Evening star., 1944-09-30
Negotiators Pressing
Efforts 10 Prevent
Hotel WaIkout Here
Telephone Poy Cose
Gets WLB Consideration
After Strike Is CoIIed OF

walkout by service workers in
most of the Districts leading ho-
tells, negotiators today continued |
their efforts to reach an agree
ment before the union contract
with the hotels expires at mid
night tonight.
Meanwhile, the War Labor Board
prepared to give immediate con-
sideration to the demands Of tele-
phone operators for higher wages,
after strike was averted last night
at union meeting.
Service was affected for near
ly two hours when number
of operators left their posts to
attend an emergency meeting of the
Washington telephone Traffic
Union at the Hamilton Hotel to dis
cuss the possibility of strike over
wage dispute with the Chesapeake
81 Potomac Telephone Co.
Negotiators for the Washington
Hotel Associat ton, meeting with the
Hotel Service Workers Union, and
a representative from the Concili-
alton Service, have warned that
their members will walk out of 18
leading Washington hotels tomorrow
unless an agreement is reached bv
tonight or there is substantial hope
Of an agreement. l. B. Padway. at
torney for the union. announced
that some Of the points in dispute
were settled yesterday. The wage
question and several other matters
were to be taken up again today
Mr.. Padway said he was hopeful
that the matter would be terminated
today"
Long distance telephone service
was delayed last night and in some
of the outlying exchanges operations
were seriously disrupted. Residents
in the Capitol Heights Md area
and the Falls Church tVa) section
reported they were almost COM
pletely cut off for a time Even
connections to fire and police de-
partments were affected, it was said
Priorities Not Needed
Serious descriptions in service were
also reported by telephone sub
scribers using the Alexandria and
Locust exchanges. Generally. how
ever, telephone officials said, the
of service was not as
widespread as had been expected
Downtown exchanges were scarcely
affected, they said, and, although
there were delays in putting through
long distance calls. 1t was not neces-
ary to invoke priorities system for
war calls.
A company spokesman said that
radio appeals, asking the public to
curtail the use of telephones, was
withdrawn soon after pm, when
it appeared the warning would not
be necessary. Users of dial phones
experienced little difficulty, since the
dial system Is essentially automatic
and fewer operators are needed to
put through calls.
1t was estimated that 200 of the
company's 2,250 operators attended
last nights meeting of the tele-
phone union and decided to go
back to their jobs pending settle
ment of the controversy by the War
Labor Board. which entered the case
yesterday. Most of those attending
were operators on day shifts.
Meet in Two Sections.
Because of the crowd, the meeting
was held in two sections-the first
group leaving the hall at 9 pm. and
the second an hour later. The hall
was jammed with women, a few
seated, the rest occupying every
available foot of space. At times,
the sessions grew tempestuous and
at one point threatened to break
into general disorder when 1t was
discovered reporters and photog-
raphers were lurking on a roof just
outside the meeting hall.
A bevy of feminine unionists
charged out onto the roof and at
tackled the newspapermen. striking
and pushing the reporters and
smashing Photographic plates and
bulbs
The union agreed to heed the
advice Of the War Labor Board not
to do anything drastic in view of
the fact that the board was ex-
pediting action in the case. 1t was
understood the board agreed to
begin hearings early next week with
a view toward reaching q settlement
by next Friday night. Both the
company and the union agreed to
accept the decision Of the board in
the wage dispute.
A telegram, sent by the WLB to
both the company and the union,
was read to the gathering last night
0s.. TVIFP3 3ONEs. Psee A-S5