The Waterbury Democrat., 1943-07-22
Strike Hits
 Los Angeles
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cooling off" period was required prior to the strike because the com- panies affected are privately owned.
 The strike is on,' L. E. Reeves, public service director for the street railway, announced.
 "The operators are bringing street cars and busses into the barns and garages and are going home. Our dispatcher is scheduling no street cars to leave"
 Employees Favor Strike
 Employees of the Pacific Electric Railway the other major transpor- tation line serving Los Angeles county, center of the nations war plane industry, voted in favor of a strike in balloting yesterday, but leaders said no action was expected for another "A hours.
 Although the work stoppage of the 5000 Los Angeles Railway and Motor Coach employees was sched uled for "A hours only, union lead- CTS expressed concern that workers would not return to their jobs Fiji day.
 "The men are hopping mad" a spokesman for the Amalgamated As sociation of Street, Electric and Motor Coach Operators, (AFL), said. Our chief concern is that they may not come back to work after the 24-hour stoppage."
 Despite the pleading of their union officials, the 500 transit workers left the mass meeting at 1:30 8. m. The strike began at a. m.
 J. T. Schmedman, shop steward for district four of the union, jumped to the stage at the mass meeting and yelled:
 Lets Clear Out"
 q told you these guys wouldn't show up. It's after 1:30 a. m. and they still aren't here. Let's clear out of here"
 Other union men, insisting that the group wait until the mayor and others arrived, were drowned out. The men walked out, meeting Mayor Bowron and the other off, cials in the street.
 For your own good you fellows had better get back upstairs" Henry Mann, executive secretary of the unions southern branch, ad- vised them.
 Were going home,' the workers answered.
 BoWron, Major M. J. Tierney ex- ecutive officer of the army's ninth service command, and other off, cials went upstairs to the empty union meeting hall while Mann and D. D. McClung, local union head, mounted running boards of auto mobiles parked along the curb and appealed to workers to show them the courtesy of hearing what they have to say
 Go Home
 No, let's go home,' the trolley and bus operators shouted. A few minutes later only a handful of the crowd of 800 remained on the side walks in front of the hall.
 The transportation workers re- ceived notice last night from the War Labor Board that they were entitled to no wage raises because they already had obtained increases of Is to 26 per cent, equal to or in excess of the boards little steel formula.
 Employees of the Bay Cities Transportation Company at subur- ban Santa Monica, at meeting shortly after midnight, voted to de- lay any strike action. They are rep resented by the Amalgamated As sociation of Street. Electric and Motor Coach Employees.
 At Long Beach, bus drivers of the Lang Transportation Company voted to remain on their jobs by margin of five to one at a mass meeting early today. At San Diego, street car and bus operators served notice of intention to strike after 30-day cooling of" period required by the government owned or oper- ated agencies.
 U. s. May Take Over Possibility that the Army might take over transportation routes serving Southern California's air. craft factories, shipyards and other war plants was seen in comments from Brigadier General R. E. Mo- Quillan, second in command of the southern sector of the western de- fense command.
 Tt would be perfectly proper for the president to declare martial law" General McQuillan said. Tn fact. we are working on the pos sibility of it right now. but we hope it won't have to be put into effect"
 T commanded unit at Faid Pass in North Africa when the Germans ran roughshod over Amer ican forces, and can tell you what it means to be short of supplies"