Evening star., 1946-10-12
18 Strike-Bound Hotels Face
Loss of Heat and Hot Water
As WoIkout of Firemen Begins
Peace Outlook Dim;
Both Sides Hesitate
To Make First Move
Pictures on Page A-f2.)

Pictures on Page A-12)
A strike of service employees at
18 leading Washington hotels
frightened today as a walkout of
AFL firemen threatened to shut
off heat and hot water at the
hostelrieS.
There was no indication in the
second day of the walkout of 5000
workers that either side in the wage
controversy would bulge from their
stands over the week end.
No joint meetings were scheduled
for the day and Cancellation Com
missioner Clyde Mills saw no pros
poets of calling one.
Virtually all service was sus-
pended at the 18 hotels, putting it
squarely UP to more than 5000
guests to shift for themselves.
Ne New Guests Accepted.
. Dining rooms and tap rooms were
closed, room service was cut off.
All the hotels could guarantee was
a place to sleep to guests already
registered. None of the hotels was
accepting new guests today.
Hotel officials and Office help
were operating elevators, acting as
bell hops, operating telephone
switchboards and performing other
tasks to enable the hotels to main
tain bare minimum of service.
Both Joseph C. McGarraghy, at
torney representing the struck ho-
tells, and Samuel Levine, attorney
representing the four striking
unions, were willing to meet in joint
conferences, but both made it plain
that it was up to the other side to
make the first move.
Mr.. Levine said the union stood
ready to arbitrate the wage dead
lock and other issues.
Oppose Dictation on Wages.
Mr.. McGarraghy said hotels did
not want third party debating the
wages they paid their employees.
Mr.. Levine limited broadly the
unions were raising their price for a
settlement above the compromise
figure suggested by Mr.. Mills. The
union had accepted the compromise
terms, but the hotels had rejected
them.
Adding confusion was the an
nouncement by George Lowell, busi-
ness agent of Firemen and Oilers
International Brotherhood, Local So,
that so or 60 boiler tenders were on
their way out and that by midnight
all engine rooms would be untended.
All heat and hotwater will be cut
off in the rooms and any air
conditioning units in use will be
knocked out, he said.
Mr.. Lowell said the AFI union
was going to support the strike to-
the limit.
Leaving Job Gradually.
1--WE will not leave the equipment
in anything but safe state" he
said. "That is why we are leaving
the job gradually"
There was no immediate answer
to the question of whether the loss
of heat and hot water would force a
complete shutdown of the hotels.
Mr.. McGarraghy said the hotel
managers were keeping public in
terest uppermost in mind in oper-
ating some kind of service, and that
there was no indication at this time
of closing the hotels.
HoteIS Still Nearly Full.
In line with the policy of accept
ing no new guests. some of the
hotels, notably the Mayfower, Will
lard and Washington, sent tele-
grams canceling> all reservations.
Despite the inconvenience. the
hotels still were reported to be
nearly full today. The managers
have adopted the attitude that
guests may stay until they can find
other quarters.
With all dining rooms closed ex-
cept those at the Continental, oper-
ating under nonunion concessions,
dinner meetings were Cancelled.
Every guest was in the same boat
when the strike was clamped on
shortly after pm. yesterday.
Pickets began marching in chain
gang fashion before the doors of the
Ambassador, Annapolis, Carlton,
Continental, Harrington, Hay-Ad-
ans, Lafayette, Martinique, May
flower, New Colonial, Raleigh, Roger
Smith, Lee Sheraton, Shoreham,
Statler, Wardman Park, Washington
and Willard Hotels.
Out the doors poured elevator
operators, bellboys, cooks, kitchen
workers, bartenders and charwom-
en-all The component parts of max
ing hotel click for the comfort OF
its guests.
Many guests were caught in cock
tail rooms and grills, watched the
bartenders and walters brush past
them and learned their food and
drink had been "cut off" a new way.
Supervisory employees began TAX
ing up the loose ends as best they
could, manning some elevators in
amateurish fashion, taking over
telephone switchboards and other
wise attempting to continue a
sketchy service.
Hotel management, in not insist
ing that guests depart, were mind
full of the critical room short
age that would force a hardship on
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