Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1947-05-08
Long Lines UnionH eal
Accepts 81. 40 Raise
For 10000 Workers

For 10000 Workers
/ Another link was welded into
s the growing chain of telephone
/ strike settlements today when
long lines union officials. agreed
4 to $40 weekly average pay in
I crease, subject to almost certain
membership ratification.
i The agreement signed at the
Labor Department affects 10000
American Telephone & Telegraph
i Co. long distance workers in ~
/ States.
4 Government conciliators who
!, concentrated on long lines negotia-
lions during the month-old strike
said the settlement should lead toI
quick solution OF % other disputes
involving Bell System companies.
All but about 300 of more than
I 5000 District Federation of Tele-
phone Workers. who signed a strike
settlement yesterday, had returned
to work today, according to the
Chesapeake & Potomac Telephone
Co.
Officially Honoring Pickets.
I Officially, the DFTW still was re-
i specting picket lines of the Wash
ington Telephone Traffic Union.
whose 3,400 members have not
reached settlement. The company
reported 3,27o employes-5o per cent
Eof normal-were working today and
that the accounting department
force was 95 per cent normal, and
the commercial and plant depart
ments 81 per cent.
The company also announced
IS, 799 long distance calls completed
yesterday, only about 10000 short
Of normal day.
/ Immediately after initiating the
long lines agreement, John j. Moran,
president of the American Union of
Telephone Workers, left for New
York to present it to the nine-man
union executive board. The strike
can end at once If the board APP
proves, he said.
End of d. c. Walkout Possible.
With this potential settlement,
more than 100000 of the $4,000
workers who struck April 7 have
returned, or have made arrange
ments to return to work.
The pact inspired hope here that
all of the 1000 Washington area
strikers would be back to work by
Monday. Looking to that end, the
WITH was to meet with the tele-
phone company this afternoon.
Yesterday, the company said it,
was surveying rate structures to-
determine what wage increase i'll
could offer the WTTU's members,
mostly operators.
Settlement Sought by Sunday.
| The union Is asking Sc a week in
creases. reduction from eight to six
years for maximum pay, and other
concessions. The company has Of
fered to arbitrate wages, work sched-
ules and progressions, vacations and
leaves of absence for union officials.
Goal Of Cancellation Commissioner
E. T. Bell was to develop a settle
ment by Sunday. when the new con-
tract of the DFTW is to take effect |
| If all members are back on the
job. The maintenance, commercial
and accounting employees yesterday
agreed to 60 back to work for 50 to
| 81 raise.
Government conciliators and ne
gotiators plugged away for nearly
eight hours before announcing at |
3:25 am. approval of the long-lines
settlement. ~
| Basic wages in the agreement
ranged from 50 to IS, depending on
geographical wage indices in the 256
communities served by A. T. & It's
long-distance workers. Top pay in
creases of IS were given only to Buff
falo and Boston workers. The max
imum increase in other areas was a.
Fringe" Adjustments Included.
| The $40 average increase in
cluded fringe" wage adjustments
average SO cents weekly. Fringe pay
ments closely conformed with those
handed out to the District Fedora
ton workers yesterday.
Nonsupervisory employees per-
forming management activities were
granted $1.40 daily differential and
an extra days vacation when reg
ular holiday falls during a vaca-
ton period. Unlike the District
union, the long Lines group retained
its maintenance of membership
form of security. Here voluntary
checkoff dues replaced maintenance
of membership.
Also provided for the long lines
workers were travel time for con-
struction gangs and double pay for
operators on Christmas and New
Year eve.
May Respect Picket Lines.
There is strong possibility that |
long-lines workers will respect pick
ct lines OF other NFTW unions in
any cities where local strikes are
not settled.
Since the strike began, 10 of the
80 participating NFTW unions have
made settlements. Strikers have
returned to work in some parts of
Illinois, New York, Pennsylvania,
New Jersey, Maryland, Minnesota.
the Dakotas, Iowa, Nebraska and
Wisconsin.
Although the NFTW's treasury
has been nearly depleted by the
long strike, the group still is de-
termined to carry out reorgani-
zation program started last year.
The unions propose to establish
a more closely knit group under
the name of Communications Work
ers nf America The rhanreover