Evening star., 1949-06-07
Threat Of Milk
Strike Averted;
Others Continue
81 Increase Accepted;
Building, Bakery
Settlements Sought

strike averted, Federal conciliators
concentrated today on three work
stoppages which have crippled the
building industry and bakery de-
liveries for the last week.
A few hours before the wage
reopener in their contract was toI
have expired the milk drivers last
night voted acceptance Of "a
weekly across board increase
for 1,525 employees Of nine dairies.
There had been no strike talk
during negotiations. but officials
of the Milk Drivers and Dairy EN- |
ployes' Local 246 tAFD were pre-
pared for any eventuality by a |
strike vote previously taken by
the membership.
Vote Is 93S to 124.
The vote accepting the pro-
ducers' offer taken at Turner's
Arena, was 938 to 124. 4 i
Eugene r. Hubbard. union sec
retary treasurer and head OF
the Negotiating Committee which
unanimously recommended ap-
poval of the offer. said the new
agreement would provide new base
wage guarantees of $63.50 for
retail drivers, $65.50 for chain store
drivers and $68.25 for wholesale
drivers.
In addition. retail drivers will
take a higher percentage Of collec-
tions on a commission basis, over
time rates were adjusted upward
and route foremen were awarded
a wage that Is the average of all
drivers wages, plus 81 a week.
All large dairies in the area ex-
cept Highland Farms were a&ected
by the agreement.
Baker Leads Parleys.
Commissioner Henry G. Baker,
jr., helped steer the satisfactory
negotiations during all-day meet
ings yesterday at the Wardman
Park Hotel.
Today he turned to the five-day
strike Of 100 drivers
against four pie companies here.
However. there appeared little
likelihood that Representatives Of
the bakeries and the Bakery
Salesmen's Local 80 would meet
today. Production Of about $4,000
pies q day has been halted by the
walkout.
In the building industries
strikes, which have made idle
about $4,000 workers and retard-
ed $100.000.000 in construction
projects for nearly a week, hopes
for an early settlement hinged on
meetings scheduled tomorrow.
Cancellation Commissioner James
A. Holden will meet with repre-
sentatives of the Master Builders
Association and the Carpenters
District Council, which called the
strike last Wednesday. -fE}
Thursday he expects to hold
other conferences with the build
ers and Building Laborers' Local
"A, which went out day after the
carpenters. !
will "Hold the Line"
Yesterday the master builders
and other employers Of building
tradesmen reaffirmed their de-
termination to hold the line"
against wage increase demands of
the carpenters and laborers.
The carpenters want 10-cent
hourly increase. The laborers
have announced publicly they will
settle for Is cents an hour, but
q spokesman for the builders said
their best offer during negotia-
tions was 40 cents.
Today tary-Treasurer B.
B. Blackburn of the union said
"two-thirds of the carpenters who
went out last Wednesday now are
back on the job"
He claimed more than 80 con-
tracts signed with contractors
outside the Master Builders Asso-
citation, each giving the 10-cent
asking price.
Work on several large housing
projects, including 275-home de-
velopment in Glenmont Heights,
Md, and three-story apartment
buildings in Southeast Washing
ton is progressing under these
new contracts, it was said.
Mr.. Blackburn said the union
twill not bulge a cent" from its |