Evening star., 1950-11-11
Phone Peace Talks
Fail, No New Effort
Before Tomorrow
BY the Associoied Press


NEW YORK, Nov. lit ap-
pears certain today that the par.
tial coast-to-coast telephone strike
will continue over the week end.
1t now is in its third day.
The first Federal peace talks
failed yesterday after only one OF
several pay and contract issues
was discussed. No new joint ses-
sion was planned before tomorrow
afternoon.
At the same time. the striking
C1O Communications Workers of
America started a new system of
"hit-and-run" picketing aimed at
causing the greatest possible con-
fusion in the huge Bell system.
Strike Efforts Are Spotty.
1t was designed to keep the
company from mobilizing clerks
and supervisors fast enough to
handle the struck jobs at any one
place.
The national effect of the strike
was spotty and varied widely from
city to city. The greatest sufferers
were the long distance service and
areas with manual telephone ex-
changes-both requiring direct
operators.
Automatic dial service, which
includes about 10 per cent of the
Nations phones, was not affected
at once. If the strike lasts long
enough, however, wear and tear
and breakdowns could cut into the
dial system. The maintenance
men of Bells subsidiary Western
Electric Co.. responsible for IN
stallation and repair. are the prin-
cipal CWA division on strike.
The union said yesterday that
of its nearly 100000 members,
$4,000 were actually on strike and
another $1,000 were honoring the
picket lines-a total of 10000
out of work.
The company estimated that
two-thirds of its national service
was normal, and the remainder
spotty. CWA divisions are striking
in all but five New England states.
The main quarrel is a 13-month
dispute between Western Electric
and CWA's maintenance Division
6 and Distributing Division Is.
Pay and Contract Are Issues.
The two principal issues are pay
rate and contract duration. The
union says it has asked for Sub
stantially" higher wage without
revealing publicly any exact
amount. However, a source close
to the situation says that Division
6. main union involved. has asked
for a 15-cents-an-hour increase
while Western Electric has offered
11A cents. Present pay rates
range from $1.55 to $1.62 an hour.
The union has asked for a one
year agreement while the COM
pany has demanded a 16-months
contract.
In yesterdays mediation talks,
Federal Conciliator Walter Mag
giolo said both sides were still
deadlocked over the contract
duration-the only issue discussed.
He planned separate talks with
the parties today, with new joint
session tomorrow.
The first violence in the dispute
came at Philadelphia, where police
formed flying wedge to clear the
way for trucks that pickets had
tried to barricade at two ware
houses. Division 18 charges the
police with strike-breaking activi-
ties, but police said they were only
maintaining order.
At Springfield. Mo-. 3-inch
cable containing $50 pairs OF
wires was cut with an ak, South
western Bell said. Northwestern
Bell reported main cable was
cut at Minneapolis.
In New York, 80 pay phones i'll
PENNSYLVANIA Station were blanked
out after their mouthpiece dia-
phragms were removed. others
were ripped from booths in tav-
erns and stores near the Western
Electric warehouse in Manhattan.
Police said the actions were
Sabotage"