Evening star., 1941-06-26
Strike Is Threatened
In New York Subways
As City Refuses Pact
Boord Insists Workers
Are Under Civil Service
And Union Is Out
b the Associated Press.

/ % tDS Associated PreSS.
NEW YORK, June 26.-The threat
of the worst transit tie-up in the
city's history today confronted New
York's 100000 daily subway riders
AS efforts to settle a labor con-
tract dispute between the city and
the Transport Workers Union
&C. I. o. came to naught, Michael
j, Quill, president of the union, said:
I'VE will not work one hour of
the month of July without signed
| contract"
The union-sought contract, which
would better the wages. of $4,000
transit workers by 81 a day, ap-
| peared an impossibility as the city
Board of Transportation fatty re-
fused to negotiate for it.
Users of the vast underground
honeycomb of the three city-owned
subway systems pinned hopes for
their continued operation on this
statement from Mayor La Guardia:
On sober judgment I am sure the
(union leaders will not call a
strike"
"Only One Way"
But Mr.. Quill, who earlier in the
day deflantly led a union delegation
out of conference with the Trans
portation Board, asserted last night:
II think we have to have trouble.
There is only one way to
accomplish our ends-the Ford way,
the miners way, the Bethlehem
Steel way"
Mr.. Quill said the question of
authorization for strike would be
put to union members at meetings
tonight, tomorrow and Saturday, but
indicated he had little doubt such
a vote would be passed.
The Transportation Board re-
manned steadfast in its stand that
the transit employees were under
civil service and outside union juris-
I diCtion, and that therefore 1t could
enter into no union contract.
City Warns Against Strike.
The contract covering workers on
two lines formerly privately owned,
but now owned and operated by the
city expires at II pm. June 80. The
great Independent System built and
operated by the city never had a
contract.
The union seeks renewal of the old
contracts, with the city as employer,
and establishment Of new pact for
the Independent line. Besides the
s1-a-day blanket increase, it asks
a decrease in hours.
The Board of Transportation has
announced it was reclassifying all
transit employees and equalizing pay
for the same jobs on the various
systems. 1t has warned workers
that to strike means loss of their
jobs.
Wage Differences Cited.
The T. w. U. cited the following
weekly wages in three of the lines
16 classifcations, explaining that
workers on the Interborough Rapid
Transit and Brooklyn Manhattan
Transit receive more than workers
on the Independent system:
Machinists: I. r. r. men work A
hours for S44.44 average weekly pay;
B. M. T., As hours for s41.30; Inde-
pendent, 48 hours for SAL.
Car cleaners: I. r. T. men work
A hours for S34.06 average weekly
wage; B. M. T, Is hours for s34.16
Independent, 48 hours for S2496.
Trackmen-I. r. T. trackmen
work 48 hours for s4089 average
weekly wage; B. M. T, 48 hours
for $3.50; Independent, 48 hours
! for S36.
Motormen on the I. r. T. and
Independent receive 96 cents an hour
for 48-hour week: on the B. M. T.
they are paid the same hourly rate
for an eight-hour seven-day week.
Conductors on the three lines are
paid varyingly from IS to Is cents
an hour for a 48-hour week.
The union said that vacations of
two weeks-12 paid working days
are now general on the three roads.