Evening star., 1946-01-12
Operators
Continued From First Page.)

trio Co. and the Association of Com
Equipment Workers
met at the Labor Department with
Secretary of Labor Schwellenbach
and members of the Cancellation
Service.
The Washington operators were
told that a separate conclllatlon
effort involving their own grievances
failed yesterday afternoon. The
conference was called with officials
of the union and the Chesapeake &
Potomac Telephone Co. in the In
terror Department.
The operators here left their posts
Thursday morning to attend meet
ing at the arena called by Mrs. Gan
non to protest what they termed
'sweatshop conditions" in Capital
exchanges. They have remained away
from their jobs since then. Yester-
day morning. token picket lines were
established around all telephone
properties in the area by the equip
ment workers union as part of a
national walkout.
Earlier, it had been pointed out
that, even if the issues in the sep
arate controversy here should be
resolved, the tieup would not end so
long as the communications work.
ers maintained their picket line.
For this reason, it was pointed out,
there is little incentive for either the
company or the union to settle the
dispute here, while both sides realize
that workers would not 60 back to
their jobs through the equipment
workers picket lines.
The District Federation Of Tele-
phone Employees, also an independ-
ent, said 80 per cent OF the COM
pany's 1000 plant employees were re-
specting the picket lines. Some of
the men, it was said, work in Gov
ernment buildings, where they have
not been faced with pickets.
George Duval. regional director of
the National Federation of Tele-
phone Workers, with which the op-
orators are affiliated, today gave the
unions first full account of griev-
ances against the company.
At the bottom of charges of "spy
system" and "sweatshop conditions, .
he said, is the unions contention
that the company is trying to COM
pei supervisors to carry out the
duties of chief operators as we'll as
their usual work.
Supervisors, ne said, are really
senior operators whose duty it is to
coordinate the work of others,
rather than to direct it.
Now the company is requiring
them to stand in back of operators,
grab their hands if they do some
thing wrong, reprimand and dis
cipline them," he said. They are
required to report mistakes and cor
rect operators in front of other
girls"
Mr.. Duval contended that if super
visors are to act as bosses, they
should be paid for it and their
duties should be generally defined.
Under such circumstances, he said,
they wouldn't even be eligible to Join
the union.
Called by Goodrich.
The Cancellation conference yes
terday afternoon was called by
Commissioner Richard w. Goodrich
of the Cancellation Service who ad-
mitted that the four-hour session
failed to produce any basis for a
compromise settlement of the issues.
Those attending for the company
were r. A. Van Orsdel, general
counsel; H. r. Maddox, vice presi-
dent and general manager; R. C.
McCann, vice president in charge
of personnel, and William Trapnell,
traffic manager, and, for the union,
Mrs. Cannon, Mrs. Emma Sauer,
vice president; Mrs. Mildred Beahm,
educational director, and AL Philip
Kane, general counsel for the fed
Grafton.
Mr.. Goodrich said, after the meet
ing, no further session would be
held until chances for a settlement
brighten.
Operators, 1t was pointed out by
the union, are engaged in walkout