately make a move for an injunction more likely.

In another move to force the issue, the United Rubber Workers called a strike last Saturday against Schenuit Rubber Co. in Baltimore, a smaller concern producing aircraft and industrial tires. This possibility will bring added government pressure for a settlement among the five major concerns because of military aircraft tire requirements.

Schenuit was struck by Local 293 of the union, also in a dispute over a new contract, idling about 400 workers. Schenuit’s aircraft tire production goes entirely to the government and represents about 20 per cent of its aircraft tire requirements, according to industrial sources.

William E. Simkin, director of the U.S. Mediation and Conciliation Service, appeared in Columbus, Ohio Monday to as-

sist in negotiating a contract settlement between B.F. Goodrich and the union. Peter Bommarito, International President

of the union, also went to Columbus from Akron, Monday to join the negotiations.

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A conciliation service spokesman in Columbus discounted the government’s aircraft tire position as being Simkin’s reason for seeking a Goodrich strike settlement. Rather, he said, he believed Simkin felt “it would be more fruitful to start with Goodrich” in seeking company-by-company settlements among the five major concerns.

Officials of the Schenuit Rubber also were meeting with union bargaining representatives in Baltimore yesterday with mediation service personnel taking part in the talks. The Schenuit contract had expired June 30 but workers continued on their jobs on a day-to-day basis until Saturday.

AKRON, Ohio (UPI) — The United Rubber Workers (URW) plans to shut down the nation’s largest tire producer, Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., if no contract agreement is reached by Thursday midnight.

A strike against the fifth member of the “big five” tire producers prompted fear of government intervention.

Some 54,000 URW members ready are on strike against our other major rubber companies. Three of them have been closed for the past 82 days the longest strike in industry history.

Kenneth Oldham, a member the union’s Goodyear Policy mmittee, said Tuesday in ncinnati that about 22,000 un members will walk off their ps at 11 Goodyear factories ross the country at midnight ursday, if negotiations, taking ice in a Cincinnati hotel, were successful.

The strike vote was taken by individual URW locals at Goodyear plants.

Negotiations with Goodyear and the B. F. Goodrich Co. intensified.

In both sets of talks, agreement was reported reached on all non money issues.

URW President Peter Bommarito and Chief Federal Mediator William Simkin sat in on the Goodrich negotiations in hopes of reaching a pattern setting agreement that could end the strikes at other companies.

About 51,000 workers have been on strike against Goodrich, Firestone and UniRoyal since April 20, when contracts expired.

Another 3,000 URW members struck two general tire plants June 21.

With Goodyear also struck, about 75 per cent of industry capacity will be idled, and the flow of tires and other materials to the defense industry will be sharply cut.

Major stumbling blocks in all negotiations were wage increases, supplementary unemployment benefits, and pay boost differentials between tire workers and other production workers.

Tire workers average about $3.58 per hour and non-tire workers about $2.69.

The URW Tuesday confirmed reports of another “seven-figure” loan from the United Auto Workers to replenish the URW’s depleted strike funds.

The auto workers previously loaned the striking union $1 million.

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Only Economic Issues

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pay a worker 95 per cent of his wage. All the companies except General offered 75 per cent.

General upped the offer to 80 per cent and it was understood the union would accept this figure if the companies agreed to contribute to the benefit fund an extra penny per month for each employe with excesses from the fund to be distributed as Christmas bonuses.

The companies, however, refused to add the extra penny and want bonuses eliminated altogether.

General offered a 40 cent wage hike while the other firms offered 38 cents an hour to tire workers, who averaged $3.68 an hour under the old contract, and 31 cents to “non-tire” workers, who made $2.69 an hour.

The URW asked that non-tire workers receive the same pay boost as tire workers.

Rubber Strike Talks Recess For Weekend

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Waterbury American, Saturday, July 15, 1967—5

Rubber Strike Talks Recess For Weekend

AKRON, OHIO (UPI)—With the nation’s rubber production down to 25 per cent of its total, 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 $3.58 an hour under the old contract and non-tire employes $2.69 an hour.

Goodyear offered a 43-cent-an-hour wage increase to tire workers — the same as General — but two cents to 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.

