Evening star., 1950-11-17
Two Downtown
Phone Offices
Picketed Again
Strikers Return for
a Hours in Resumine
Hit-Skip' Strategy

SSy
Striking Western Electric Co.
employees picketed the telephone
company's two downtown Offices
for four hours today in another
demonstration of "hit-skip" tactics.
The union claimed almost 100
per cent support from fellow
unioniSts at the 723 Thirteenth
and 722 Twelfth street NV. Offices.
Challenging this, the company
said local and long distance serv-
ice remained normal, and that only
4 per cent of the company's $500
employees remained away from
work.
The striking CIO Communica-
tions Workers of America groups
also paraded picketS in front of
the company's Columbia road ex-
change during the same hours of
6 to 10 am.
Police Cruiser Stands BY.
In a precautionary move. q
police cruiser was sent to the
downtown Offices during the early
morning hours. Capt. Howard
Covell, No. precinct commander,
personally watched activities
there.
A cruiser also was dispatched
to the telephone company cable
yard at Kendall and Okie streets
NE. to forestall a repetition of
Wednesdays picket line fighting.
With a relative calm prevailing
IN the A States affected by the
strike. negotiators made another
effort in New York today to re-
solve the dispute involving wages
and length Of contract.
The 1900 striking Western
Electric workers are asking Is
cents more an hour and a year
contract. The company has Of
fered 11R cents an hour and a
Is or 18 month contract.
CWA President Joseph A. Beirne
said such a contract, without a
wage reopener clause, would con-
stltute a wage freeze" Western
Electric's personnel director, C..
Randolph, called that claim
completely misleading"
Charge Refusal of Work.
More than 1000 operators re-
ported at the American Telephone
& Telegraph Co.'s long lines head
quarters in New York. but left
soon. saying they were refused
work unless they promised to
cross picket lines regularly. The
operators then put up their own
picket line, protesting a "lock-
out" charge the company has
denied.
After union officials in Phila-
delphia accused Western Electric
of trying to bust up" their union,
the Philadelphia Industrial Union
Council (CIO) pledged additional
pickets and financial support to
the CWA.
In Virginia, one of eight States
which have enjoined the union
from picketing telephone COM
pany offices, union attorneys pc
titioned for dissolution of the in
junction.
Richmond Circuit Judge Harold
F. Snead agreed to hear argu-
ments on the motion December
II, the date that the temporary
anti-picketing injunction is due
to expire. Judge Snead said that
was the first available date on
his calendar. The union had asked
for a hearing "as soon as pos
sible."
Contend Picketing Was Legal.
The unions motion was based
on a contention that picketing of
the Richmond and Norfolk tele-
phone Offices last week was not
illegal in that the public health,
safety and welfare was not en-
dangered. It contended that pick
citing was legal because both the
Western Electric Co. and tele-
phone company are, controlled
and directed" by the American
Telephone & Telegraph Co.
Picketing by Washington strik-
ers was switched today from the
Silver Spring Office, where they
concentrated yesterday with dis
puted success.
j. r. B. Crigler, Chesapeake g.
Potomac Telephone Co. vice presi-
dent >and general manager, re-
ported that no District employees
failed to work because of the strike
and that only ~ of 120 Silver
Spring operators stayed off the
job.
Union Disputes Claim.
The union claimed, however
that only two non-union operators
crossed the picket line at Silver
Spring, and that elsewhere it was
getting good support from aff1liat-
ed CWA members who refused to
work.
In Pittsburgh last night CWA
members were permitted to enter
the Bell Telephone headquarters
to help repair damage when fire
on the top floor of the 21-story
building knocked out all news and
police teletype service in Pitts
burgh.
At Huntington, w. Va, an area
covered by the Washington union
local, the Associated Press report
ed that three A. r. g. r. testboard
men said they were locked out
when they would not promise to
work at all times.