Evening star., 1941-09-08
Freight Traffic
Here Halted by
Truck Strike
Railroads Moy Stop
Truins as Yards Fill;
800 Men Walk Out

More than 500 freight truck
drivers and helpers were called
out on strike in a wage dispute
today, virtually paralyzing Wash
ington railroad freight trafflc.
Freight station platforms were
tammed with tied-up merchandise
and materials, and railroad COM
panies were considering placing q
temporary embargo on Washington
to prevent further congestion OF
yards with loaded cars.
The strikers, members of the
Drivers. Chauffeurs and Helpers Lo-
cal Union, No. 639, Of the American
Federation of Labor's Teamsters'
Union, struck at am. and imme-
diately placed picket lines at all
District freight stations and at
headquarters and garages Of "a
trucking firms.
Negotiations Collapsed.
Linwood Trainham, secretary
treasurer of the union, said the
truck operators voted "overwhelm-
ingly" for the strike at special
meeting yesterday, after wage nego-
tiations with representatives of the
firms collapsed. He said the union
had asked for the following wage in
creases: Drivers, from s31 TO s35 a
week, and helpers from $3.50 to $50
a week.
William E. Humphries, spokesman
for the companies, said delivery of
defense material for the Chesapeake
& Potomac Telephone Co. and the
Western Electric Co. was completely
halted by the walkout. Included in
the materials are cables and con-
duits used in establishing additional
trunk lines to defense agencies and
telephone systems in new Govern
ment construction projects.
Freight station agents ordered
their employees to leave incoming
materials on freight cars to avoid
overf1owing platforms and ware
houses.
One company official estimated at
least 1,200 truckers and 600 trucks
were directly or indirectly involved
in the strike.
Mr.. Trainham said this afternoon
that separate contracts had been
signed with four small firms, operat-
ing total Of about a dozen trucks.
This move, however, caused little
change in the general tie-up.
Scores of union truck drivers en-
ployed by concerns not involved in
the strike were refusing to pass
through picket lines at freight sta
tions, although few deliveries were
being made by trucks operated by
consigneeS.
The Teamsters' Joint Council in
Baltimore decided today to refuse to
handle freight consigned to WASH
ington until the strike is settled.
The Labor Department Concilia-
ton Service moved swiftly to aid in
settlement of the dispute. Concilia-
tor Frank j. Sheehan conferred by
telephone with union and company
representatives this morning and
said he hoped to arrange a joint
conference later in the day.
Mr.. Humphries said that If the
strike were settled Immediately and
the operators went back on the job
tomorrow, "it would take at least
a month to bring the city's freight
traffic back to normal"
Firms "Unprepared."
He said the trucking firms were
totally unprepared" for the strike,
and had received mo warning what
soever."
A. w. Stream, business agent for
the union, said negotiations for q
new contract had been going on for
about IS days, with conferences be-
coming more frequent in the past
two weeks.
With living costs continually on
the rise, we considered we were per-
fectly justified in demanding g small
increase in an already inadequate
wage scale" Mr.. Stream said. This
is the only issue involved in the
strike"
Union leaders said principal freight
tied up by the strike consisted
OF department store merchandise,
furniture hardware and some
grocery products.
Mr.. Humphries said the strike had
halted completion of the huge new
Sears g. Roebuck center on Wis
consin avenue NV. He contended
that the employers are unable to
meet the wage demands of the