Evening star., 1946-03-25
Tells Tuck
Il Cannot Avert
vepco Strike
Replies to Governors
DeodIine for Promise
To Continue Service
BY the Assoeiotsd Press

RICHMOND, Va, Mar. 25.-J. O,
Mcintosh, spokesman for the In
ternational Brotherhood Of Electro
cal Workers, who have announced
they will strike April / If nego-
tiations with the Virginia Elec.
trio & Power Co. are not accom-
plished satisfactorily, today advised
Gov. Tuck. that resources used by
the IBEW in the past to avoid work
stoppage are now exhausted"
The advice was embodied in q
message to Gov. Tuck taking note
OF the Governors statement made
yesterday to Vepco and union off,
clals that they had until Thurs
Gay noon to assure the Governor
there will be no interruption in
electric power service.
II assurances are not forthcom-
ing by that time, the Governor
notified Vepco and union officials
ne Will declare an emergency to
exist and take such action as
am advised is necessary" to pre-
vent a break in the service.
Union Accuses Vepco.
Replying to the Governor todav,
the union leader asserted that
Vepco "by various subterfuges has
been on strike against the union
1or many months" Any work STOP
pages, he said, will merely be an
extension of the company action
and not an action confined to the
employees themselves"
Representatives of the company
and the IBEW went back into con-
tract negotiations at 10 a.m.- today.
Over the week end the union sub
mitted its final offer" in the form
OF wage demand for a 15-cent-per-
hour general increase for each en-
ploye, plus ~ cents per hour per
employe to be used for the elm
inatipn Of certain inequities and
inequalities.
Vepco was expected to make a
counterproposal today, but union
representatives made it clear that
any offer of less than the demanded
increase would be carried back to
local unions with the recommended
ton that it be rejected.
Governors Statement.
The Governors statement to
Vepco and IBEW officials yesterday
said, in part:
mo set of men are powerful
enough" the Governor wired the
company and union representatives,
to have a right to weld themselves
together SO as to wreck the Com
monwealth and strike against the
public interests, health and safety Of
the people.
THE right of the Commonwealth
in this matter are paramount. The
rights of Vepco and its employees of
approximately 1,10o are important
and will be protected, but these
rights are subordinate to the public
| interest.
Cites Long Negotiations.
Its not in the public interest for
me to wait until we are enveloped
by disaster before moving to protect
the people. The parties involved in
this controversy have been negotia-
ting for weeks.
II have a right to demand and
must know before the deadly hour
set what you propose to do with ref
erence to this service. Therefore,
unless I hear from a responsible
representative of VEPCO and also a
responsible representative of the
employees of VEPCO, that there will
be no interruption of service by
your organization not later than
Thursday, March %, at IL m. of
that date at the Governors Office
at the capital in Richmond, I shall
as Chief Executive forthwith de-
clare an emergency to exist, and I
shall proceed as expeditiously as
possible to take such action as am
advised is necessary and proper to
protect and preserve the public in
terest and to assure to the people
of the Commonwealth these essen
tial public services and without any
| irterr11nfioy, -