Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1941-06-02
Par|eySeeks
To Avert Milk
Strike Here
Move Threatened
Unless Contract Is
Signed by Saturday

With strike of the Capital areas
II largest diaries threatened if a
new contract is not signed by mid
night Friday, union and dairy Of
ficials met today at the Hamilton
Hotel to continue their negotiations.
The negotiators have had one ses-
sion since a strike vote on a secret
ballot was taken by members of the
Milk Drivers and Dairy Employees
Local 246, A. F. L. All members of
the local. totalling' nearly 1900,
would go out should a strike be
called, union officials said.
Speaking for dairy management,
H A. Schulteis, vice president and
secretary of Chestnut Farms-Chevy
Chase Dairy, said he felt that all
the means to effect a working agree
ment had not yet been exhausted.
He said he was certain something
acceptable to both management and
the union could be worked out.
One Dairy Not Affected.
The strike, which would tie up al
most all retail and wholesale dis
tribution in the District, would affect
these diaries:
Chestnut Farms Chevy Chase.
Embassy Fairfax, Richfield, Wake
field, Lucerne, Alexandra, Airing
| ton County, Hazel, Model Farms,
Holbrook, Harvey and Thompsons.
Union officials said only one other
dairy serving the Washington area
would not be affected-the High
land Farms Dairy, Inc, which is
non-unlon.
Negotiations. which started April
9, will be continued every day and
night this week in the hopes of
reaching a settlement before the
Friday deadline when the present
| contract expires. Union officials
recalled that one previous strike
vote had been called, but an agree
ment was reached before the dead
| line for the walkout.
One of the principal differences.
according to both parties, is the
| question of a closed versus a prefer
entail shop. The union, according
to Eugene r. Hubbard, business
agent for the local, is asking con-
tinuation of the closed shop as it
exists under the present contract.
Mr.. Schulteis said the dairy man.
| agement was asking for a prefer
entail shop because the union has
not been able to provide sufficient
prospective employees who can meet
the 500 union initiation fee.
Some employers. he said, are op-
Grating short handed now and the
union is depriving them OF suff1-
cient help to run their business.
The union, he added, has been
asked for additional help but suffi-
cient workers had not been pro-
vided. He commended that 500 mi.
tiation fee was pretty steep espe.
cially for people who don't have it"
Mr.. Hubbard said the union is
also asking for a general increase
Of wages averaging 81 a week, time
and a half for anything over 81
hours for retail and wholesale driv-
| ers, time and a half for anything
over % hours for plant men and
management observance of strict
seniority" in relation to treatment
of employees.
Overtime Excludes Route Men.
Dairy arrangements, Mr.. Schulteis
said, are now giving overtime to
all employees except route men.
These, he said. cannot be supervised
once they leave the plants and are
considered outside statesmen"
Mr.. Hubbard said the present
minimum wages are S24 week for
truck helpers; $3.50 weekly for spe-
cial delivery men; $3.50 for retail
| drivers; $4,000 for wholesale driv-
ers and S29 for plant men.
Route men at the present time,
Mr.. Schulteis said, are getting a
base pay of S245O weekly with
per cent commission on money COM
ing in from their territory. Their
minimum guarantee. he added, is
$3.50. The union, he said, is asking
s42.50 base pay for route men and a
percentage on each quart of milk.
Wages. the management spokes-
man said, would come up for con-
sideration today. He added that so
many points were up for discussion
that all of them could not be con-
sidered during todays sessions.