Evening star., 1946-01-10
Phone WoIkout Statements
Excessive Control
Over Operators
Cited by Workers

| Excessive supervision, resulting ir
nervous strain, and an overempha
sis on directives by the Chesapeake
and Potomac Telephone Co. are be.
hind today's walkout of operators
according to Mrs Mary E. Cannon
president of the Washington Tele.
phone Traffic Union.
Coincident with her verbal state
ment, the Association of Communi.
cations Equipment Workers, striking
against the Western Electric Co.
made public its position. The union
composed OF installation men, main.
tains they are underpaid as com.
pared with other classes of the tele.
phone industry employees. 1t also i.
asking for more liberal expense ac-
counts for technicians who must
travel.
Mrs. Cannon outlined the opera.
tors grievances under four main
headings:
/. Too many service programs
and constant reminders of rules and
regulations concerning the opera
|tlon OF switchboards.
"Plug In" Rule Opposed.
2. The plug in" rule, requiring
that an operator relieving another
must have the connecting cord In
her hand as the operator going of
duty leaves her seat.
3. Excessive observation of opera
tors by officials.
4. Meetings of employees called by
officials to hammer home" direc.
tives.
Mrs. Cannon maintained thai
working conditions in the phone
company offices imposed a severe
nervous strain on operators.
Breathe Down Necks."
"The management of the offices,
she continued, constantly walk up
and down behind the girls at the
switchboards, making them nervous
Sometimes they look over the op-
orators shoulders and even breathe
down their necks.
THE day chief, the evening chief
the night chief, the assistant Chief
and the manager of the ofice take
turns at this.
The. supervisors must account fol-
every minute of their time-must be
constantly checking on the girls
work, listen to customers complaints
and report on equipment out o1
order.
"We have girls leaving the boards
and going home because of these
conditions. Absenteeism is terrible
and the public is not getting the
service 1t should. The people re-
naming on the job are doing sc
under terrible handicap"
Western Electric Pay Cited.
The communications equipment
workers, in a statement by R. l.
Austin, district representative OF
their union, said that Western
Electric had increased wages only
So per week since 1912.
The Western Electric Co. in the
Bell system carries the full support
of the system in the pursuance of Its
arrogant policies and persecution Of
its employees" the statement con-
tinued
Mr.. Austin said the union sought
an increase in the Scent mobility
allowance" now given by the com
pany to employees asked to trans
fer from one city to another, an ad-
equate expense allowance and ade-
quate travel time allowance.
Expense Sum Provided.
| Under the present provisions, in
stallation men are given a certain
sum for expenses instead of an &C.
tual voucher covering the full bill
Mr.. Austin said.
He also said the company refused
to pay men for time spent in going
to and from jobs, another demand
in controversy.
Installation workers start at rs
cents an hour, at the end of eight
years are paid $1.28 and receive a
top rate after eight years of $1.64
Mr.. Austin said. In comparison
telephone workers receive $1.70 after
eight years, he pointed out.