Evening star., 1947-03-21
Phone Union 10 Weigh
Arbitration 10 Avert
Nationwide Strike

A proposal of arbitration to avert a
Nationwide telephone strike will be
presented to the National Fedora
tion of Telephone Workers powerful
Policy Committee next week by Jo-
.eph A. Beirne, NFTW president.
Mr.. Beirne said the proposal was
that of Senator Morse, Republican
Of Oregon. who suggested In the
Senate Tuesday that company and
union should adopt voluntarily
peaceful procedures" for avoiding
tieup.
The 49-man Policy Committee,
representing as many local affiliates
OF NFTW, meets here Monday to
map strategy in what now appears
to be hopelessly deadlocked con-
tract negotiations with Bell COM
panies.
The committee Is empowered to
call or call of a strike or to amend
10 basic demands made by NFTW
on a national scale.
Chances for switching off the
strike plans looked no brighter in
Washington today. The Washing
ton Telephone Traffic Union, one of
two units deadlocked in company
negotiations, was tabulating votes
cast yesterday to determine whether
5000 opera tors favored a strike.
District Discussions Fail.
After six hours of discussion yes
terday, the District Federation Of
Telephone Workers was still far
away from composing its differences
with the Chesapeake Il Potomac
Telephone Co. Like the operators.
the DFTW's plant, commercial and
accounting members are demanding
sl2 more a week across the board
and other concessions.
Helery Robinson, DFTW presi-
dent said he would notify Gov.
Tuck Of Virginia today Of the i'm
passe. Yesterdays meeting was
called to satisfy Virginia law de-
manding notification of the Gov
ernor where dispute exists involv-
ing public utility. About 300
DFTW members work in Virginia.
The next step probably will be an
attempt at arbitration steered by
Gov. Tuck or an aide.
Commissioner E. T. Bell of the
United States Cancellation Service
presided over yesterdays meeting
and got nowhere with an arbitration
proposal. The company is standing
on its proposal to extend the present
contract three to six months. The
union is insistent upon its original
demands.
Both sides said they were willing
to meet again and Mr.. Bell said he
would arrange a meeting when one
side or the other had something new
to offer
Mass Meeting Tonight.
The DFTW. now taking a mail
vote on the strike question, will hold
a mass meeting at o'clock tonight
in Turner'S Arena to hear an ac-
count of negotiations.
Today the operators representa-
tive and company negotiators met
at the Statler Hotel in another
meeting prompted by the new Vir-
ginia law. Lucien F. Rye, the con-
ciliation commissioner assigned to
this dispute. planned to sit in.
In making break toward arbi-
tratlon, Mr.. Beirne wrote Senator
Morse that he would personally
place his suggestion before the
Policy Committee,
The Policy Committee will be
making a decision on the future
course of action which will be fol-
lowed Mr.. Beirne wrote.
Senator Morse suggested that the
parties might have Secretary of
Labor Schwellenbach. Counciliation
Director Edgar L. Warren. Presi-
Dental Assistant John r. Steelman
or some other high Official name an
arbitrator.
Meanwhile. Mr.. Warren said that
2e conciliators had modified the
full resources of the Cancellation
Services in an effort to head off a
strike.
In addition to the wage question.
the unions principal demands are
for q union SHOP. checkof of dues,
reduction of apprentice periods from
eight to five years, elimination OF
wage differentials between large and
small towns. longer vacations end
larger pensions.