Wildcat strike at Muncie Owens-Illinois closes glass plant

Wildcat Walkout

Closes Glass Plant

Television Tube

Output Halted

A wildcat strike which began shortly after midnight forced a shutdown of the Owens-Illinois Glass Co. plant here today.

Union officials, who termed the walkout unau­thorized, called a midmorning meeting with the strikers, hoping to presuade [sic] persuade them to return so bargaining ne­gotiations with the company could be resumed.

Plant manager E. P. Spence called the walkout "a body blow" to plans for expanding the plant. The firm employs approximately 500 persons in making face plates for television picture tubes and other glass specialties.

The walkout was started at 12:10 a.m. in the color finish­ing department, reportedly by workers disgruntled with the pace of negotiations between the company and the American Flint Glass Workers Union of North America.

READY TO MEET.

SAYS UNION SPOKESMAN

Union official Don Cook, em­ployed in the finishing section, said the men were dissatisfied with working conditions, bonus pay, safety hazards and produc­tion speed-ups. Cook said the lo­cal's bargaining committee is ready to meet with management to settle the dispute.

However, plant manager Spence said "we have no present plans for meeting with any union repre­sentative until our employes have returned to work."

In midmorning, Spence issued the following statement:

"At 12:10 a m. on Wednesday, July 14, a portion of our plant was affected by an illegal work stoppage and walkout.

"We continued to operate the balance of our plant until 6:30 a.m. when failure to report to work by our day shift employes has made it necessary to cease production.

"This will deal a body blow to our company's plans for the continued expansion of the Muncie plant and its future.

"We have no present plans for meeting with any Union representative until our employes have returned to work."

Union officials said they had left the bargaining table around 11 p.m. Tuesday with the inten­tion of resuming negotiations 9:30 a m. today.

In the effort to end the walk­out, union president Ed Dickson said he and other union officers were scheduled to meet with workers at the CIO Labor Center at 10:30 a.m.

"We will try to persuade the men to come back to work so union and plant bargainers can resume negotiations again, "Dickson said.

Reported participating in the picket line were Shipping Local 517, Operators Local 25 and mem­bers of the Moldmakers Union, all affiliates of the Flint Glass Workers Union.