Evening star., 1947-05-14
Phone WaIkouf
Deferred by 800
In Virginia
Mrs. Cannon Informs
uck Strike Is
70 Be Delayed

Calling OF walkout OF 300 North
i fern Virginia telephone operators sci
for today, Mrs. Mary E. Cannon
president of the Washington Tele.
phone Traffic Union, said the unior
had mo intention" OF joining a gen.
eral strike scheduled in the State
Saturday.
The strike originally scheduled fol
| 6 m today In the Alexandria, Falls
Church, Chestnut and Ivy exchanges
was called of last night when Mrs
Cannon telegraphed Gov. Tuck that
the Walkout was deferred ito a fu-
ture date to be determined by the
union"
Mrs. Gannon's union has been
on strike in the District since April
II. But members in Northern Vir-
ginia were prohibited from partici-
pating because of State law re-
quiring five-Week notice. This
notice matured this morning.
I'VE decided against striking to-
day because our girls here have
been out six weeks and we under
stand that many of the other Vir-
ginia employees have agreed to work
instead Of striking Saturday" Mrs.
Cannon said.
Gov. Tuck Replies.
Mrs. Cannon received a telegram
from Gov. Tuck acknowledging the
no-strike decision and indicating
that If strike is held In the fu-
ture, 1t will be necessary to go
through the hye-week notice pro-
lcedure again. The union president
said she would ask legal advice con-
cerning this.
Steps had been taken for State
seizure of the telephone properties
had the Northern Virginia strike
gone off on schedule. Judge L. Nc
Carthy Downs of the Corporation
Commission had arrived in Alexan-
dria to oversee the procedure.
The possibility of a strike In the
rest of Virginia Saturday grew after
the Virginia Federation of Tele-
phone Workers rejected a 81 and So
wage offer by the Chesapeake & Po-
tomac Telephone Co. as having too
many strings attached.
C. 81 P. subscribers in the District,
who did not receive bills last month
because of the strike, are now be-
ing mailed statements covering two
months, company officials said.
Only about one-sixth of the sub
scribers were billed in April before
the strike interrupted the proce-
dure.
The company said its usual policy
of individual treatment In collec-
tions will be. observed in those cases
where customers are being billed
for two months.
Meanwhile, signs were more hope
full for unsnarling the remaining
tangles in the Nation-wid strike,
now in its 38th day.
Positions Unchanged.
Position OF the C. g. P. Co. and the
operators union have not changed
appreciably, but union negotiator
said the company seemed more
cooperative" during bargaining
session yesterday. The union Of
fered some notifications in its de-
but the wage situation re-
mained the same: A 50 to 81 weekly
increase offered by the company
and a 81 across-the-board demand
by the union.
Another meeting was to be held at
the Mayf1ower Hotel today by Con-
ciliation Commissioner Elmer T.
Bell.
Western Electric Co. made It's
first wage offer to one of its three
striking unions, the Association OF
Communication Equipment Work.
ers, 10000 installation men whose
picket lines are still intact through
out the Nation. The offer was re-
jected, but Union President Ernest
Weaver described it as "a turning
point in our negotiations"
The company said the offer would
grant increases from $40 to 1920
week plus $103 in special pay
ments," making the total $3.43 to
1923 week, depending on location.
But Mr.. Weaver said the basic In
crease actually would range from
nothing to $500 a week.
In Michigan $500 plant workers
began voting on a proposed settle
ment, but $4,000 traffic and account
ing employees are still out in the
State and 1t is doubtful whether
their picket lines would be crossed.
The National Federation of Tele-
phone Workers estimated that u.s.
600 of the $40 900 workers who struck
last month are still off the job.
In New York, where 5000 Amer
lean Telephone e. Telegraph Co.
long-lines workers have been re-
specting picket lines Of Western
Electric employees, a union president
ordered them back to work tomor-
row. Operators also were crossing
WE picket lines in Jacksonville,
Fla, today.
Senote Gets Nomination
President Truman sent to the
Senate yesterday the nomination of
Frank A. Beachley to be postmaster