The Waterbury Democrat., 1944-11-22
Ohio Strikers Still Defiant
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EmplOyeS or the MlcnlRan Bell Telephone Company, serving some of the nations most vital war centerS, voted unanimously last night to support the striking Ohio workers. Spokesmen said, however, that no action would be taken until officials of the Ohio union replied to the WLB.
 A government decision for seizure was expected to apply not only to the Ohio properties but any other crictical tie up by sympathy strikes.
 The strike, which has crippled communications to and from 28 Ohio cities, was called by the Ma tional Federation of telephone workers to protest the payment of an 1925 weekly cost-of living bonus to out-of-town operators brought into the Dayton, O., exchange.
 R. G. Pollock, president of the Ohio Federation, told the VILE yes- terday that the union had refused to end the strike because no leader could conscientiously order a girl making $21 a week to work beside girl making $3925 a week for ex- actly the same work"
 The Ohio Bell Telephone Co.,, Pol lock said, could end the strike in minute" by publicly announcing that it would immediately remove imported operators who are paid extra maintenance wages in addition to their weekly wage
 The VILE set the 10 a. m. return to-work deadline in an executive session called after union officials refused a previous request to term mate the walkout. Nathan P. Fein- singer, VILE public member, said the only alternative to compliance with the latest order probably is government seizure"
 He cautioned union officials, how ever, that even if the government takes over it vii maintain the same working conditions that pre- vailed at the start of the strike and you'll be no farther ahead" Union officials immediately went into conference at Washington hotel where they were joined early today by S. w. Werkau of Chi cago, secretary of the national fed eration, who arrived by plane.
 Estimates of the total number of telephone employees on strike in Ohio ranged from 5000 to 5000. Some 500 long line workers of the American Telephone and Telegraph Company in Cleveland, who handle radio network and news wire con- nections, joined the strike last night by refusing to cross picket lines.
 Telephone industry officials ad- mitted there was danger the strike might disrupt operations of radio networks and news wire service as well as long-distance lines. With its operators out on strike, the Ohio Bell Telephone Company restricted long distance service to emergency and war essential calls only. Others were turned down or discouraged because of delays which sometimes amounted to "A hours.
 New Haven. Conn, Nov. 22- (UP)-A resolution of the Connec- ticut Union of Telephone Workers today criticized the Bell System practices which led" to the strike of Ohio operators, but President Paul E. Boyce said that strike &C., tion is neither proposed or con- templtaed" in Connecticut.
 Boyce said the Southern New England Telephone Company em- ployed the practice of paying out of-town operators special travel allowance and time and a half for travel time. Raymond A. Loring, company spokesman, said that while the concern for many yeras had paid the extra living expenses of operators thus transferred, it was a policy to return them to their home offices as quickly as possible. At the present time, said Loring, only g of the company's 700 operators are assigned to duty and lodgings away from their home communities.