Evening star., 1947-12-08
Service Union
Goes on Strike
AtFaiir|ington
Garbage Is PiIing UF
Manager Says Heat
Won't t Be Cut Off

apartment development, went on
strike today because the manage
ment refused to recognize their
union, according to a union an
nouncement.
darlington residents said garbage
was piling up and that it apparently
had not been collected Saturday in
some sections. The Arlington Coun-
ty Health Department said it had
received no complaints.
Residents declared they feared
they would be without heat, which
is supplied from "a central plants.
Strikers said workers from the heat
ing plants as well as other service
and maintenance employees were in
were included in their numbers.
They are members of Local 80,
Building Service Employees, AFL.
"Normal Services" Promised.
Residents will continue to receive
heat, hot water and "other normal
services" William ziegler, manager
of the Fairmac Corp, owners of
darlington, declared in a statement
at noon.
The statement followed one in
which j. B. Howell, darlington
assistant manager, said the strike
caught us by surprise"
Mr.. Ziegler, who declared Fair
hngton maintenance workers "are
admittedly the highest paid Of any
employees Of apartment housing de-
velopments in the area" asserted:
"Agitators from outside this area
are performing a disservice to Fair
lington employees. Their demands are
unreasonable, even fantastic, and
would, if granted, create intolerable
feather-bedding conditions and a
dangerous deterioration of main
tenance standards while we are
seeking to improve service to Fair
lington tenants"
Mr.. Ziegler said janitors receive
$3.50 year, trash collectors, 81, 100,
and firemen operating automatic
equipment, $2,275. He also pointed
to additional and unusual" bene-
fits received by workers.
Some Buildings Picketed.
The statement made by the man
ager also said that under Virginia
law, employees who leave their posts
or do not report for work on their
regular shifts may be replaced with
loss of recently-announced bene-
fits" A spokesman later added the
corporation does not mean to
threaten anyone but is merely
stating its position in relationship
to the law.
The strikers were picketing the
administration building, at least the
larger heating plants and a large
maintenance building near the ten
mis- courts on the north side Of the
development.
There were no disturbances. The
pickets carried placards and were
giving handbills to tenants askingt
help in winning the strike "as speed
lily as possible" Arlington County
police cars were patrolling the de-
velopment.
The union, which claims to repre-
sent approximately ITO employees,
declared today it "has been attempt
ing for three months to negotiate
with the management -"
Refusal to Bargain Charged.
"The union, in its effort to avoid
a strike, has repeatedly requested
the Fairmac Corp, present owners
Of the project, to settle the labor
problem =" through the lawful
method OF collective bargaining.
This the corporation refuses to do"
On November % Mr.. Ziegler an
nounced that annual wage increases
ranging from $100 to $3.50 had been
granted. employees as of October 10,
the date the corporation took over.
He said the program for employees
included vacations with pay and
free life insurance for the more than
200 workers in the maintenance and
administration departments.
Rent increases, under a plan
which will permit residents to sign
two-year "stabilizipg" leases, were
announced November 81 by the Fair
lington management. The increases
will be less than the Is per cent
maximum permitted by Congress.
The rent increase was opposed
by the darlington Civic Fedora
ton with $50 members voting
against it at a meeting November
%.
The handbill distributed by
pickets today declared "" The
wage demands we have made can
easily be given without any rent
increaSe whatsoever