The mood of the nation and the House was reflected in the mood of labor. It registered with seismographic sensitivity in Pittsburgh, where the C.I.O.'s Big Three had gathered.
The United Electrical Workers' Jirn Matles arrived, brandishing a contract from Westinghouse, with the same 15¢ raise U.E. had gotten from General Motors five days before. Walter Reuther arrived, with a similar offer from G.M., but still holding out for 23½¢.
It all depended on Phil Murray's steelworkers. They had been tied up in negotiations since January, had extended the deadline onceuntil April 30....
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