New-York tribune., 1919-06-08
National Wire
Strike Called
For w Wednesday

piOyes OF western Union,
American Telephone and
Telegraph and Postal
CHICAGO, June IA nationwide
strike of telegraph and telephone oper-
ators who are members of the CONNER
cial Telegraphers' Union of America,
was ordered to-day, to take effect next
Wedne sday morning at o'clock stand
ard time. The order was issued at gen
eral Headquarters of the union here
on telegraphic instruction from S. j.
Konenkamp, international president,
who was in Pittsburgh on his way to
The telephone operators and electrical
workers will 20 out on June l6
The strike order applies to employees
of the Western Union Telegraph Com
pany the American Telephone and Tele-
graph and Gable Company with it's
associated institutions.
It was estimated at headquarters here
that the strike would affect between
10000 and 100000 individuals, Of whom
nearly $4,000 were said to be members
of the union. Outside Of the union
ranks, it was said, many wire workers
had pledged themselves to support a
strike.
Decision Follows Phone Strike
The decision to call a nationwide
strike was reached by President Kon-
enkamp after passing several days in
Washington. where he had directed a
strike Of union employees In ten south
eastern states. That strike followed
strike of telephone workers in At
lanta where the employees were said to
have been discharged because of union
affiliations, although the Southern Bell
Telephone Company denied union
membership had been the basis of any
discharges.
A strike vote was taken recently con-
currently with one by the Interna-
tiona Electrical Workers. Union.
To-night's strike order was as fol
lows:
"All Telegraph and Telephone En-
ployes:
n SlIlhc is HeTeUE ucCidIcu "
take effect Wednesday, June II, 1919,
at a. m. standard time, against the
Western Union Telegraph Company,
the American Telephone and Tele-
graph Company, the Postal Telegraph
and Gable Company, with its asso-
ciated institutions, including the
Mackay and North American COM
panies, and against telephone COM
ranies wherr our members are en-
ploycd. S. J. KONENKAMP
international President"
Accompanying the strike order were
instructions to members employed by
concerns not affected by the order tx
aid in making the strike effective.
Ban on Commercial Business
This, it was explained, meant tina
such employees Of other concerns woult
refuse to handle telegraph and tele
phone messages classed as Commercial
business.
BOSTON, June 7.-Several member
Of the Commercial Tclcgraphers' Uniol
: of America employed in the local offic
Of the Western Union Telegraph Com
pany, including L. Bramberg, chairman
; If the Western Union Division of tn
. Boston district local, were discharge
: tonight. Union officials said the me-
: were discharged because of their re
| fusal to disclose plans for the threat
, ened strike.
PITTSBURGH. June is. j. Konen
kamp, discussing the strike order to
night, said:
eve will win. The strike will deter
mine whether grievances Of long stand
ing can be remedied by force"
MIR. Konenkamp said the Postmaste
General had acknowledged that eve ar
undcrpaid," but ne charged that M
Bureson has reduced our earnings
by lcngthcning the hours Of night dut
and abolishing time-and a-half fo
y Sunday overtime. He also charged tha
= the men discharged by Newcomb Car
ton, president Of the Western Uniol
for membership in the union, have nc
been rcinstatcd, as promised by M
= Burleson.
ATLANTA, Ga, June 7.-Orders cal
/. ing out the union telephone operate,
at Columbia and other points in Mort
I and South Carolina to-day, in conne'
n tion with tho strike Of telephone an
telegraph workers in the Southcas
G have been rescnded. This was al
w. nounced to-day by G. r. Mann, Southcr
organizer for the Commercial Tclel
raphers' Union Of America.