Evening star., 1946-03-05
| Third Phone Farley
Called With Lille
Hope Of Settlement


While union leaders put finishing
touches on plans for a coast-to-
coast telephone strike Thursday, the
Labor Departments Cancellation
Service today called together the
key disputants for the third time in
six days.
None concerned saw much chance
Of averting the tie-up, but most OBJ
servers were agreed that If break
was to come at all, it would be In
the dispute between the American
Telephone and Telegraph Co. and
the Federation of Long Lines Tele-
phone Workers.
Edgar L. Warren, Cancellation
Service director, called the confer
ence this morning bent ON compro-
missing the 81 cent difference
blocking a settlement. That fail
ing, he was prepared to propose
arbitration or fact-finding in final
attempt at heading off the strike.
Long Lines hOl0 hcy.
Mr. Warren held the conviction
that an agreement for the 19,100
long lines workers would pave the
way for settlement Of 16 other dis
putes between afiiliates OF the in
dependent National Federation Of
Telephone Workers and A. T. 81 T.
subsidiaries.
An NFTW spokesman said the II
unions involved had agreed to reach
no individual settlement without as
surance that all other disputes
could be resolved by the same yard
stick.
The long lines case was brought
here from New York, where, within
the past six days, two 14-hour
meetings failed. The Cancellation
Service concentrated on it because
the long lines workers are the vital
cog in long distance operations and
because the disputants seem closer
together than in other localities.
Full Delegation Meets.
That both sides were making a
genuine effort to reach a settlement
was shown by the full delegation of
six union and three company repre-
sentatives who greeted Mr.. Warren
in the conference room.
For the company, the representa-
tives were G. S. Dring, assistant
vice president in charge of long lines
affairs; J. E. Dingman, employe re-
lations manager, and S. w. Landon,
attorney.
The union was headed by its pres
ident, John J. Moran, and r. T.
Creasey, chief negotiator. Other
negotiators were A. S. Douglas, Dor
othy Handy, Loretta E. Emma and
o. L. Adams. Peter j. Mannot, who
sat as conciliator at two previous
meetings, was on hand to referee
this one.
A long lines bargaining session
broke up in New York early Monday
morning with the company offering
IS cents an hour increase and the
union holding out for 1871 cents.
For the second time Mr.. Moran said
nothing was left but to strike, but
for the second time he was needing
a Government Cancellation call to-
day.
The fact that union and company
have made continuous attempts at
settlement, together with a state
ment by Joseph A. Beirne, NFTW
president, that the union would con-
slider arbitration, gave conciliators
faint hope of blocking the walkout
scheduled for am. Thursday =
Upward of 250, 900 workers OF all
descriptions were counted on by
NFTW to heed the strike call. In
addition, to the H unions which
have given required S0-day strike
notice, most of the other 80 affili-
ates of NFTW are expected to OBJ
serve picket lines in keeping with
union policy.
d. c. Workers Ready to Act.
In Washington 5000 operators
2,400 maintenance and clerical
workers and about 500 others be-
longing to installation and main
tenance unions are prepared to act
There was likelihood that the Bal
timore strike would jump the gun
and begin at pm. tomorrow. Miss
Margaret c. Crocken, spokesman for
six unions involving about 5000
workers, said all operators were ex-
pected to be at meeting at 8 pm.
whether they were working or not.
The announcement followed one
by the Baltimore City Medical So
ciety protesting interruption of serv-
ice without provisions for calls of
an emergency nature. Such inter-
ruption would affect the public
health adversely" the statement said.