Evening star., 1947-01-05
Cafeteria Employees
To Report Tomorrow;
May Quit During Day

Government cafeteria employees
will report for work as usual to-
morrow but there appears to be no
guarantee that they will be on the
job when the day ends.
The 1900 union members will
show up in the So cafeterias even
though they have no contract with
Government Services, Inc. TEey
will be working under union orders
to stay on the job unless they get
strike signal from their local
president.
During the day GSI's board OF
trustees is expected to take some
action on the unions demand for
extension of the now dead 1916
contract while the parties resume
collective bargaining.
Government Services officials yes
terday declined to take action on
the demand made after union
members voted down an 8-cents-an-
hour increase that had been ac-
ceptable to both company and
union negotiating committees.
Surprised BY Reputation.
Instead, GSI expressed surprise
at the memberships reputation of
its own negotiating committee and
disavowed any intention of creating
lockout"
1.-THE company expects to serve
hot lunches Monday as usual and
hopes it's employees will report for
work as usual" a spokesman said.
There certainly is no intention of
keeping any one from working, nor
has there ever been"
This official said it was presumed
the employees would be paid on a
basis of the 1916 contract, since by
their own action Friday night they
had rejected the 8-cents-an-hour
increase.
Lunch Prices Reduced.
Prices of lunches, raised on the
strength of the tentative pay in
crease to workers, will revert to
levels of December 81. This means
a reduction of 2 cents on special
lunches, 5 cents on special vegetable
lunches and cents on a la carte
dishes.
But the question Of whether the
United Restaurant and Cafeteria
Workers, Local All, would continue
to work without contract was one
nobody could answer. Both sides
were playing waiting game.
In announcing that workers would
report tomorrow, Daniel H. Schwartz,
regional director of the parent Uni
ted Public Workers of America, said
that management's refusal to extend
the old contract would imply clock
out" in the event the workers were
turned away.
Fringe Issues Cause Hitch.
1t had been expected that union
members would ratify the Scent in
crease recommended by the negoti-
ating committee. Instead. they unan-
imously rejected it, complaining they
had won nothing in fringe" benefits
such as Standardization of hours, sick
leave, annual leave and hospitaliza-
ton.
A union official said the members
particularly were concerned because
they had no protection against re-
duction of their workweek. He as
serted there had been instances of
employees losing money through
shorter hours since the first of the
year.
Commissioner Richard Goodrich
of the United States Cancellation
Service, who ramrodded the in-fated
compromise agreement, saw no pos
sibility of another joint meeting be-
fore tomorrow's showdown.
After rejecting the agreement. un-
ion members voted their president
Richard Bancroft, full authority for
calling a strike, at any time.
former newspaper man here, Mr.
Riley has long been active in the
civil service field as columnist and
as operations director for the Gov
ernment Employees Council of the
American Federation of Labor.