American Flint Glass Workers' Union - 1952 Strike

Flint Glass Workers Reach

Settlement With Industry

Recall of 400 employees of Kimble Glass Company here was made shortly before noon Thursday after the AFL American Flint Glass Workers' union and the National Association of Pressed and Blown Glassware settled contract negotiations in Toledo.

End of the week-long work stoppage came for 7,000 workers in the industry when the manufacturers agreed to a 10-cent across the board hourly wage increase and numerous fringe benefits. In addition to the hourly increase, Kimble workers won a shift differential. Employees on the second shift will receive an added four cents while third shift workers will get six cents more on the hour.

The shift differential applies only to approximately half the 400 Kimble employees and does not affect the day workers. These include the packing department employees and others.

Moldmakers Return.

Also returning were moldmakers belonging to Local 32 whose meeting to settle the contract has not yet been held. Since a federal labor relations mediator was sitting in the negotiations, the moldmakers were obligated to return to work during negotiations. Local 32 members are in the pressed ware division and are employed at Kimble's.

Kimble employees for the most part were being recalled by its personnel department while the union was notifying operators. Picket lines were called off at noon, according to Roy McDonald, secretary of Local 32.

Ed Dickson, a member of the union's national executive committee and president of Local 517, who took part in the bargaining sessions, was to return home late Thursday night.

As a result of the back to work order, operations also resumed at the Overmyer Mold Company, Winchester.

The settlement announced by Harry Gray, commissioner for the U. S. mediation and conciliation service, also included improvements in paid vacations, insurance benefits, night differential pay, holidays, and other contract clauses. A new one-year contract, running to Sept. 1, 1953, will be signed, according to the Associated Press.

Retroactive to Sept. 1.

The wage increase will be made retroactive to Sept. 1. Union representatives originally asked a pay hike of 20 per cent or 20 cents an hour, whichever was greater, but scaled down their request to 12 cents an hour before calling the strike. Present wage scales were not available.

Karl Weaver, president and chairman of the National Association of Manufacturers of Pressed and Blown Glassware, said the workers, members of the AFL Flint Glass Workers, would be re-called as soon as the facilities at the struck plant could be readied for operation.