Evening star., 1947-05-04
U. s. Reported Urging
S.14 Wage Increase
To End Phone Strike

10 End Pn0ne Nlke
A Government proposal to end
the telephone strike based on a $5.14
overall weekly wage increase for
long-lines workers was reported tin-
officially last night, but the Ameri-
can Telephone & Telegraph Co. said
it would not be acceptable.
Disclosed by a source close to
Labor Department negotiations in
the 28-day strike, the formula calls
for a $3.50 average increase based
on area wage standards and other
benefits aggregating 81 cents week.
George s. Dring, A. T. & T. vice
president, would not confirm the
proposal, but said the company
would be opposed to any plan of
this kind.
I'VE strongly believe that a set
tlement should be reached by free
collective bargaining between the
company and the union on the
basis of all the facts" he said. "It
is for that reason that we would
be opposed to any such proposition
by the Government.
Confined to Long Lines.
The proposal concerned only the
A. T. g. T.'s 10000 long-lines work
ers, but Government concilators
were believed to be pressing it in
the hope other struck subsidiaries
would fall into line.
Cancellation Commissioners Peter
j. Manno and william NJ Margolis
said only that the meeting had ad-
journed to 2 pm. today and that
all parties had been "enjoined" to
strict secrecy concerning yesterdays
negotiations.
The unofficial report came at the
end of day of confusion in vari-
Gus parts of the Nation where up
wards of 100000 telephone employees
have been striking since April 7.
There appeared to be little doubt
that the walkout was headed into
Its fifth week tomorrow.
Under terms of the reported pro-
posal, the union would gain the addi-
tional ga cents week through
fringe" proposals such as vacations,
pensions and area and town classifi-
cations.
Answers Expected Today.
Both sides were expected to give
their answers today to the plan
which would give the strikers liz
cents an hour instead of the Is cents
demanded.
Meanwhile, six men identified as
strikers were held in Western Michi-
gan in connection with damage to
communications. Five were arrested
at Grand Rapids after one man ad-
nlitted they had sawed cable, and
the sixth man was held at Benton
Harbor charged with pulling wires
in a terminal box, police said.
There was no progress report on
three other key company union
meetings involving Western Electric
and Southwestern Bell Telephone
Co. representatives. One meeting,
that for Western Electric plant
workers, will resume at pm. today,
the others tomorrow.
One promising development to-
ward a settlement was the growing
inclination of telephone companies
to make wage offers Talking of
raises ranging from 50 to SIS, they
fell below the Sc demanded by the
80 striking units of the National
Federation of Telephone Workers,
but they pointed to the possibility OF
more aggressive bargaining.
The Chesapeake & Potomac Tele-
phone Co. last night reiterated its
proposal to arbitrate the wage ques-
ton and three other issues, while
two District unions clung to their
Sc a week demand.
1874 Reported at Work.
j. B. Morrison, G. 81 P. vice
president and general manager, re-
ported that 1874 striking employees
were back on the payroll and that
the company is handling about go
per cent of its normal long distance
traffic, compared with % percent
the first week of the strike.
well over so per cent of the en-
ployes represented by the District
Federation of Telephone Workers
have now returned to their jobs" he
said.
Helery Robinson DFTW president,
did not deny some members had re-
ftr, ~ Hfnr nrnYaroia
sons" He said the members, as a
whole, had done grand job in
sticking the strike out for a month
one that was not justified in view
Of the fact that other industries have
sat around the bargaining table and
settled their differences"
Not more than 80 of the 3,400
members of the Washington Tele-
phone Traffic Union have gone back
to work, Mrs. Mary E. Cannon,
president of the group composed
mostly of operators, said. The
WITH will hold a rally at 10 am,
tomorrow in Turner's Arena.
Mrs. Cannon said it was likely
her union would meet with the COM
pany early this week in bargain
ing conference.
$500 to Return in New York.
Washington had no monopoly on
confusion born of the strike In
New York City. two unions composed
of 6.400 accounting and commercial
workers not aff1liated with NFTW
voted to return to work tomorrow
for 81 raise. But about 1000
Brooklyn and Long Island mainten-
ance workers and operators, also
unaffiliated with NFTW, decided to
remain out and respect picket lines
of 10000 NFTW members.
Another unaf1liated union of
Manhattan operators. claiming 49,
500 members, was taking a secret
ballot to determine whether to &C
cept the S4 or remain out. The New
York Telephone Co, against whom
all are striking, said only about
4,956 of its $1,000 employees had re-
turned to work Friday
In Chicago there was another are
we-in-or- we-out impaSse. Lead
ers of three NFTW affiliates agreed
to send their $4,000 members back
to the Illinois Bell Telephone Co.
for 81 raise. But the members