G. M. Peace

Last week in Cleveland, Detroit and Pontiac, Mich., striking General Motors autoworkers fought police and non-strikers, together with their foes counted upwards of 100 casualties (but no dead). Meantime, in conference rooms at Detroit, the war was fought and at last ended by G. M.'s massive President William S. Knudsen, C. I. O.'s tiny Walter Reuther.

C. I. O.'s United Automobile Workers called 7,500 tool and die makers, plus some plant maintenance men, on strike last month to get: 1) the union's first separate agreement for those key workers; 2) general wage hikes for them, so scaled as to level out differentials between G. M. plants; and 3) some form of exclusive recognition to help C. I. O. finish off what was left of Homer Martin's A. F. of L.-affiliated U. A. W. Messrs. Knudsen and Reuther in separate memoranda disclosed that G. M. had: consented to deal with its striking craftsmen apart from some 100,000 idle but nonstriking production workers ; granted many wage increases but not a general one; agreed to eliminate some wage differentials, narrow others. Most important to G. M. and both U. A. W.s, the C. I. O. union in effect got exclusive recognition in 42 G. M. plants.* In return it pledged itself to prevent wildcat strikes, help G. M. through a smooth 1940 production year. "We hope," said Mr. Knudsen, whose new models were delayed three or four weeks, "it will be so." That it probably will not be so, a C. I. O. union official promptly indicated. "Our struggles . . . are not ended. We must win new and improved conditions for General Motors' many thousands of production workers."

* Recognition in eleven other plants is subject to the outcome of employe elections, which G. M. has petitioned NLRB to hold. If NLRB in the G. M. elections follows a precedent laid down last week for employe voting in Chrysler and Briggs (bodies), Homer Martin's union may yet get a foothold. For, instead of holding the elections on a company-wide basis, as C. I. O. asked, the Labor Board called for voting plant-by-plant. General Motors, Chrysler and others thus would have to deal with C. I. O. in some shops, A. F. of L. in others.

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