Evening star., 1947-05-19

KcIuyc IUNIV99 TiINCII
Lines Of W. {. Union
Their own dispute settled,
scores of District telephone op-
orators today refused to cross
Western Electric strikers picket
lines and return to work.
The Chesapeake g. Potomac Tele-
phone Co. said many of the traffic
department unions 3,400 members,
finding exchange entrances blocked
by Western Electric equipment work.
ers, clustered on the street rather
than violate the lines
Carrying signs reading 1--WE Still
Are on Strike" the Western Electric
pickets concentrated their 275 men,
bers at the company's three head
quarters buildings in the TOO block
of Twelfth and Thirteenth streets
F.W., and at the exchanges at Four
teenth and Columbia road NV, and
Fourteenth and r streets NV.
The company said 273 of the 409
operators scheduled to work at the
picketed exchanges on the z and 10
am. shifts refused to cross the lines.
At other exchanges free of pickets,
all 213 of the operators due to work
reported on time. Altogether, 81 per
cent of the regular force returned to
work. ..
Cafeteria Workers Return.
J Most of the 500 cafeteria workers,
members of the Washington Tele-
phone Traffic Union, and about half
of the $50 clerks involved returned
to work, the company said.
: The new contract called for pay
increases to take effect today only
if all exchanges were fully manned.
Otherwise, the wage increase is
effective the Sunday following the
date the work stoppage ends. Com
pany officials said they would deter
mine today whether to place a
lenient Interpretation on this clause
and raise wages Immediately.
Officially, the operators strike
ended at am. with an agreement
for So to 81 weekly wage increases.
Yesterday, however, union members
were told at a rally it was policy to
respect the Western Electric workers
picket lines, but that each member
must decide individually whether to
return to work.
Picketing is Intensified.
Final barrier to cleaning up most
of the long Nationwide strike, the
Western Electric's Association of
Communication Equipment Workers
intensified picketing here and in
many States where they serve as in
stallers for Bell System equipment.
There was little chance pickets
would be removed today, for after
Is continuous hours of negotiating
at the Labor Department. ACEW
and company representatives re-
cesSed settlement efforts until 230
pm.
They were cheered, however, by
weekend settlements for two other
Western Electric groups-22,000 en-
ployes at Kearny IN. j. and other
manufacturing plants and more
than 5000 in the supply division.
Both settlements we're for 1112 cents
an hour.
LivabIe' Clause Seen.
Joseph ~Maiersperger, local rep
resentative of the ACEW, said he
had been advised ,negotiators had
worked out a "1ivable" no-strike
clause-one of the issues holding up
a settlement. This and an abrupt
change in the company's wage pro-
posal gave promise that the final
Western Electric dispute might end
tonight or tomorrow, thus clearing
District exchanges of all pickets.
AS the operators began arriving
for the am. shift. they were
greeted in front of 730 Twelfth
street NV. by an ACEW union
official who exhorted them to stay
off the job.
Many of the girls would not Gloss
the lines" company official said.
There were more outside than
were coming in" This Office con-
tains the important District, Metro
politan and National exchanges.
However, at the company's third
largest Office at Georgia avenue and
Gallatin street NV, there were no
pickets this morning and all en-
ployes returned to work Georgia,
Randolph and Taylor exchanges are
included at this office.
Picketing Support Is Spotty.
The company said it was about
"50-50" this morning at the Ludlow
exchange, Sixth and B streets NE,
where pickets were on hand. Later
in the day, however. pickets with
drew and all operators returned.
Throughout the Nation, where
practically all local unions have
signed strike settlements, efforts of
the ACEW to win support with
picketing proved spotty The plan
was effective enough to place Tren-
ton, N. J. on an emergency call
basis, but in the Southeastern States
and in Baltimore, the ACEW did
not place pickets.
Only the 10000 ACEW members
and about $500 workers in Michigan
were still OH strike from among the
100000 workers who walked out
across the country on April 7.
The Western Electric Employees
Association manufacturing divi-
sion union) signed an agreement
giving $4,000 workers from $460
To SS QQ a week The a aoreer11ert