Evening star., 1948-10-15
Threat Of Telephone
Strike Held Negligible
Despite Deadlock

1oooADllAty "a d ISlcpIlOIle SCFlke
appeared negligible today despite
failure of the Chesapeake & Poto-
mac Telephone Co. and employe
unions to agree on wage increases.
Thirty days of wage talks, pro-
vided in a reopening clause in three
year contracts, ended last midnight
with both the traffic department and
craft workers turning down COM
pany offers.
AS divisions of the independent
Communications Workers of Ameri-
ca, the union locals were taking
their cases to that body's Executive
Board for advice on future action.
10000 Others Negotiating.
About 10000 other CWA. men,
bers have been negotiating with
Bell System companies throughout
the country, many on the same
basis as the District unions. with
reopening sessions due to end last
night or today.
At the outset of present negotia-
tions the CWA and the rival CIO
Telephone Workers Organizing
Committee, aggregating about $685.
600 workers, agreed on a concerted
effort geared to the October is
deadline, with the threat of a strike
after that mildly enunciated.
The company announced shortly
before the deadljne last night its
final offer" of 81 to 81 weekly in
creases for 5000 traffic department
employees Represented by Division
SO, CWA) and 50 to Sc boosts for
about 5000 craft employees division
So, CWA).
Offers Not Acceptable.
Glenn E. Watts, president of Di-
vision 36, and Mrs. Mary E. Cannon,
president of Division SO, said today
the offers did not meet with the
memberships approval. Neither
knew what step, if any, would be
taken toward reopening negotia-
tions.
F. G. Macarow, G. & p. vice presi-
dent and general manager, said the
company offers would give two
thirds OF the craft employees (plant,
commercial and accounting) the
maximum increase of Sc per week
and that 40 per cent of the operators
would receive 81 per week more.
/ Mr.. Macarow said the offers were
! in line with its policy to pay wages
that compare favorably with those
paid by other Washington busi-
nesSes for similar work.
/ Speaking for Division 36, Mr..
Watts said the company's offer,
while adding an additional 81 for
top-salaried workers, did not i'm
prove the lower bracket.
Calls Company Stubborn.
"The company offer was pretty
close to what we would like to have,
but we think management was un-
reasonably stubborn in not moving
at the lower end Of the schedule" he
said.
He added that the union thought
an equitably distributed offer of
from 50 to $6 would have been salts
factory.
Mrs. Cannon, traffic department
union president, said the offer to her
group was clouded by a revision of
the seniority progression plan, which
actually meant that 1,500 operators
would benefit less than. the 50 mini
mum offer. Only 400-odd Of the
members would receive the 81 top
offer. she added. qsr al" t.
Our members were meeting all
day yesterday and let us know ex-
actly what they would settle for
she said. THE company knew its
offer would not be satisfactory to
their demands
Either Can End Contest.
Since there was no wage agree
ment during the reopening period,
either the company or union can
terminate the contracts next May
or one year after the provisional
three-year agreements are signed.
The company also has the alterna-
tive of exercising reopening clause
before that time
At Richmond. $500 Chesapeake g.
Potomac workers were to vote on
final company proposals of 81 to Sc
raises for craft workers and 81 to $4
for operators. If the membership
approves, the agreement must then
be ratified by the division and CWA
Executive Boards.
Failure of agreement was reported
at Baltimore, where Division 16
CWA, had been negotiating with the
c. & P. The company announced
it had offered 81 to So weekly in
creases to the union, made up OF