Evening star., 1946-02-07
DC. Telephone
Vote
Today on Strike
Four Questions Asked
In Union Poll on
WuIkout This Month

Wulkout This Month
District telephone operators
were given the opportunity to-
day of voting for or against a
strike later this month, notice
of which was formally filed
under the War Labor Disputes
Act January 16.
The strike vote was being con.
Quoted at Turner's Arena in con-
nection with four meetings .sched-
uled throughout the day, so arrang-
ed that all operators may cast ball
lots without interfering with tele-
phone service.
Some quarters regarded the vot-
ing as concession by Mrs. Mary
E. Cannon, president Of the Wash
ington Telephone Traffic >Union, to
a minority group which demanded
an opportunity to vote before join
ing walkout. These demands were
said to have been made during an
eight-day continuous meeting"
held by the operators last month.
200 Vote Early
About 200 operators appeared for
the first meeting at $3.50 am. to
hear Mrs. Emma Sauer, union vice
president, report on progress of
wage negotiations-one of the four
conditions of the strike ballot.
Outcome of the voting was to
advise Mrs. Cannon how to rep
resent the union when the National
Federation Of Telephone Workers
determines in Memphis February
II whether or not to 60 through
with a proposed national strike.
The Turner's Arena meetings to-
day were conducted in the absence
OF Mrs. Cannon, who was in Gin
cinnati with a NFTW committee,
engaged in bargaining sessions with
telephone companies in several
cities.
S. Week Offered
Mrs. Sauer reported the company
had not budged from its offer of a
$5-a-week increase fer operators and
So more for clerical workers. She
said the unions demands for $40
a week were now being bargained
for by the national committee with
which Mrs. Cannon is working.
A union spokesman said it was
possible the operators would be
forced to strike regardless of their
voting sentiments, if the NFTW de-
cided on national waIkout. About
half the NFTW's members filed no.
tice of strike between February IS
and 81.
On the ballot the operators were
asked if they were in favor of
striking Cd if the unions demands
Tor 81 day are rejected; (2) be-
cause the company made changes
In the pension plan without con-
sulting the union; l3) because the
Bell System had failed to settle a
dispute between Western Electric
and the Association of Conmunica-
tions Equipment Workers which
caused picketing of Washington tel
ephone offices and resulted in loss
OF wages for operators and "a be-
cause the company refused to agree
to a normal length of work week.
Meantime, a NFTW committee
virtually had completed hearings at
which representatives Of the Amer
ican Federation Of Labor and the
Congress of Industrial Organizations
were invited to make their best bids
for af1liation of the independent
telephone union.
Affiliation to Wait.
4 The committee will not. recon-
mend affliation with either group,
but will make a report of its findings
to the national convention in Mem
phis and put the question of affilia-
ton to vote of the 40 NFTW locals.
One member of the committee
strongly intimated the telephone
union, with 250,000 members, had
practically realized its ultimate
growth and was ready to join one
of the more powerful unions.
However, Carl Schultz, president
of the District Federation Of Tele-
phone Workers, said the general as
sembly representing $500. members
had voted against afIiliation and
would SO respond at the Memphis
convention.
j Union and Company Confer.
/ A. B. Harrington, union spokes-
man, said the union objected to the
change in the pension plan simply
because the company had taken
''unilateral action" without consult
ing the union. Actually, he said, the
union had benefited from an in
crease in the pension minimum from
$50 to $50 month.
The Company-union Committee
on Working Conditions, which grew
out of the walkout of 5000 operators
last month, will hold its second
meeting tomorrow Mrs. Mildred H
Benin, chairman of the union group
said results thus far had been .'ex-
cellent" and some recommendations
for improved working conditions
should come from the conferences.
i Since the last of today,s meetings
will not be concluded before lC
o'clock, it is doubtful whether bal
lots on the strike proposition will
be counted tonight. The union has
not decided whether to make the
results public.
Silver Sprinq Civilians