The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1919-04-14
VERMONT EXCHANGES
LARGELY AFFECTED
Demands Include a Wage
Schedule of S22 for Oper-
ators Four Years or More
in Service-Present Max
imum is S16-No Effort
Being Made Here to Con-
tinue Service in Event of
Strike

Brattleboro people should be getting
Shanks's mare into trim for use tomor-
row morning.
The strike Of the telephone operators
employed by the New England Telephone
& Telegraph Co. begins then unless some
development occurs which is not in sight
at present
When it was announced that the opera
tors of the New England Co. and the
| Providence Telephone & Telegraph Co.
/ would strike Tuesday morning unless
their demands were complied with it was
| figured that the operators here would
not be involved, not having become mem
bers of the telephone operators union
but it now appears otherwise.
| Not long ago the Brattleboro operators
voted to become part of the union and
made application for membership. 1t
was expected that an organizer would
come here from Boston to complete the
organization, and while that has not
been done the union officials have ruled
that those having filed applications to
become affiliated with the union will be
treated as union members, and this af-
) fects all the principal telephone ex-
changes in Vermont
| For this reason it is now stated that
/, the Brattleboro operators, of whom there
are %, win not be on duty after o'clock
/ tomorrow morning unless the differences
: are adjusted, so persons having mes
: sages to transmit may as well be pre-
pared to transmit them on foot or the
next best way.
, The operators ask for a maximum
E wage of S22 week after four years of
service, instead of the present maximum
of SIC a week, and for the right to carry
out the principle of collective bargaining
While there may be some question as
! to whether they are adopting the right
course to bring about their desires, there
is general feeling on the part of the
e public that there is some justice in theil
request, when properly made, for an IN
crease in pay.
Alfred Darling of this town, represent
l. ing the wage schedule committee of tn,
:, mems union, was in Boston yesterda,
n at a conference between telephone Off
II eials and union officials, returning las
II might Mr.. Darling says that the men
y union has voted to stand back of tn
of operators union and that unless the de
of mands of the operators. are met TIL
re mems union will strike Thursday morn
10 ing. This would affect four men in Brat
tleboro. incidentally, the men ask fc
an increase in wages.
ia In some of the large centers long dii
tance operators employed by the Amer
- can Telephone & Telegraph Co. are loea
re ed in the New England company's e,
of changes, and they viii not be called ou
~ but there are no operators in Brattl
~ boro employed by the American Co.
in In the event that nothing happens
be Iprevent a strike Brattleboro people VI
find themselves tomorrow morning in
decidedly novel and ineonvenient stu
tion, not to mention the inevitable di
-, ruption in business and the loss resultil
there from.
Up to the present time Manager r.
IN Eldridge of the local exchange has i
re e,e ceived no instructions relative to maxi
lcs- any effort to continue the telepho
rservice if a strike occurs.