Inside Report (1)

Is Douglas Fraser shaping a 'superunion'? Economic decline in auto, rubber, farm equipment, and allied industries could bring a restructing of a number of major unions in the next year or so. Fraser's United Automobile Workers and the United Rubber Workers, both suffering losses of members and bargaining power, could merge early in 1982. Meanwhile, UAW is also looking into a merger with the International Association of Machinists, which shares jurisdiction with it in a number of industries.

A merger between UAW and URW would create a new union nearly the size of the Teamsters, now the biggest US union. A further merger with the IAM would create a 'superunion' of nearly 3 million members.m