Evening star., 1945-10-11
Oil Union Asks
Court 10 Rule
On Police Acts
) Officers Cars Used
To Break Amoco
Picket Lines

american Oll 20. storage plant
at Rosslyn, Va, today were to
seek a court ruling on whether
Arlington County police may
continue opening the strikers
lines and conveying delivery
trucks.
T. j. Mccarthy, president of the
local, said he had turned the matter
over to union attorneys and expected
a decision by this afternoon. So
far police have aided four gasoline
delivery trucks in leaving the plant
and making deliveries. Two were
driven through the lines yesterday
and two this morning.
Meanwhile Mr.. Mccarthy and two
union members were under 5000
bond to appear in County Court
October 10 on charges of assault
growing out of a row at the plant
Tuesday night.
Operator Files Complaints.
E. B. Bruce, operator of a filling
station at Fifteenth and D streets
Sc, signed complaints yesterday.
Police had reported he suffered a
bruised nose and scratches at the
hands of pickets when he drove an
empty delivery truck into the plant
grounds.
The other two men named in the
complaints were Harry Preece, 1101
Euclid street NE, and Robert II.
Brown, 800 Taylor street NV. =
Police conveyed the first truck
through the picket lines yesterday
noon. A second truck was brought
through at 4:30 pm, another at tbs
am. today and the last at 10:30 am.
today. In each case police cars and
Amoco officials in company cars &C
companied them.
Truck Damaged.
Although there were no incidents
when the trucks left the plant
yesterday, minor violence marked
delivery of one load of gasoline.
Alexandria police reported that as
the truck was pumping out its load at
an Amoco station at Cameron and
Henry streets a bystander picked
up service station tool, lifted the
truck hood and smashed the spark
plugs.
Identified by police as Frank
White, So. of 1114 Cameron street,
he was released on $500 peace bond
today by Alexandria Police Judge
James r. Duncan after 1t was testi-
fed he had been under a physicians
care for some time, suffering from a
nervous condition. Police said he
had no connection with the union.
The other delivery yesterday was
to an Amoco station in the 3700 block
of Georgia avenue NV. Unionists
who had followed the truck in three
cars, picketed the station for about
an hour before returning to Rosslyn.
AS result, Col. Edward ]. Kelly,
District police superintendent, is
sued an order to officers here to
guard against injury and property
damage to Amoco drivers and trucks
making further deliveries in the
city.
Pickets did not attempt to follow
| the trucks which left today. Both
headed for the District.
Mr.. Mccarthy, insisting that the
assault charges brought against him
and the two other workers were
groundless, repeated earlier asser-
tions that the picketing was being
carried on in peaceful manner.
Pic,lets Still March.
About 20 pickets continued to
march up and down in front of the
plant gates this morning. One police
patrol car was stationed there.
Other police left after the trucks
were driven through the lines.
Amoco officials refused comment
on reports that deliveries from
storage plants in neighboring cities
had nullided effects of the strike
here.
The picketing began a week ago
today as the union pressed its de-
mands for 80 per cent pay in
crease through continuance of the
eight-hour wartime overtime pay for
basic 40-hour work week.
Efforts of Labor Department con-
CllldtOIS So 1dT have DcGu lTulLleSS.
The dispute now is described as a
company lockout" following the
firms decision not to re-employ any
of the strikers until new contract
is agreed on.
In an attempt to prevent other
gasoline companies from supplying
service stations which formerly pur-
chased from Amoco, the union had
established picket lines at the bulk
storage plants of the Sinclair Re-
fining Co., 4o1 Farragut street NE,
and the Texas Oil Co., North Fairfax
drive and Pendleton street, Alexan-
dria.
At each plant company spokes-
men said small group of pickets
was parading before the gates and
talking to drivers, but no attempts
were being made to halt delivery
trucks Drivers for both Sinclair
and Texaco are members of an AFL
union.