Evening star., 1947-02-08
Stotus Of Newspaper Carriers
Was Kansas City Strike Issue
speeieI pispateh 10 The Star

4 ~
| speeioI Dispaieh 10 The ssar :
| KANSAS CITY, Mo-, Feb. 8.-The
4 16-day strike, ended Sunday, that
halted publication of the Kansas
/ City Star for the first time in it's
66-year history, revolved around the
newspapers carriers.
There are 208 of these carriers
who handle the distribution OF the
Star in greater Kansas City. Each
| has an individual contract with the
newspaper under which he buys at
wholesale and sells at retail. Some
carriers employ help. They maintain
/ their own trucks.
These contract carriers are adults
/ Their routes are lucrative enough to
/ provide for their families and some
| of the carriers are able to maintain
homes in the city's finest residential
sections.
In the labor controversy that later
developed into the strike, the chief
point at dispute was whether the
carriers are employees or not en-
ployeS, but independent merchants.
Some Joined Pressmen.
The organization of the contract
carriers was begun several months
ago as an affiliate of Local No. IA
of the AFL International Printing
Pressmen and Assistants Union OF
North America. Some Of the con-
tract carriers joined the pressmen's
affiliate known as the Newspaper
Carriers Cooperative Association of
Greater Kansas City.
| Last November the association petit
toned the regional National Labor
Relations Board, asserting that the
association represented majority
of the carriers and that the carriers
were employees. 1t asked to be GER
titled as a bargaining unit but did
not press the petition.
| The Star has maintained all the
carriers are independent merchants
and that the Carrier Association
represented only small minority
of such carriers.
The association asked for a meet
ing with the Star, and their special
representative, Charles Bond, talked
with management representatives
on January Is, saying at the end
of the session he would meet with
the union and management could
get in touch with him by telephone.
Nothing More Heard.
| Nothing more was heard from the
/ carrier group, then about $50 am.
Friday, January II, picket line was
placed around the Star without no.
tice to management or to the other
unions. The pressmen, who had con-
tracts with the Star and an arbitra-
tion agreement providing against
any stoppage of work, joined the
picket line.
The other crafts also decided to
honor the picket line while their
officers telegraphed international
officers for instructions.
This left the Star without the men
to run the linotype machines, to set
advertisements, to do proof reading,
to run the presses and to handle the
mailing.
Mr.. Bond issued a statement say
ing that a test case for recognition
of the carriers before the National
Labor Relations Board would be
costly and delaying procedure en-
tirely to the Stars advantage.
Won Similar Case.
"The union spent considerable
money in st. Louis to test similar
case before the same board and won
it. We can see no reason to repeat
the delaying procedure in Kansas
City since the precedent already has
been established" ...
| Earl McCollum, president of the
Star, in a statement, pointed to the
independent merchant status of the
carriers and said in part:
"The Star is ready to try out the
matter before the labor board with
out delay and has so advised the
petitioning carriers but they have
expressed an unwillingness to sc
proceed before the Soard. They have
adopted the alternative of placing
a picket line around the plant.
"The labor board is the only
agency authorized to deal with such
a situation and it has not acted be-
cause of the refusal of the hetition-
ing carriers who are the OILY ones
authorized to file and prosecute such
a proceeding"
U. S. Conciliators Act.
Sunday, January 10, the United
States Cancellation Service called
management and union representa-
tives together. The meeting ended
without progress. While this ses-
sion was in progress contract car
riers who had not joined the as
sociation met and 121 carriers
adopted a resolution saying they
were independent merchants and
| demanded that the Star honor their
status.
Then the Central Labor Union
voted approval of the picket line
and recommended that a committee
be set up to try to bring about the
settlement of the strike.
In a series of meetings the COM
mittee was unable to move the dis