Evening star., 1939-03-09
Both Sides in Hotel Strike
Accept Labor Conci|iotor's
Peace Conference Invitation
Additional Police
Asked After Rows
In Picket Lines

Citation of the Department of Labor
today invited both sides to the hotel
controversy, which has thrown
picket lines around 13 leading hos
telries here, to a conference at the
Department of Labor at 10 am. to-
morrow with a view to settling the
strike.
Representatives of the hotel man.
agement and the unions accepted
the offer with alacrity. Speaking
for the hotels, Joseph c. McGar-
raghy, lawyer, said:
'Of course we will accept"
Charles E. Sands, business agent
Of the Bartenders' Union. Local IS,
and member of the strikers COM
mittee, said:
I'VE accept wholeheartedly the ef-
forts of the United States Govern
ment to settle this strike"
The telegram inviting representa-
tives Of both the hotel men and the
Hotel and Restaurant international
Alliance, A. F.. of L. read as follows:
"Since the present hotel contro-
versy has become a matter of ex-
tensive public interest and it is
our firm belief that further joint
conferences between the disputants
may not be unavailing, pursuant to
statutory authority vested in the
Department of Labor I respectfully
request you and committee repre-
senting zone side) to meet with the
representatives of the (other side)
and officials of this department in
room 1929 at the Department of
Labor Building, Fourteenth and Con-
stitution avenue. at 10 am. Friday,
March 10, 1939.'
Officials of the Cancellation Serv-
ice have been watching the develop
ments in the hotel strike closely
and had been looking into the
situation for some time before taking
the definite step today, calling a
conference.
Conference Held Yesterday.
Howard Colvin. of the Labor De-
partment's conciliation service, con-
ferred yesterday with strike leaders
and hotel managers in an effort
to find a basis for settlement of the
walkout.
Minor clashes were reported
throughout this morning between
pickets and strikebreakers. -Four
men were arrested outside the
Shoreham Hotel and taken to the
9th precinct on complaints that
they had been annoying pickets.
Hotel managers called for police
after pickering was reported be-
tween pickets and persons who
sought to enter the hotels. The
hotel managers demanded that Maj.
Ernest w. Brown furnish more
officers to control the chain picket
lines-biggest ever set up in the
District.
Possibility that the strikes-which
now include not only hotel workers
of all classifications, but also truck
drivers-might spread was seen in
the announcement that a meeting
had been called of all unions whose
members worked in hotels.
Sidney c. Schlesinger, associate of
Samuel Levine, who are counsel for
the strikers, said the meeting
had been called for this afternoon
Invited, he stated, were heads OF
the engineers and firemen's, car
penters', painters, upholsterers',
electricians and other unions. The
lawyer said the support of these
= l.
Effectiveness Moot Question.
The effectiveness of the strike
which started yesterday at dawn
when walters, cooks, bellboys. cham
bermaids and assorted workers
walked out to gain a union shop
was a moot question today.
Hotel managers claimed that they
were not seriously affected. either
by the strike or by the declaration
Of the Teamsters' Union that its
members would not cross picket
lines to make deliveries of such COM
modities as milk, bread. ice, etc.
The union claimed that its efforts
to tie up the hotels had been 100
per cent effective"
Rows flared at half dozen hotels
during the morning Police received
calls from the Willard, La Fayette,
Continental and Shoreham Hotels.
No trace of trouble could be found
at the Willard. At the La Fayette po-
lice learned that pickets had clashed
verbally with the driver of coal
truck which made deliveries through
their line. There was no violence.
The incident at the Shnreham