Evening star., 1944-11-19
Phone Strike Spreads
To Cleveland DESPITE
Company Heads S Plea
$50 Maintenance Men
Join Operators in Woee
Protest WuIkout
By the Associated Press.

COLUMBUS, Ohio, Nov. 18.-
The strike of union telephone
operators spread into industrial
Northeast Ohio tonight, despite
referral of the case to the Ma
tional War Labor Board for zap
propriate action" and d back
to-work appeal issued by Ran
dolph Eide, president of the Ohio
Bell Telephone Co.
The two-day strike of operators
was joined for the first time by
maintenance men, equipment install
lers and construction workers, as
$50 plant men" left their jobs In
the Cleveland area.
Ohio Federation OF Telephone
Workers ofncials also reported that
I 800 Cleveland operators had voted
to quit Immediately in support Of
the strike, which started Friday q
Dayton.
Picket Lines Form.
The 225 members Of the Canton
local, which includes operators In
Canton. Mansfield, Alliance and
Massillon, also walked out tonight
and picket lines were thrown around
telephone exchange buildings in the
four cities.
The Youngstown Salem locals op-
orators voted, 80 to 80, against par
ticipation in the walkout, but fed
Grafton officials claimed that only
about half the locals membership
voted. The union spokesman said
mail ballots would be sent out to
check the full membership.
Communications in 20 other cities,
including Columbus and Dayton,
already were crippled by the two
day walkout.
Extra PAY" Defended.
Miss Jeanette Reedy, president
of the unions Southwestern divi-
sion, said the walkout was q pro-
test by unionists against the. COM
pany's importation of out-of-town
operators on q salary plus expense
account arrangement.
Mr.. Eide said the practice was
started about two and a half years
ago ito take care of the unprece-
dented volume of telephone trafic
occasioned by the war at this vital
war center, and to assure adequate
service at Wright and Patterson
Fields of the ARMY Air Forces"
THE company felt then, and still
feels" he asserted. that it is only
fair to compensate these people
reasonably for their added ex-
penses. such as board, lodging and
laundry.
"The union has taken the un-
tenable position that Dayton oper :
ators, who naturally do not incur
these expenses. should also have
additional compensation over and
above the prevailing wage scale"
Regional Hearing Held. ].
Company spokesmen said the out
of-town girls received about $18 per
week for expenses. and that the
prevailing wage scale In Dayton
averages $27 week.
1T is apparent that the strike is
not onlys illegal but is 'inimical to
the effective prosecution Of the
war;" declared Mr.. Eide. I'VE re-
gret the inconvenience which the
public is experiencing and appeal
to cur operators to comply with the
War Labor Boards order and 90
back to work at once"
The strike was referred back to
the National War Labor Board ..'for
appropriate action" after a hear
ing held by the regional wLB at
Cleveland.
Wants Transferees Moved.
r. q. Pollock, president OF the
federation, told the regional board
that he was powerless to order the
operators back to their boards and
added he believed the only solution
was for Ohio Bell to move its trans-
ferees out Of Dayton. Then. he
said, the independent union would
negotiate.
Mr.. Pollock was called before the
board to show why . back-to-work
order was not complied with yes
t9rSay. Long distance service has
bed hampered severely In Ill cities,
ana local service crippled in those
tSee STRIKE, Page A-6J
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