I AM SURE the Nation shares with me a keen disappointment in the failure of the steel companies and the Steel Workers Union to reach agreement on a new contract.
The fact that the contract expired without agreement having been reached does not in any way relieve the parties of responsibility to continue to bargain without interruption.
The services of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service have always been available, and I recommend that the parties immediately call the Director of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service for assistance.
I am confident that with good will on both sides of the bargaining table, agreement can be reached without undue delay. The American people have a deep concern in these negotiations and will rightly expect steady progress toward a just and responsible settlement.
Note: The strike began at 12:01 a.m. on July 15. On July 13 a statement by the Press Secretary to the President pointed out that there was still time for settlement before the strike deadline, and added that in the interest of the union members, the steel companies, and the public, "the President hopes that the union and the industry will continue to work for a settlement."
Dwight D. Eisenhower, Statement by the President on the Strike in the Steel Industry. Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/235141