Evening star., 1947-04-05
Telephone

Bonds were narrow.
Telephone
Continued From First Page)
the second conference will be sent TO
Gov. Tuck in accordance with re-
quirements of virginia's new public
utilities law.
No Virginia Strike.
Virginia telephone workers will
hot participate in the national
strike if it occurs Monday, he ex-
planned. The next step will be an
arbitration offer by the Governor.
If either side refuses to arbitrate,
the union will file five weeks notice
of strike. Mr. Atkinson said. He
added that the union Is willing to
arbitrate all of the contract changes
it has asked.
A national telephone strike also
may not Immediately affect %
Nebraska counties served by the
Lincoln Telephone & Telegraph Co.
The United Union of Telephone
Workers proposed today at Lincoln,
Nebr., that it recess wage confer
ences with the company and stay on
the job until a pattern of settlement
is set elsewhere in the industry. The
present contract would remain in
effect during the recess. Any issues
still in dispute after Is days would
be submitted to Federal arbitrator.
Meanwhile, nonsupervisory tele-
phone workers here were studying
letter from j. B. Morrison, vice
president and general manager OF
the C. & P. in which he made plain
the company intended to stand firm
against the unions demand for a
union shop.
Mr.. Morrison urged workers to
report for work as usual, even If the
strike occurs.
1.-THE public welfare is of first i'm
portance." he wrote. "A picket line
should never be allowed to interfere
with the public welfare.
Company Cites Rights.
THE company has no desire or
intention to interfere In any way
with the exercise of your rights as
a union member. But the union
cannot require us to- dismiss you
nor can the union require us to
penalize you If you work during a
strike land we will not do So" .
Let me assure you that we have
been dealing in good faith with
the union for a number of years,
are now doing so and will continue
to do So he stated.
OF the union shop, Mr.. Morrison
said:
The company is not willing to
impose upon you an obligation to
Join or refrain from joining any
organization. Such decision should
be the free choice of each individual.
We do not believe it to be in the
best interests of the employees, the
public or the company to force en-
ployes to conform to union require
ments in order to keep their jobs.
Issues Outlined.
In the letter, Mr.. Morrison out
lined the company's position OF
issues of the dispute. He pointed
to a company offer to renew ex-
listing contracts for three months,
six months or longer" because there
is no justification for an increase
in basic wages based upon our
studies Of wage levels in the COM
munity."
He reminded the workers the
company was willing to submit the,
wage issue to local arbitration and
explained its opposition to system
wide bargaining on the ground "a
few selected representatives Of the
telephone companies and unions
could not possibly have an adequate
knowledge and understanding OF the
conditions in the thousands Of cities.
towns and localities in the United
States
The NFTw, representing 287 600
members of 80 constituent unions.
has been insisting on wage arbi-s
tration on nationwide basis, II at
all, but has abandoned its insist
ence on Nationwide bargaining on.
all issues.
Compromise Sought. :.
The key conferences at the Labor
Department, from which concilia--
tors still hoped to bring an agree.
ment pattern which would end the.
strike threat, involved contracts
covering employees of the Long Lines
Division of the A. r. & T. and the.
Southwestern Bell Telephone Co.
1t was indicated Government men
were trying to block the walkout-
by arriving at a compromise on the,
arbitration question, extending pres
ent contracts for a fixed period or
postponing consideration Of the url--
ions demand for s12 basic weekly
wage increase until the nine other
major issues could be resolved.
$4,000 May Walk Out.
Union officials claim about 340,@
600 workers, including members OF
organizations not affiliated with the
NFTW. will walk out Monday.
washington strike headquarters
has been established at I'll Thir-
teenth street NV, near the com.
pany offices. Mrs. Mary Cannon,
president Of the Washington Tele-
phone Traffic Union, and Helery
Robinson. president Of the District
Federation Of Telephone Workers,
were busy there today with their
policy committees, completing pro-
cedural details for the strike.
Company officials said they ex-
pected the city's dial systems, cons
trolling 95 per cent OF the $780,.
900 telephones here, to operate
satisfactorily in event the strike
materialized. They said supervisory
:Iemployes and any other employees
union or nonunion-who reported
for work would endeavor to main,
,Itain service on the manuaily oper'
lated exchanges.
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