White House Press Release, Message from President Harry S. Truman to the United States Congress

280 HOLD FOR RELEASE HOLD FOR RELEASE HOLD FOR RELEASE June 18,1948 CONFIDENTIAL: To be held in STRICT CONFIDENCE and no portion, synopsis or intimation to be given out or published until the READING of the President's Message has begun in either the Senate or House of Representatives. Extreme care must there- fore be exercised to avoid premature publication. to CHARLES G. ROSS Secretary to the President TO THE CONCRESS OF THE UNITED STATES: Pursuant to the Labor Management Relations Act, 1947, it is my duty to report to the Congress concerning the labor dispute which recently existed at. the Oald Ridge National Laboratory. The important facts concerning the dispute may be summarized as follows: The Oak Ridge National Laboratory is Government-owned. Some 2350 persons are there engaged in important atomic energy research, but not directly in production of fissionable materials or weapons. The dispute was between the Carbide and Carbon Chemicals Corporation, and the Atomic Trades and Labor Council, affiliated with the American Federation of Labor. The Corporation operates the Labora- tory under a cost plus fixed-fee contract with the Atomic Energy Com- mission. The Corporation also operates two other important plants of the atomic energy installation at Oak Ridge. The Council represents some 900 employees who perform maintenance, operating and service functions at the Laboratory. NARA The recent dispute r sulted from the failure of negotia- tions concerning both wages and working conditions. These negotia- tions were begun with the predecessor contractor in the latter part of November 1947 and continued with Carbide and Carbon Chemicals Corporation beginning February 9, 1948. It is clear that there was a difference in objectives sought by the Council and the Corporation. On the one hand, the Council desired to preserve differentials over the two nearby atomic energy plants as to wage rates and conditions of employment -- differentials which have een in existence in the Laboratory since its b ginning. On the other hand, the Corporation desired uniformity of wage rates and conditions of employment and the elimination of the Laboratory differentials. In a union meeting held Sunday, February 29, the employees voted to strike unless settlement were made by Friday, midnight, March 5, and this intention was reaffirmed by another meeting on the night of March 3. Accordingly, on March 5, I issued Executive Order 9934, creating a Board of Inquiry pursuant to the Labor Management Relations Act. At my request, both parties agreed to maintain the status quo until March 19. On March 15 the Board of Inquiry submitted to me its first report. It found the existence of a labor dispute at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and it advised me of the facts of that dispute. It further found that grave danger to the national safety would result if the operations of the laboratory were interrupted. Thereupon, at my request, the Attorney General on March 19 instituted an action and obtained an injunction in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee. This order enjoined both the Corporation and the Council, and all persons in activo participation with them, from engaging in any strike or lockout or from interfering with normal continuance of work, or from making any change in terms or conditions of employment other than by mutual agreement. (OVER)