Evening star., 1939-11-25
Entire Film
Industry Faces
Strike Today
Would Close All U. S.
And Conodion Movies,
Union Heads Soy
BY the Associated Press

BY the Associated Press.
HOLLYWOOD. Nov. 25-The mo-
ton picture industry braced itself
today for the shock of strike which
A. F. l.. leaders said would close
every film theater in the United
States and Canada.
Failing to obtain a 10 per cent
wage increase for $4,000 studio
technicians, William Bioff, chair
man of the conference of studio
unions, announced that he would
call today general strike through
out the entire motion picture indus
try"
The hour of the walkout was not
announced.
Mr.. Bioffs declaration followed a
conference OF A. F. L. executives
and movie producers, in which JOS
eph M. Schenck, chairman of the
producers Negotiating Committee,
informed the unions their demands
were being refused because of a
complete readjustment which faces
the industry"
ray lrregularlty Charged.
Loss of foreign markets and sharp
curtailment of production had been
cited by the producers as effects of
the European var on the industry.
The unions pointed to "exorbitant
salaries" paid to stars and "ridicu-
lousy low" wages to hundreds Of
technicians and challenged pro-
ducers to make revisions.
we feel that the underpaid
workers should get their wage in
creases right now" Mr.. Bioff told
neWsmen after the conference broke
up.
Test of the effectiveness of the
strike is expected to come when.
and If, the unions call upon the
movie projectionists to walk out.
There are 10000 film theaters in IN.
United States which would be forced
10 shut down if the projectionlsts.
members of the International AIli-
ance OF Theatrical Stage EMPLOYEES.
went on strike.
approximately 10000 technicians
under the I. A. T. S. E. recently re-
celVed pay boosts of 10 per cent.
Talent Guilds Not Involved.
Mr.. Biof, in announcing the
strike cali, did not mention the pro-
Jectlonists specifically, but before q
previous conference with producers
ne said the technicians could force a
wage increase by calling the pro-
JectlonlSts to their assistance.
looay, he said the entire re-
sources of the A. F. L. would bs
brought into support of the strike"
Attending yesterdays conference
with Mr.. Bioff were Meyer Lewis,
western director of the A. F. L. and
personaf representative here of
President William Green; J. w. Bug
zell of the Los Angeles Central La
Dor Council, and Walter Redmond,
international representative of the
plasters' union.
The three talent guilds, actors,
writer's and directors, are not direct
ly involved in any of the issues at
stake, but they would be affected if
the strike forced the closing of 20
big studios in Hollywood. Guild
heads previously had refused to join
union leaders and producers in the
wage revision conference. The
actors are bound to a 10-year non
strike agreement with the producers.
Mr.. Bioff surrendered voluntarily
on telegraphic warrant for his ar
rest on a 17-year-old Chicago con-
viction for pandering He provided
81 900 bail and was granted a writ
OF habeaS corpus returnable Decem-
ber IL.
OF the charge Mr.. Bioff said, "I
paid my full penalty" He added
that "this whole affair is simply a
plot TO dlscredit and embarrass me-"
Mr.. Schenck issued a statement
IN reply which said:
In the case of William Bioff, the
producers wish to assert in the most
emphatic terms that they are not
responsible directly or indirectly for
his present personal predicament,
ana they resent the imputations
that they would resort to any such
method"
The recent wage increase received
by the I. A. T. S. E. unions brought
their pay scale to range of from
908 cents an hour for laborers to
Sl4950 week for cameramen.
Union leaders contend, however,
that the average annual earnings of
all l. A. L. S. E. employees is less
than 5000 q wear.