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Show A Special Report on the Copper Strike Aware that the people of Utah are vitally concerned with the nationwide nation-wide strike by unions against the copper industry, the Industrial Relations Council of Utah makes public the following report in the hope that fruitful negotiations can be resumed immediately to end the strike: THE STRIKE AGAINST THE COPPER INDUSTRY Everywhere there are questions about the lack of negotiations in the copper strike. The damages to business, industry, and the working people of this community have been far greater than the much cried over loss of tax revenue. Local union leaders tell us stories that cross check closely. None of these men is willing to be quoted, but many of them deplore the strike and the reasons for it. This is what we hear: International officers of the Steelworkers have been in complete control ever since that union merged with Mine-Mill and persuaded the small unions to go along with a united front against ALL COPPER COMPANIES. Local union bargaining teams have had no authority to make any settlement. They are only puppets on strings held by the men at the top. The men at the top want an industry-wide contract because this will give them greater control over future bargaining and over the smaller unions. In fact, the big union may smother out the small ones and, in time, absorb their members. Industry-wide bargaining makes it easier to service the contract. Less union agents are required. More union dues money can be used to organize new workers or for political activity. The international union leaders think that they can get an industry contract NEXT TIME, if they prove that they can SHUT DOWN THE ENTIRE INDUSTRY THIS TIME. They will probably try to at least win common expiration dates this year. Almost all the basic industry and refineries will have been struck by October first. The last big refinery will be struck in November. Many fabricating plants will have been brought into the picture by then. At some time after October first, most insiders expect that the union leaders who are calling the shots will be satisfied that they have proven their ability to shut down the entire industry. Only then will they allow effective bargaining. More likely, they will privately encourage cooperating cooper-ating federal government officials to use the emergency provisions of the Taft-Hartley Act to get the union members back to work for 80 days. That 80 day period will then cover any time needed to allow a few more fabricating contracts to expire. Government officials, including our Governor, Gov-ernor, are well awaie of these objectives. Union leaders will pretest and grumble about any return to work order. Such grumbling will be for the benefit of the public and for the poor Union member who is nothing but a pawn in this game for more union power. We are satisfied that almost all those in the bargaining have long known that an offer that could easily be sold to the union membership could have been obtained EVEN WITHOUT THIS STRIKE if a nationwide contract had not been the undisclosed goal. Bargaining probes and private talks with the mediators would disclose this fact to any skillful skill-ful bargaining representative. These men are not beginners. They well understand how to learn approximately what can be achieved. Until the international union officers are willing to permit acceptance of an offer, none of the companies can shorten this strike by making a final or a better offer. This is the reason nobody wants to meet and the reason mediators do not call for meetings. Rank and file union members are not supposed to learn that they have lost MANY WEEKS of work and income NEEDLESSLY. The union members and the public are to be told over and over that the strikers had to suffer all this hardship in order to get the companies to increase their offers. The unions absolutely refuse to budge until companies offer more. They do this in order to lay the blame at the company door. The real purpose is to hold up any settlement and keep the men on strike. The most vicious part of this whole scheme is the fact that the first ELI-VEX or TWELVE WEEKS of this strike could all have been avoided. Union leaders could have extended all contracts until now. They could have begun this strike at a time when it was possible for them to shut down the entire industry almost immediately. Instead, they chose to get 37,000 men out of work on strike in JULY and then stall effective negotiations until OCTOBER or NOVEMBER. This may seem fantastic and cruel to you. You do not think like a union leader thinks. How could those 37,000 union members, scattered all over as they are and with years of practice in negotiating their own terms, be persuaded to forego wage and benefit negotiations in the summer sum-mer and strike for a national contract in the fall.1 Too many union members mem-bers and local leaders are indoctrinated with the idea that the strike must be in the summer. It is sheer nonsense to believe that any of the companies would want a strike, or that they want it extended for even one day longer than necessary. nec-essary. The cost to the companies is staggering. The cost to the community is staggering. The cost to the strikers is staggering. Only the Steelworker Union leaders at international levels stand to gain by this long strike. We believe that most of these facts are well known to government officials and to the Governor of Utah. You should know these facts so that you can properly evaluate this strike and the public statements that are made and the actions taken by government officials. The strikers and all who have lost because of this strike deserve our sympathy. NOBODY HAD TO LOSE. Yours truly, s'Ross-Thorf.sex Ross E. Thoiesen Manager Industrial Relations Council of Utah |