Evening star., 1950-04-26
Negotiations Pressed
After Phone Workers
Again Delay Strike

With their national strike post
poned for the third time. tele-
phone workers watched New York
negotiations today for a wage
settlement of industry-wide appli-
cation.
The strike, set for 6 am. today,
was called off yesterday evening
by Joseph A. Beirne, president of
the CIO-Communications Workers
of America, with the statement
that recent developments indi-
cate the possibility of agreement" -"
This meant that 5000 Washing
ton telephone employees went to
work as usual this morning. Only
about $50 Western Electric Co.
equipment installers. who struck
Monday along with 10000 of their
fellow workers throughout the
country, remained off the job here.
They dropped a threat to picket
telephone Offices when Mr.. Beirne
ordered no picket lines without
authority of the CWA Executive
Board.
First signs of a break in the
long stalemate between CWA and
American Telephone & Telegraph
Co. affiliates came in the key
long lines division talks in New
York.
Robert T. CreaSey, vice presi-
dent of CWA'S Division 10, an
nounced the company had agreed
to give long-distance operators pay
raises up to more than $5 week.
He also said wage progression
schedules would be trimmed from
to 612 years.
But the issue was confused
when a Bell System spokesman
insisted that bargaining was still
going on" Later Mr.. Creasey
called this "quibbling over words"
Progress in Talks.
Progress also was reported in
New York talks involving Division
6-the installers who struck three
days ago because of a grievance in
South Bend, Ind.
Harry M. Lentz. leader of the
Washington installers, said he
hoped to hear of a good settle
ment" sometime today But the
inStallers here will remain out
until ordered back to work by their
president, Ernest Weaver, he said.
Whatever the progress in New
York. it was obvious last night
that it had not penetrated as far
as Washington.
All-day meetings between Ches-
apeake g. Potomac Telephone Co.
and two Washington divisions
broke up without success.
Glenn E. Watts, president of
Division 36's craft and commercial
workers, said the union offered
drastic concessions" to the orig
tnal 15-cent package" demand.
Left Open to Bargaining.
The new proposal was similar
to that which led to the apparent
long-lines agreement in New York,
and was not offered as a final de-
mand but was left open to bar
gaining, Mr.. Watts said.
1T looked like%we had a real
chance for settlement" he added.
There was different atmosphere
from company negotiators. But
after studying the proposal, they
rejected it as unacceptable as the
original and made no counter
proposal"
The same outcome was reported
from day-long meetings between
the company and Division so.
operators and other traffic de-
partnent workers.
Cancellation Commissioner Henry
Baker. who conducted meetings
for both divisions, expected to let
the situation simmer today. He
expected to call the parties to-
gether again after the New York
pattern crystalizes.
Here as in more than a sc.re
other negotiations in the Nation,
the CWA had been demanding a
15-cent-an-hour package increase.
including pay raises, shorter
progression schedules, shorter
hours and pension benefits. That
would come to nearly $6 a week.