Evening star., 1946-05-28
Pickets Tie Up
Rochester After
Ignoring Accord
Public transportation
Halted; 1850 Idle
In Demonstration
BY the Associoied Press

ROCHESTER,, N. Y. May 28.-
Mass picketing by organized la
Dor in retaliation against the city
government for refusing to rec
ognize a union made idle an
estimated 26,650 workers today,
paralyzing public transportation
and crippling several industries.
The picketing was ordered in re-
pudiation of an announced settle
ment of differences between the
city and the union, agreed to by
City Manager Louis B. Cartwright
and the State Federation of Labor
Gov. Thomas E. Dewey aided ne
gotiations.
The mass demonstration" di-
rected by joint AFL-CIO strategy
committee, began at 5 am. when
members of a bus drivers union
were pulled off the job.
This left thousands of persons
stranded on the streets waiting for
transportation. Many walked as
much as miles to work.
Thousands Leave Jobs.
Later in the morning. a union
spokesman announced that 1880
C1O-Amalgamated Clothing Work
ers had left their jobs, as had thou
sands of other persons employed by
industries, hotels, theaters. news
papers and trucking industries.
Anthony A. Capone. president of
the Rochester Central Trades and
Labor Council, said the "demostra-
iion' was spreading and that the
full effect would be felt tomorrow.
He said it was a sympathy dem
onstration and not general strike" !"
The dispute began May Is when
the city administration abolished
more than 400 jobs in the Depart
ment of Public Works as its answer
to efforts by an AFL union to or
ganize employees of the department
and obtain union recognition.
The jobs were reinstated May 20,
but the controversy continued.
Early today the State Federation
of Labor at Albany and City Man
ager Cartwright at Rochester an
the dispute had been set
tied and that the affected employees
would return to work with the right
to unionize conceded, provided the
union did not favor a strike against
the public.
Settlement Repudiated.
The Joint Strategy Committee. in
a statement, praised Harold c. Han
over, secretary-treasurer of the
State Federation, for his "unselfish"
service as an intermediary, but as
serted he had failed to achieve the
basic objective of the union, which
is whether the city administration
will recognize and abide by article
I, section II, of the New York State
Constitution, which states:
Employees have the right to or
ganize and bargain collective
through representatives of their own
choosing"
Mr.. Hanover said at Albany that
the settlement had been agreed to
by Mr.. Cspone. but that he was
"repudiated by his committee"
Mr.. Capone said the largest union
affected was the Clothing Workers
Union.
The second largest single union
pulled off the job, he said, was that
of the bus drivers employed by the
Rochester Transit Corp, numbering
about $50.
Newspapers Affected.
Among the first affected by the
demonstration were the city's two
daily newspapers, members of the
Frank Gannett group of publica-
tions.
The Democrat and Chronicle, a
morning newspaper. had completed
all but 5000 of its $4,000 run before
establishment of picket line
halted distribution.
Work on the Times Union, an eve
ming paper, was stalled when edi-
torial and some mechanical en-
ployes refused to cross picket line.
Operations of the 8O-truck fleet
OF the City Delivery and Storage Co.
and YaWman g. Erbe, manufactur-
ers of steel Office equipment, were
halted as result of picketing.
Pickets bore placards stating the
fired city workers need your all-out
support" Similar placards were
displayed on cruising automobiles
and suspended from mailposts.
Pickets appeared at city garages,
the disposal plant, incinerator and
(See ROCHESTER, Page A-6.)
n LII