Evening star., 1946-01-12
Telephone
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that if the Government steps in 1t
will probably seize the operating
industry, rather than Western Elec-
trio A seizure order probably would
be carried out by the Federal Com
munications Commission, it was said.
From coast to coast, with the ex-
ception of some New England States,
only emergency and priority long
distance calls were handled after
the 5000 ACEW workers set up
picket lines at dawn yesterday
around key exchanges.
Twelve of the IA major long
distance exchanges in the country
were hit by the picket lines, the A.
T. & T. said. The exceptions were
New York and Boston.
8 Per Cent of Normal Calls Handled.
Supervisors and other emergency
operators manned some boards in
the disrupted exchanges, but COM
pany statement said only per cent
of the normal number of calls were
handled during the day. Later the
company figure rose to per cent
of normal.
The company gave these figures
on the percentage of normal long
distance operations in some of the
country's major cities yesterday
Chicago. IS per cent; Philadelphia,
10; Pittsburgh, 10; Detroit, rs;
Minneapolis, 18; Cleveland, 80;
Buffalo, 30; Louisville, 6; Memphis,
6; Cincinnati, 7. and st. Louis, 8.
Percentage of operation was lower
in smaller exchanges, it was said,
thus bringing the overall average
down to per cent.
In New York, where local opera
tions remained normal, the chief
effect of the strike today was CEN
tered at the A. T. & T. Building on
the Avenue of the Americas, where
long distance operators continued
to respect picket lines. This build
ing houses the nerve center of all
long line operations, and super
visors and emergency employees were
called on to handle urgent calls.
80 of Calls Handled.
Company officials reported at 10
m. that per cent of the normal
rs, 900 daily long distance calls orig
mating in the New York area were
being handled.
Several hours after telephone
workers began going through the
nj ut
changes officials of the equipment
workers union said it would remove
its pickets from these properties and
concentrate them at the A. T. 81 T.
Building and at the main. New York
telephone office which houses three
exchanges.
Oficials of the equipment work.
erS' union said they could not un-
derstand why members of other un-
ions decided to defy the established
picket lines. 1t was recalled, how
ever, that when independent tele-
phone unions engaged in sympathy
walkouts throughout the country last
fall, in connection with dispute in
Illinois and parts of Indiana, most
of the New York operators remained
at their posts.
Meanwhile, telephone company
officials in many cities obtained court
orders against picketing in an at.
tempt to prevent further tie-ups.
A spokesman for the Southwest
ern Bell Telephone Co. said: 1.-The
injunctions are one of series OF
ways the company is considering to
continue service" He declined tt
list any other method under consid-
Grafton.
Union leaders called out 1l00t
operators in Northern Californis
and Nevada and $500 in Ohio.
A. T. 81 r. said 200 cities were
picketed and of the 80 operating
areas of the Bell System there wal
at least some picketing in 20. Ths
nonpicketed areas, the company
said, were Long Island, North Da.
kota. Virginia and the New England
area except Connecticut.
i The controversy between Western
Electric and the equipment workers
lunion revolved around a union de.