May 16, 1946 – MBS: Frazier Hunt News And Commentary – Gordon Skene Sound Collection –
May 16, 1946 – on this day, 71 years ago, the country was feeling the affects of a crippling Coal Strike, as called by Union President John L. Lewis. And even though negotiations were underway, they were full of stops and starts. And the damage was such that President Truman was called in to mediate the strike, in an attempt to get the miners back to work and settle the wage disputes once and for all.
Plans were also being discussed for seizure of the nations railroads if necessary to forestall a strike which was scheduled to begin at 10:00 pm Saturday and Railroad union President Whitney promised President Truman a response to wage demands. He denied that the original figure of a $2.50 increase had been lowered to $1.60.
CIO President Phillip Murray was quoted as saying Americans were entitled to a minimum guaranteed annual living wage, and that his United Steelworkers Union will demand that pay when the contract negotiations begin in 1947.
The U.S. was confident that the UN Security Council would approve its plan to head off for two months, a contest with Russia over Albania’s application for UN membership.
Soviet Delegate Andrei Gromyko was expected to join the Russian delegation at the UN Security Council later on this day. There was a possibility he would encounter an Australian challenge to explain what he claimed were the affects of his absence from council meetings.
And the UN Commission on Human Rights, with its final report to the economic and social council and blocked by the opposition of a Soviet representative, was scheduled to convene later on this day, in another effort to win approval for its recommendations. The opposing Soviet representative clashed with Mrs. Roosevelt, the commission Chairman, the day before when he refused to approve the report because of his objections to two of the recommendations.
And that’s a small slice of what happened this May 16, 1947 as reported by Mutual’s Frazier Hunt, News And Commentary.
