Evening star., 1950-11-20
$4,000 Resume Work
AS Phone Union Ends
Strike With Contract
By the Associated Press

than $4,000 telephone employees
return to work across the country
today under compromise settle
ments that ended their 11-day
strike against units of the Bell
Telephone System.
The agreements were reached
yesterday in New York and De-
troit, where Federal mediators had
been seeking peace in the pay
and contract dispute.
The break came here at the
end of a 25-hour bargaining ses-
sion between Bells Western Elec-
trio Co. and Division 6 of the
CIO-Communications Workers of
America, representing 1000
equipment installers.
Within a few hours, parallel
settlements were announced here
between Western Electric and S.
900 maintenance and warehouse
men in Division 18; in Detroit
between the Michigan Bell Tele-
phone Co. and 1900 members of
CWA Division Is, and in Haver-
hill, Mass, between Western Elec-
trio and TOO Division 68 plant
workers.
Union Claims Victory.
The companies both are sub
sidiaries of the American Tele-
phone & Telegraph Co., the parent
Bell corporation.
AT&T said that aside from some
local Interruptions, it maintained
nearly normal service throughout
the strike.
The union claimed a strike vic
tory. The companies called the
settlements If air" although
costly in the Michigan dispute.
In the compromise, both sides
actually receded from their hard
and-fast strike positions.
In the key Western Electric dis
pute, the union had demanded a |
15-cent hourly raise, but accepted
a series of increases from 9 to
IA cents. These averaged, by
company figures, 11.3 cents-or
Slightly better than Western
Electric's last offer of 114 cents.
Previous wages averaged from
$1.55 to $162 an hour.
15-Month Contract.
The union came closer to it's
wishes in length of contract, ac-
Icepting a 15-month term instead
of the one-year pact it desired.
The union also won some other
issues.
The company had wanted either
an 18-month contract. or a two
year contract with wage reopen
ing after 16 months. The union
opposed a contract longer than
one year on the ground that it
would freeze" wages.
Western Electric said its raises
would cost about 81 million a year.
Michigan Bell said its increases
of from SO to SIS a week would
cost $9.4 million a year and call
for rate boost. The new Michi-
gan contract also is for Is months.
Strike Marked by Disturbances.
The strike was marked by sew
eral picket line Scuffles, particu-i
larly in Philadelphia, when Di-
vision s pickets tried to keep girl
operators from the exchanges. /
The strike also led hundreds of
operators to file unfair labor
charges with the National Labor
Relations Board. accusing the
long lines division of A. T. g. T. of
a lockout. The CWA operators
said they were turned away from
work by the company when they
refused to give pledge that would
have bound them to cross possible
Division picket lines. The cases
have yet to be heard, with no
action likely for several weeks. The
operators also return to work
today.
The Western Electric settle
ment-subject to union member
ship ratification by December Al
ended nearly IA months of con-
tract discussion that began In
September, 1949, and led to a |
short, Intellectual strike last
spring. The new pact, to be ef-
fective as of last Thursday, will