Evening star., 1946-01-12
N.Y.Operators Cross Picket Line;
Fair|ess> Murray to See Truman
SchweIIenbuch
Takes Hand in
telephone Tieup
BULLETIN.

union and company officials
in the Western Electric Co.
dispute will be resumed at
2:45 pm, today. The partici-
pants recessed for lunch at
ITO pm. Howard T. Colvin,
assistant director of the
conciliation service, said no
progress had been made.
Secretary Schwellenbach left
the session earlier without
any comment.
Secretary of Labor Schwellen-
bach took hand today in ef-
forts to settle the dispute in the
telephone industry as the tieup
of the Nations communications
system continued to spread.
Mr.. Schwellenbach met at 10 am.
In the Labor Department with repre-
sentatives of the industry and the
union. The conference was arranged
by Howard T. Colvin, assistant chief
of the Cancellation Service, after a
fruitless session among the dis
putants last night.
Government officials were still
drafting plans to seize the country's
telephone facilities /. and when
such action becomes necessary. One
official said this point would be
reached only "if communications
deteriorate to the point where such
action becomes necessary"
First break in the rapidly growing
walkout came in New York, where
all operators reported for work to-
day to assure normal service, cross
ing picket lines which had been
thrown around 80 of the city's 38
exchanges by the Association of
Communications Equipment Workers
in connection with their dispute with
the Western Electric Co.
Members of two independent un-
ions in New York, representing 49,
TOO operators and $500 commercial
workers, voted overwhelmingly" last
night to ignore the picket lines, "ex-
cept in cases where they are threat
ened with bodily HARM" according
to Mrs Marion M. Horn, chairman
of the Executive Board of the Traffic
Employees Association, representing
the operators.
Elsewhere, however, members OF
independent telephone unions were
respecting the picket lines. The
American Telephone & Telegraph
Co., of which the Western Electric
Co. and the Bell System are SUBJ
salaries, reported 10000 of its 10,-
124 long distance operators remained
away from their jobs yesterday. In
addition, an undisclosed number OF
the country's $4,000 local and toll
operators, and clerks and mainte-
nance men did not report for work
Schwellenbach Not at Farley.
Dial service, which is installed
in about IS per cent of the Nation!
telephone facilities, was not affected
by the walkouts. Union official.
said, however, it would be only &
matter of days before mechanical
difficulties would begin to disrupt
the mechanical dial system.
The Intervention of the Secre.
tary of Labor emphasized the grow
ing seriousness of the situation
Mr.. Schwellenbach did not par.
ticipate in last nights Cancellation
conference because, it was explained
he was too involved" in efforts tt
avert steel strike, a walkout ol
CIO meat packing workers and ir
developments in the General Motors
strike.
After the three-hour conference
last night, Mr.. Colvin said he saw
no reason why representatives OF
Western Electric and the equipment
workers union could not settle the
dispute today.
whether they will, of course, is
another matter" he added.
Would Return to Work.
Ernest Weaver, president of the
equipment workers union, and Jo-
seph Beirne, president of the Ma
tional Federation of Telephone
Workers, also an independent, who
attended last nights session, said
their members would return to work
at once in the event of a Govern
ment seizure. Mr.. Weaver said, how
ever, he believed there was little
likelihood the Government would
take over Western Electric mas
much as there is mo specific basis
for such action"
Government officials pointed out
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