No Settlement in Automobile Strike

Manawatu Times, Volume 62, Issue 26, 1 February 1937, Page 8

No Settlement in Automobile Strike

GENERAL MOTORS REFUSES TO ATTEND CONFERENCE.

United Press Association—By Electric Telegraph.—Copyright. Received Sunday, 9.50 p.m. WASHINGTON. Jan. 30. The Secretary of Labour, Miss Frances Perkins, reported that substantial progress was made in conference with Mr. Sloan (head of . General Motors) towards a basis upon which negotiations to end 12-* automobile strike could be resumed. Miss Perkins earlier promised a definite announcement but said she found it impossible to reach a third party by telephone whose acquiescence was the sole remaining factor needed for a truce. She declined to name the person until she talked to him. Governor Murphy at Detroit rebuked 25 non-strikers who threatened to sit down in his office until he evicted the strikers from General Motors Corporation plants. He asserted that the non-strikers were responsible for the breakdown of the previous negotiations. Miss Perkins later announced that Mr. Sloan had rejected her proposal for a conference during the week-end between the union and General Motors Corporation. She stated that Mr. Sloan “ran out on me” after agreeing to participate in the proposed conference provided Mr. Murphy arranged it. She said Mr. Sloan telephoned her after returning to New York and withdrew his promise. Miss Perkins added: “I am bitterly disappointed and have no plans. ’ 7

SITUATION MORE CONFUSED

BOTH SIDES DETERMINED Received Sunday, 11 p.m. NEW YORK, Jan. SI. The motor strike has become more ; confused than ever. Mr. Sloan is , issuing a statement denying that he ,had agreed with Miss Perkins to nego tiate and reiterated that the paramouur issue is the evacuation of the strikers. Mr. Murphy intimated that if the Federal Government ceased further intervention 3ie was ready to call a joint conference of spokesmen for both parties. Mr. Martin (Union leader) praised Miss Perkins’ efforts and accused General Motors of blocking all peace efforts and deliberately closing many factories not on strike in an effort to turn the general public and the workers against the union. General Motors announced that 123, 000 of the 149,000 workers affected by labour troubles in its plants were sup porting the back-to-work movement and had shown their satisfaction with the current bargaining methods and their opposition to strike activity. Meanwhile a slightly humorous touch was given at Flint when the strikers declined to admit reporters to the f plant. Mr Lewis, in an interview, said the steel, automobile and other great industries of the nation were controlled by interlocking financial groups so that their policies finally were what Pierpont Morgan and Perre S. Dupont say. He insisted that there would be no settlement of the strike in General Motors which would not recognise the American Workers 7 Union as the sole bargaining agency whether the employees were members of it or not.