Evening star., 1945-10-25
Truck Strike
Continued From First Page.)

of the large household moving firms.
Although Railway Express. Inc. is
not affected by the walkout, all
pickup and delivery service at the
Pennsylvania Railroad freight yard
was halted. The Eagle Transfer Co.,
which holds the franchise for the
service, is among the struck firms
According to Grover Blackstone,
Pennsylvania Railroad freight agent,
goods are being unloaded from
freight trains as usual but the only
deliveries being made are to firms
which send their own trucks. Three
picketS are stationed at the depot,
Third and E streets S.W.. and an
other in the yard. Others are sta
toned before the struck concerns.
All major department stores here
are affected by the walkout, Mr.
Blackstone said, but since it has
been expected for several weeks, de-
liveries have been kept up to the
minute and stores should not feel
any pinch for few days.
Deliveries from the Baltimore &
Ohio freight depot were not affected
by the walkout. Jacobs Transfer
Co., which holds the franchise there
and handles a heavy volume of other
delivery service, already has signed
a wage increase contract with the
union
None of the trucking concerns are
trying to resume operations, accord
ing o A. w. Stream, president of
the striking Local 639. International
TeamsterS Union. The walkout was
voted last night at a meeting at
union headquarters, 1900 Thirteenth
street NV. following which Mr.
Stream issued this statement:
Three weeks ago at a regular
meeting of the drivers, they voted to
go on strike. They appointed a
committee of 16, along with the
seVen-man executive board and the
officers of Local 639, to try to reach
an agreement, which was the unions
counterproposal to the IA companies
then involved
Offered Same Contract.
Since that time this committee
has tried to negotiate and reach an
agreement with the companies but
has not even been offered counter
proposal They haven't offered any
thing but the current contract.
That same comHittee. unable to
reach an agreement, voted unan-
imously tonight at 9:l5 o'clock to
strike"
Lucien F. Rye, conciliation Serv-
ice regional chief. handling the Bal
timore strike, told The Star in a
telephone conversation that he con-
sidcred the wage question involved
in that dispute closely related to
the District Walkout
In Baltimore union officials and
representatives of the Sc trucking
concerns reached tentative agree
| ment yesterday on a settlement
which includes scent hourly wage
increase for l 500 drivers and help
ers. Final ratification is due this
/ afternoon, Mr.. Rye said. adding
that it might be the basis for set
! tlement here.
Wage Increase Sought.
/ CruX of the walkout here is a
union demand for hourly wage in
creases of 8 cents an hour for
drivers and 1l12 cents an hour for
! helpers Drivers of trailer
trucks now are paid 82l2 cents an
hour and the helpers II cents. Union
officials indicated earlier they would
accept an increase to SO cents for
straight" drivers and 80 cents for
tractor-trailer drivers. and to "a
cents for helpers Tractor trailer
drivers, they said, are more
numerous.
Neither Mr.. McGarraghy nor Mr.
Stream would comment on Mr.
Rye's statement Mr.. Stream, how
ever. asserting the offer which the
union made the association pre-.
viously mo longer stands" said i,
was ready to meet with the oper-
ators or their attorney at any time
to negotiate new contract.
He asserted the association hae
rejected this demand and cited g
statement by Mr.. McGarraghy ear
lier this month that the operators
were willing only to sign an exten-
sion of the old contract.
Only break in the situation came
yesterday when Smith Transfer &
Storage Co. signed with the union
reducing the number of affected
/ firms to IL.
Howard T. Colvin of the United
States Cancellation Service said he
had assigned Conciliator L. w
Goodrich to the case, but no meet
had been arranged yet.
Houen hekad IN Ioarn