Evening star., 1947-04-22
T telephone
Continued From First Page.

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get an increase If they asked for it.
On the strike front itself, the union
reported that the New Jersey Bell
Telephone Co. had made a wage
offer" but the claim was quickly
denied by the company, and the
Chesapeake & Potomac Telephone
Co. asserted that strikers here are
returning to work, but these claims
were quickly denied by the union.
After the announcement of the
New Jersey offer, the NFTW policy
committee spurIed its local nego-
tiating committees over the country
to seek money offers" from Bell
System companies.
The disputed claims developed
when the NFTW policy committee
reported that the New Jersey Bell
company had made an offer of a
TN cent hourly increase, and the
company said Immediately there
was nothing to it."
Union Sees Front Cracked.
j Though not enthusiastic about
the alleged offer, NFTW leaders
called 1t the first cash proposal by
a Bell-affiliated company and the
first crack" in, the solid strike front.
1 The push for local offers by the
union Is on the theory that ma
tiona. wage pattern might emerge
and assist in final settlement.
i Tension was admitted at the La
Dor Department where conciliators
said the walkout is at its Crucial
stage" They refused to talk about
their plans for settlement.
On the heels of assertions that
the 15-cent-an-hour increase agree
ment reached in the steel industry
had nothing to do with the tele-
phone companies, j. B. Morrison,
vice president and general manager
of the c. & p. Co., said that 273
additional District workers re-
turned to their posts yesterday and
today. He said that 1924 bar
gained-for" employees, both union
and nonunion, were back on the job.
Flying Squadron" Planned.
District strikers held their third
series of mass meetings yesterday
at Turner's Arena and made plans
for a flying squadron" of pickets,
moving by bus and auto, to visit
lines throughout the city from z
am. to pm. today. A dance also
will be held tonight in the Silver
Spring Armory to raise money for
the unions welfare fund, it was
announced.
Helery Robinson, president Of the
District Federation of Telephone
Workers, will speak at 7:55 O'Clock
tonight over WWDC to discuss
strike issues and appeal for funds.
Both the CIO and AFL were pitch
ing in today to help the idle tele-
phone workers although the strikers
are affiliated with neither OF the
big labor groups.
The CIO last week threw Its back
ing behind the strikers, both ma
tionally and locally, and Organiza-
ton Director Allan S. Haywood
pledged "wholehearted support, u
morally and financially. AFL Presi-
ldent William Green told a news
conference yesterday that AFL Is
helping locally and nationally In
their requests"
Offer Rejected in Baltimore.
| In Baltimore, the Maryland Fed
Grafton of Telephone Workers, with
2,100 members, today turned down
by to 2-to-1 vote . new company
offer to arbitrate provisions Of Q
contract.
At the same time the Maryland
Telephone Trafiic Union, made ur
of some 1000 nonstriking switch.
board operators. said that a com.
pany plan offered them was un'
satisfactory, but that negotiation.
; will continue. This union, though
not affiliated with the NFTW, ha!
been respecting picket lines sine