Resume Monday

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, and Firestone have been closed the past 12 weeks. Goodyear was closed early Friday, bringing the number idled to 76,000.

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 Bommarito 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 starts in August.

Union Strikes Goodyear

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Union Strikes Goodyear

General Tire Reaches Accord

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Union Strikes Goodyear

By Combined Wire Services

AKRON, Ohio—The United Rubber Workers (URW) struck Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., the nation’s top producer, early Friday less than 12 hours after reaching a contract agreement with another major rubber company.

Negotiators for Goodyear and the union met until late Thursday night then recessed talks until Friday morning at 10 a.m.

Goodyear spokesmen said the URW had rejected an offer “similar” to one it accepted from General Tire & Rubber Co. earlier Thursday.

URW spokesman George Scriven said, the Goodyear proposal was “not similar in all respects to the general offer.”

“It was substandard in some parts,” he said, “that’s all I want to say about it.”

The union’s move to add Goodyear workers to 53,000 members who have been on strike at Firestone, B. F. Goodrich and Uniroyal since April 21 followed a Thursday afternoon announcement of a tentative agreement with General Tire & Rubber.

General, smallest of the industry’s big five, has been on strike only since June 22, with 1,850 out at a plant here and nearly 1,200 others at Waco, Tex.

Goodyear has been operating on a day-to-day basis since expiration of the old URW contracts and the start of the strike against Firestone, Goodrich and Uniroyal 12 weeks ago.

The tentative agreement with General Tire & Rubber was heralded as a break in the longest strike in rubber industry history and a possible pattern for other settlements. But the four larger companies have many workers other than tire builders, who make up the union membership at General Tire, and so have additional bargaining problems.

The URW-General agreement was reached in negotiations at Cleveland, and Hamad said the offer amounted to a wage increase of 43 cents an hour over the three years — 15 cents in each of the first and second years and 13 cents the last year.

In addition there would be a 10-cent-an-hour increase the first year for skilled workers.

Tire builders in the top pay group currently average $3.88 an hour.

Vacations were improved, Hamad said, to give workers with 22 years service five weeks, and 30-year veterans six weeks. Formerly workers received five weeks after 25 years.

Supplemental unemployment benefits, a reported key point in negotiations, were increased from 68 to 80 per cent a week for laid-off workers. These benefits extend for 39 weeks, the same as before.

Workers also received a 10th paid holiday, and the company’s contribution for pensions and insurance was increased from $3.25 to $5.50 a month for each year of service.

In the past, the first agreement with the union has set a pattern for others. This seemed even more likely this year since the Big Five entered into a mutual aid pact before the strike.

The pact was the first in the rubber industry’s bargaining history and provided that those companies not struck would give “substantial” aid to those shut down.

Goodyear has been the only major rubber company working since June 22, but all the Big Five had stockpiled products early in the year as a strike-hedge.

Rubber Negotiators

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Naugatuck, Conn.

Established 1885

Rubber Negotiators

SATURDAY, JULY 15, 1967
10 PAGES
Price Seven Cents

Take Weekend Break

AKRON, Ohio (UPI) — With the nation’s rubber production down to 25 per cent of its total, 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, and Firestone have been closed the past 12 weeks. Goodyear was closed early Friday, bringing the number ideled to 76,000.

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 Bommarito 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.

Froehlich told Mengacci 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.

Mengacci said Froehlich told him the negotiating teams will keep talking “Saturday and Sunday, if necessary.”

Froehlich said he expected UniRoyal to make an offer to the URW very similar to that of General Tire.

Settlement Is Reached At Goodrich

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Settlement

Is Reached At Goodrich

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Negotiators for the B.F. Goodrich Co. and United Rubber Workers Union announced in Columbus on Saturday they had

(In Naugatuck, a three-month-old strike of Uniroyal by the United Rubber Workers continues. The union settlement with the General Tire Co. on Thursday encouraged negotiators in the belief that a breakthrough was at hand. (Related story on Page 24.)

reached a tentative agreement to end a marathon strike against the company.

In Akron, after the agreement was announced, Goodrich President Ward Keener said pay

See GOODRICH Page 2