Evening star., 1949-08-29
mootWorkers5trike;
Shutdown Expected
To Slow Construction

Pickets paraded today at the
Georgetown and Southeast plants
of the Smoot Sand & Gravel Co.
as ITS employees struck for higher
wages.
The shutdown was expected to
retard construction of all types
considerably. since Smoot is by
far the largest single distributor
of sand and gravel in the area.
Elsewhere on the labor front
strike of 500 AFL plasterers
drifted into its 11th day, another
strike was threatened against
radio station WTOP and a third
dispute involving Airport Trans
port. Inc, was settled after an
unusual series of negotiations.
In the gravel company dispute,
j. C. Turner, business repre-
sentative of the international
Union Of Operating Engineers,
Local II, said members of that
local and of the Teamsters Union.
Local 639, voted unanimously yes
terday to strike. after Company
ofattais refused their demand {nr
sa6scekit acFoss- the board gfn-
crease.
Hospital Plan Rejected.
Nr.TlrnerY4 said the workers
turned down d hospital insurance
plan, which the company also
offered to pay in the form Of a
two-payment bonus, amounting to
about $50 year.
The strike had been deferred a
week pending further negotiations.
The next move today appeared to
be up to Richard w. Goodrich, a
Federal conciliator assigned to the
case.
Made idle by the walkout were
scowmen, dredge and tugboat
barge crews from captains to deck
hands, beltmen, oilers, cooks, load
ers. truck drivers, crane and der
rick operators, machinists. weld
ers, blacksmith and others.
Mr.. Turner said the workmen
have been receiving from So cents
to $1.32 an hour. They have been
guaranteed SIS to So hour weeks
with time and a half for work over
40 hours.
Fourth in 10 Years.
It was the fourth strike at the
plants in the last 10 years. The
last one, in 1916, went on for seven
weeks with the union winning a
19-cent average wage increase,
MIR. Turner said.
Eighty drivers for Airport Trans
port, Inc, operators of a limou-
sine service between National Air
port and downtown Washington
received a scent hourly wage in
crease after three months of ne
gotiating that Treasurer-General
Manager Moe Lerner called "an
example of true and honest col
lective bargaining.
Mr.. Lerner told how he ap-
peared before the full member
ship of Local 638, Teamsters' Un-
ion, with the approval of Charles
Bell, union president. and other
officials, and outlined the COM
pany's position in a s15-minute
talk.
AS a result of the meeting on
July 26, date of the contract ex-
piration, talks were continued un-
der the guidance of Commissioner
Goodrich until a settlement was
reached. Drivers now receive
$1.15 and $1.18 an hour, plus tips.
Strike Notice Given.
Notice of a possible strike at
midnight Wednesday has been
received by radio station WTOP
from Local 1915, AFL Electrical
Workers. The walkout would in
volved 80 technicians who are
asking wage increases and three
week vacations.
Talks had continued from May
81, contract expiration date, until
last week, when the union gave
five-day strike notice as agreed
on earlier. The engineers now re-
ceive from $62.50 to $125 a week.
Station Manager John Hayes
said the station is prepared to re-
main on the air with supervisory
personnel If strike materialiZes.
In the plasterers' strike. Thomas
Crawford, local president, said the
union was willing to meet today
or any other time with the En-
ploying Plasterers' Association. but
had no new proposals to offer.
The plasterers are asking for a.
2 per cent welfare fund.