Evening star., 1949-09-19
Chicago Printer Strike
Ends as Union Accents
$10W Weekly Pay Raise
By the Associuted Press

mOnCQ PRIMER SCTlkc against CIll-
cago's five major daily newspapers
came to an end yesterday with
union acceptance of a $40 weekly
wage increase.
The $500 members of the In
ternational Typographical Unions
Local Is ratified by vote of
1,287 to 279 the terms reached
last Wednesday by union and
publisher representatives after 1876
negotiation meetings.
II am absolutely convinced be-
yond the shadow of a doubt that
it is all we can get at this time, ;"
said John j. Pilch, president of
the local in urging acceptance of
the agreement. 1T would take
months more of struggle to OBJ
tain more money"
He told the strikers that "the
fundamentals of the ITU are pre-
served in this contract, whereas
they weren't in the March 10 pro-
posals." The proposal of March
10 was the last submitted to the
union before yesterdays terms.
When the printers struck on
November "a, 1947. they demanded
a s14.50 weekly pay boost. They
also were required to surrender
some other demands which the
publishers and a Federal court
held to be in violation of Taft
Hartley labor act provisions.
Rehiring Starts Today.
The newspapers. which con-
tinued publication throughout the
strike by means of a photo-en-
craving process. said they expected
to make the shift back to type
set production within 81 days
They planned to start rehiring
printers today. The papers are
the Herald-American, Daily News
Sun Times, Tribune and Journal
of Commerce.
All strikers who report within
IS days after notification will
retain seniority privileges.
The new wage scale will be
$3.50 for a 36A hour week OF
day work, $101.50 for 1914 hours
of night shift and sl01 for a 30
hour week on the midnight shift
1--WE have done all in our power
to bring you the best contract
that is compatible with the laws
of the ITU, the Taft-Hartley law
and the Federal Court injunction, ~
Mr.. Pilch told the union. Its up
to you whether to continue the
strike for one, two, three or four
more dollars" But, he added, "it
is better to accept now than to
drag the strike into the winter
months"
One member of the union spoke
up: 1--WE don't like the lousy $40,
but as good fighters we know when
we're licked. We can take it as
well as dish it out"
Mr.. Pilch commented. however
that Il don't regard that we are
licked"
Held Violating Law.
During the long negotiations,
the strike issues were in and out
of the National Labor Relations
Board and Federal Court.
Federal Judge Luther M. Swy-
CERT at Hammond. Ind. held that
the union was in violation of the
Taft Hartley Act in insisting on
a closed shop and granted an in
junction against it.
The new contract includes nei-
ther closed shop nor union shop
provisions. A union shop, which
is legal under some conditions,
provides that non union members
may be hired but that they must
join the union within a specified
time.
However, union spokesmen said
the new contract is "as close as
we could get" into a union shop
It sets up new regulations for
hiring which will be administered
by union foremen.
The settlement was described as
welcome news" by Ebert M
Antrim, president of the Chicago
Newspaper Publishers Associa-
ton, and business manager OF
the Tribune.
Chicago newspaper publishers
are satisfied with the contract "
Ihe said. There is no, double talk
IN 1t. We are assured 1t fully