Bellwether?

In the stormy battle for control of the 1,120,000-member United Steelworkers union, President David McDonald last week lost a prophetic skirmish. McDonald's rival for the president's post is Steelworkers' Secretary-Treasurer I. W. (for lorwith Wilbur) Abel, 56, who for twelve years had worked side by side with McDonald. But over the years the rank and file has found McDonald, 62, to be more and more remote from hearthside problems; sensing this, Abel decided to risk a cozy future in pensioned retirement by challenging McDonald in the union elections to be held next month (TIME, Nov. 20).

From union headquarters in Pitts burgh last week came a report on nominations for various offices as recorded by locals in the U.S. and Canada. Nominations for Abel: 1,310 locals; for McDonald, 904. The locals' nominations in the past, Abel pointed out, have been a good bellwether of rank-and-file voting. In this case, he added, the strong push in his favor "reflects a clear lack of confidence" in McDonald. Election date: Feb. 9.

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