Evening star., 1950-05-01
Phone Strikers
Return, Ending
Threat Of Tieup
Union Refuses Furthe
Support Of WoIkout
By InstoIIers' Group

Q1SpuLe rlQoen Celepnone lQduStry
today as 10000 Western Electric
equipment installers ended their
Nationwide strike
The end of the strike rubbed
out threat by the installers to
picket telephone exchanges in 43
States and the District today with
the intention OF tying up service.
That threat existed until / am.
five hours before the pickets were
to start parading. At that time
Ernest Weaver, president of Di-
vision 6, CIO Communications
Workers of America, called of
the strike in New York with this
statement: ..
Refusal by the CWA to fur
ther the strike has caused Di-
vision 6 to request their men,
bers to return to work."
Installers Obey Order.
Most of the installers through
out the country needed the back
to-work order. In Washington,
Western Electric officials said IS
per cent of the $50 strikers re-
sumed work at 8 am, the usual
starting time.
Others were expected to show
UP as soon as they were advised
the strike was over.
The installers struck last Mon
day. two days before the CWA
had scheduled q general walkout
of more than 100000 members.
That mass stoppage was called
off by CWA President Joseph A.
Beirne, but the installers re-
manned out.
They were miffed over a COM
pany order at South Bend, Ind,
directing six men to walk across
q muddy field to work on a tele-
vision tower. Later in the week,
after this breach was healed, the
installers and company became
deadlocked on the question of
wages.
Men to be Reinstated.
Before calling the strike, Mr..
Weaver had assurance that the
104 original strikers at South
Bend would be reinstated by the
company. Earlier the company
threatened to fire those who did
not work last Monday.
Left unsettled was final deter
mination Of wage and hour dis
putes involving the installers and
more than 20 other CWA divisions
In the Nation.
Union officials hoped O week.
end settlement at Omaha, Nebr.,
first In the deadlocks between
CWA and Bell System companies,
would provide a master key for
other disputes.
This settlement suggested that
while Bell companies will not yield
to a general wage increase, they
may 60 along with some union
demands for shortening the time
required for an employe to earn
maximum pay and for some job
reclassif1cations.
Anniversary" Differential Sought.
Washington CWA officials were
making such demands when nego-
tiations broke off last week on the
eve of the projected strike.
Division SO, made up of 2,400
craft and commercial workers, was
asking the Chesapeake & Potomac
Telephone Co. for an "anniver-
sary differential" which would give
15-year employees an extra 81 q
week and an additional 81 for
each five years worked thereafter.
After dropping general wage
demands. union negotiators also
asked for shortening 8-year wage
progression schedules to six years,
and proportionate shortening of
other schedules. They also de-
manded reclassifying of some jobs.
No bargaining meetings were
scheduled here today, but Com
missioner Henry G. Baker of the
Federal Mediation and Concilia-
ton Service was in touch with
both parties looking to possible
meetings later this week.