Arizona republican., 1919-06-08
CALL OPERATORS
 OUT WEDNESDAY
 ON BIG STRIKE
Will Affect 100000 Elm ployes-Entire Nation In cluded - Telegraph Com pany Officials Say Busi- ness Will Continue - Phone Concerns Claim Results Will Be Nil

CHICAGO, June "A nation wide strike of telegraph and telephone oper ators who are members O fthe Com mercial Photographers Union of Amer ica was ordered today to take effect next Wednesday morning at o'clock a.. m. standard time The order was issued at general headquarters of the union here on telegraphic instructions from s. J. Konenkamp. international president. who was in Pittsburg on his way to Chicago.
 The strike order is declared effective against employees of the Western Union Telegraph Company, the Amer icau Telephone and Telegraph com pany and the Postal Telegraph and Cable company with it's associated in- stitutions.
 It. was estimated at headquarters that the strike would affect between 50000 and 1000 individuals, of whom nearly 25.00 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.
 Call Is Issued
 CHICAGO, June 7.-The decision to call nation wide strike was reached
  ing several days in Washington, where he had directed strike of union em- ployes in ten southeastern states. That strike followed a strike of telephone workers in Atlanta, Georgia, where telephone employees were said to have been discharged because of union af- filiations, although the Southern Bell Telephone company denied that union membership had been the basis of any discharges.
 strike vote was taken recently con- currently with the International Elec trical Workers union.
 The strike order was as follows: All telegraph. and telephone en- Dloyes;
 "A strike is hereby declared to take effect Wednesday, June II, 1919 at 8 a.. m. standard time, against the West ern Union Telegraph company, the American Telephone and Telegraph company the Postal Telegraph and Cable company, with its associated in stitutions, including the Mackay and North American companies. and against telephone companies where our members are employed.
 $. J. Konenkamp,
 international President"
 
 lengthy instructions so members, in which members employed by con cerns not affected by the order were instructed to aid in making the strike effective This it was explained meant that such employees of other concerns would refuse to handle tel esraph and telephone messages classed as commercial business.
 Canada To Join In
 Canadian members of the union, ii was said, would refuse to handle any commercial business originating in the United States or directed to any point within this country.
 Railway telegraphers also would re- fuse to handle commercial business, il was declared, as a result of the pas sage of a resolution at the recent con vention of the Order of Railway Tel egraphers in St. Louis, declaring tha such business would be banned by em ployes of that organization in the event of a strike.
 Tn Chicago, it was said at unioI headquarters. more than 4.000 wire workers would be affected. The Com mercial Telegraphers union was borl here in 1902. President Konenkami declared weeks ago that Postmaste General Burleson, who had taken ove control of the wire system, refused t, grant the employees, increases il wages and demanded that unless tn union was recognized and the mel given relief from the high cost of liv ing, a strike would be inevitable. MI Konenkamp will retugn tomorrow t direct the strike.
 A. c. Cronkhite, general manager o Western in x4Thp told sf the strike call, said it woul have no effect on the company here. That wont affect our employees" h said, when told that the union offic ials said more than four thousand me would be affected here, added, that bunk"
 Carlton Is Optimistic.
 NEW YORK, June 7.-The nation wide strike of telegraph and telephon
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