First Big Strike

To A.F.L.-C.I.O. strategists, the aircraft industry, fat with Government contracts, seemed the perfect target in the fight for a new round of wage increases (TIME, Feb. 2). They figured that the big planemakers, with the biggest backlogs in their history on the books, could easily pass along the extra wage cost. Last week the target was hit. In the first big strike of the year 12,000 members of the International Association of Machinists walked out of the Republic Aviation plant at Farmingdale, N.Y., and three smaller branches (including a guided missile plant). The company has $500 million in Government orders, mainly for the F-84F Thunderstreak and RF-84F Thunderflash.

The union demanded a 38 1/2-c- hourly wage package, later dropped to 19 1/2-c-. The company countered with a "final" offer of 5-c-, saying that it is already paying the industry's highest average wage of $2.23 an hour, plus another 69-c- an hour in fringe benefits. Relations between Republic and the I.A.M. have been poor ever since the union organized the plant in 1950. The union now has 12,000 members, leaving another 7,000 workers nonunion. The local is faction-ridden, has twice pulled wildcat walkouts. After a 1952 "sick" strike, the irritated international censured the local leaders.

Barely had the walkout begun last week than it turned violent. As nonstrikers tried to drive through the picket lines, the strikers threw themselves on the cars. The thin line of Long Island police, under orders not to carry nightsticks, was repeatedly overwhelmed. Once, as a mob of pickets rushed to an entrance to head off workers, a cop stood aside. "What the hell was I going to do?" he muttered. "I was outnumbered 200 to 1."

Inside the factory executives and plant police set up cots, stocked the cafeteria with several weeks' supply of frozen meats and vegetables, and mounted cameras at the gates to record the struggle to stop incoming cars. Few production workers were able to get through. The union offered to give 4,000 nonproduction-line workers, including engineers, safe-conduct through the picket lines provided they turned out no planes. But the company flatly refused the I.A.M. offer.

In the first six days of rioting at the gates, 139 were arrested, more than 30 injured. At week's end Republic brought its cameras to the New York State Supreme Court, for 15 minutes showed scenes of mob violence by strikers, won a temporary injunction against mass picketing. Meanwhile, fighter plane production was completely stopped.

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