The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-04-17
PHONE STRIKERS
REJECT PEACE PLAN
Leaders Unwilling to Accept
extraordinarily Scheme
Of Settlement.
HIT OPERATING BOARD
Demand Collective Bargaining
Direct With General Man.
ager Driver.

Boston. April 1e.--Leaders Of the
striking telephone operators in New Eng
land expressed unwillingness tonight
TO accept plans for settlement of their
grievances proposed by Postmaster Gen.
ersl Burleson and Joseph p. Tumulty,
secretary to President Wilson.
Secretary Tumulty in telegram TO-
day to Miss Julia $. O'Connor, president
OF the telephone operators department of
the International Brotherhood of Elec-
trical Workers. urged the strikers 10
return to work and to file their wage
demands with w. r. Driver, Jr., general
manager OF the New England Telephony
and Telegraph Company. He said Mr.
Driver was authorized to recommend to
the Government operating board any
agreement Just and fair to all parties
concerned"
Text of Reply to Tumulty.
Replying tonight Miss oconnor sent
the following telegram to Mr. Tumulty:
Your proposition contained in to-
days telegram is not fundamentally diff
ferent from the proposal of Mr.. Burleson.
1t states that We may discuss with Mr..
Driver, general manager New England
Telephone Company. our contentious.
Subsequently he reaches a conclusion
upon which he will advise US Thence
to be submitted to the operating board.
AT no step OF this procedure could the
methods you recommend be construed as
collective barga ming. We insist upon
our right to reach a conclusion with Mr..
Driver mutually agreeable to the unions
and the company and do not recognize
the right OF any other agency or indi-
Nidual to hold the power to repudlate
this agreement.
Particularly do we object to It being
submitted to a committee constituted as
Is the operating committee, it's entire
personnel being composed of telephone
and telegraph officials generally believed
10 be opposed to the principle of COL
lective bargaining and indisputably op-
posed to wage increases for reasons
readily understood. Committee reiter-
ates that it stands ready to bargain
collectively with Mr.. Driver upon as
surance that he is empowered to reach
settlement with us"
Electrical workers and cable splicers
numbering together about 1900, Joined
the ranks of striking employees OF the
New England Telephone and telegram
Company to-day.
In addition the New England Joint
Council OF Telephone Workers at a
meeting to-day voted to call out to-
morrow the workmen of the organiza-
'iOh III gil tHc i've SldtcS dllcCteu ny
the strike OF operators According to
officers OF the council this action will
affect $4,000 men.
Driver Issues Statement.
General Manager Driver OF the tele-
phone company said In a statement:
Those who have offered themselves
for permanent service. whether they be
trained operators or students. will be
retained on permanent service, provided
they qualify. II was made clear to
the committees representing the strik-
ing union operators that We would ex-
pedite the consideration Of their wage
demands IL they would simply follow
the procedure directed by the Govern
nent, namely. that the operators pre-
sent their wage scales to the general
manager of this company. who would
promptly forward them, with his recon-
mendations through the operating
board to the Postmaster-General at
Washington.
We are proceeding to fill the places
OF those who have left the service"
In connection with the strike James
Jackson, manager OF the New England
division of the Red Cross. sent the
following notice to-day to all Red Cross
chapters and branches in the division
THE American Red Cross is So
ciety chartered by Congress for the re-
lief of suffering and to assist our army
and navy In time OF war. II ia not
a proper function for this organization
to enter into any labor dispute. If, as
according to current reports in the
newspapers, any of our organizations
as. such are endeavoring to collect
volunteers To handle the telephone ex-
changes II is earnestly requested that
they refrain from doing SO Immediately"
Officers of the union reported at a
mass meeting to-day that in Boston ex-
changes only eleven operators. other
than chief ope orators. were at the switch
boards. and that only one was a men,
Der Of the union. The meeting voted
to suspend this member and to place
a fine of $1,000 against her for strike
breaking,