Evening star., 1947-04-06

an emergency basis. These i'm
pressed operators will determine
which of the public's calls are i'm
portant enough to 60 through.
Across the Nation, only about IS
per cent of the 80 900 900 telephones
are dial operated.
The telephone company here has
assigned 300 management employees
to the jobs usually handled by
operators, plant and maintenance
men. Throughout the 80 telephone
offices about 300 cots are being put
up and food stocked for around-the-
clock workers.
Strike Headquarters Set Up.
The unions, including 3,400 mem
bers of the Washington Telephone
Traffic Union and $500 members of
the District Federation Of Telephone
Workers, have. set up strike head
quarters at I'll Thirteenth street
NV. near the telephone company.
Picket assignments have been
made for about IS buildings, in
cluding the company headquarters,
garages and the plant Of the West
ern Electric Co., at I'LL North
Capitol street.
For the District Federation Of
Telephone Workers, maintenance,
commercial and accounting depart
ment employees, 1t was to be their
first strike, and Helery Robinson,
union president, said he regretted
the necessity for such action.
"Our previous record has shown
we are willing at all times to settle
our differences through orderly col
lective bargaining" he said. This
year, despite 10 meetings with COM
pany representatives starting Janu-
ary 27, we have been unable to
obtain a single concession on any
contract matter on which We have
sought improved treatment"
He said the fact the company re.
jected the unions proposal to arbi-
trate all points In dispute "con-
firmed the unions belief that the
companys offer to arbitrate was not
sincere"
MIR. Robinson said that although
the telephone companies refused to
bargain nationally, there was evil
dence from uniform counter-pro-
posals throughout the country that
"the whole program was being con-
trolled by the A. T. & T. from 1876
Broadway New York;"
j. B. Morrison, vice president and
general manager Of the G. g. p,
said in a statement that based on
the facts there Is absolutely no
justification for a telephone strike. !"
He said the union had refused an
offer to arbitrate the wage issue in
volved. He called the companys
offer to extend present contracts
real concession" in that present
wage rates and benefits would be
continued.
Mr.. Morrison said industry wide
bargaining would not be feasible be-
cause selected representatives of all
companies and unions in the Bell
System could not possibly have an
adequate knowledge or understand
ing of the conditions in each locality.
Mrs. Mary E. Cannon, president
Of the WITH, said the strike would
close eight company cafeterias pat
ronized by union and management
personnel. About 500 of the union
members are dining service employees,
$50 are clerical workers, IS rest room
attendants and all others long dis
tance operators.
From best reports, it appeared
that radio stations, newspaper and
stock exchange ticker service and
similar businesses employing leased
telephone wires, would not be af-
fected.
Virginia was spared a strike for
at least five weeks by terms of a
new law directing special attention
to strikes threatening public utilities.
Last night Gov. Tuck asked Presi-
dent Truman to exempt Virginia
companies from any order to seize
the telephone industry.
AS the strike hour neared, plans
for emergency service were pre-
pared throughout the Nation. One
of the most unusual was an offer in
Memphis, Tenn, by lis hams" of
the Midsouth Amateur Radio Asso-
citation to attempt to tansmit emer-
gency messages.
In San Francisco, CIO telephone
workers in northern California and
Nevada decided they would not
strike in sympathy, and in Lincoln,
Nebr, company serving % coun-
ties rejected a union offer to stay
on the job until a national pattern
for a settlement is established.
Offer of the union to maintain
emergency service has been re-
jected by all telephone companies
who have replied, Mr.. Beirne said.
Mr.. Beirne said it indicated the
Bell System is not interested in
maintaining adequate emergency
service.
Beginning at s am. Monday, If
we have to strike, anything that
happens as a result of company
failure to provide emergency service
is something over which the union
has no control" he said.