Evening star., 1946-06-16
Commissioners Have
Good Labor Record
Writer Finds City Fathers Alert
In Strike Crises
BIZ John w. THOMPSON Jr

In Strike Crises
By John w. Thompson, Jr.
The three District Commissioners to
date have shown marked initiative in
dealing with the various labor crises
that since the end of hostilities, have
arisen in or vitally affected the Ma
tional Capital.
They have shown no hesitancy in
stepping into hot disputes where the
interest of the community has been at
stake.
The paralyzing walkout of the bus
and streetcar operators against the
Capital Transit Co. in mid November
provided their baptism in labor rela-
tions. Here they offered their good
offices" in working out solution and,
when indications were against early
settlement, went straight to President
Truman requesting the Federal Govern
ment to take over the company oper-
ations and restore service.
Not until after the White House had
acted did the city heads disclose that
they had requested the seizure. The
Federal statement accompanying seizure
contained phrases from their letter to
the President, revealing the effective
ness of their plea
Scarcely was public transportation
again operating when the community
began to feel the effects of the strike of
Local 639, International Brotherhood OF
Teamsters, against about dozen local
trucking firms. Carloads of Christmas
goods remained unloaded in the rail
yards and even such commodities as
medicines were affected. On November
% group of businessmen asked the
Commissioners to intervene.
During the next 10 days the city
heads met with the representa- tives of
the union and employers, finally termi-
mating their effort with a n-point
proposed solution which was accepted
by the union but rejected by the en-
ployers. Admitting defeat, the Com
missioners withdrew from the picture.
but the walkout ended shortly after
on almost the terms they had proposed.
These winter eruptions proved pre-
liminary only to more significant events
in the spring. simultaneously, as April
slipped into May. the Capital faced
drastic if not total curtailment Of its
electric power as result of the strike
of the soft coal miners, and a complete
shutdown of its manufactured gas when
the Washington Gas Light Co. failed to
meet the wage demands of its employees.
In the case of power, basic communi-
cation needs as well as lights and the
pumping of the water supply were at
stake. In the case of gas, the 260 900
consumers in the Metropolitan Area
faced the danger of having jets turned
off. Cooking and food refrigeration
depended on both. Commissioner Guy
Mason said at the time. that in his more
than 40 years here he had never seen
a worse prospect for the community.
The response of the Commissioners
to the power problem was their dimout
order of May with a penalty clause
for yiolators Ready if needed were in
creasingly severe curtailments to be
ming. Working closely with the Public
Utilities Commission and the Potomac
Electric Power Co., they kept constant
check on the coal reserves Company
cooperation was exemplary.
District lawyers had searched the stat
ute books for authority to order citizens
to curtail power usage. They found triple
support from police powers act of the
past century the Blackout Act OF l94l
and language in the code specifically
authorizing control of electric power
usage under certain conditions.
maj jor problem was compliance of
the nearby Maryland communities using
local power since the authority behind
the dmout order stopped at the District
line. Word from Gov. O'Conor and the
Public Service Commission was not en-
coureging as to their ability to compel
compliance. Fortunately, the nearby
counties gave voluntary cooperation to
the metropolitan effort
In the case of gas company difficulties,
gram to both parties to the dispute,
stressing the hardship to the community
were service to be disrupted and also
the danger. AS a result of this plea and
other factors. the walkout was called
off at the last minute
Once again, when the threatened rail-
road strike went into effect on May %,
the Commissioners announced they had
asked the Board of Trade for an imme-
diate report on the critical supplies on
hand in the Capital.
The report, indicating a good supply
Of food and medicine available and
trucks to keep it coming in. did much
to stifle the hysterical panic buying"
that might have ensued.
When the news came that the strike
was over the city heads were still on the
move seeking from the Department OF
Agriculture a temporary lifting Of the
quotas for meat slaughtering for the
metropolitan area in the hopes of giving
Washington access to nearby beef with
in trucking distances.
What the future holds in the form Of
labor problems affecting Washingto-
mans none can predict, but the record
would presage fortnight action by the
Commissioners should they develop. !
ornament "She made decidedly fa-
IL.