Evening star., 1951-07-02

clause IN the present contract COW
ering operating employees, anc
holds that there also should be one
covering shop workers and Other
non- operating men.
The union wants LOB protec.
ton" spelled out in a clause COW
erlng the hiring, promotion, fur.
loughing and rehiring of non
operating workers.
The company says it follow!
preferred seniority practices az
closely as possible. but the unior
said about 260 workers have beer
laid off since January. 1850, with.
out assurance they would be re-
hired when the company needs
more men. In addition, about FAC
jobs were not re-f1lled when work
men quit them voluntarily in the
last two years.. the union says.
Company Answers Union.
When men are rehired they are
brought back as new employees,
losing all seniority rights. the
union says. and that some are re-
hired in different occupations.
The company says the unions
proposal would make it necessary
to hire a car washer instead of a
Welder, for example, in event the
car washer had greater seniority.
Today a union spokesman said
the union would not insist on the
company hiring back men for jobs
the company did not need, regard
less of seniority. However, this
has never been written into any
proposed agreement. since the
company has insisted seniority
has no place in the contract, he
said.
Other Issues Relatively Simple.
The company also said the
unions proposal was entirely un-
workable because it insisted on
keeping discharged workers on a
furlough list for five years. In
case men are rehired, the fur
loughed workers should be given
seven days notification and an
additional 80 days to report. Thus
it might take 81 days to hire a
badly needed worker, the COM
pany argued.
Other issues in dispute were
considered relatively easy to settle
if the seniority nut could be
cracked.
On the question of wages, the
disputants were only cents apart
since the company increased its
original 13-cent offer to 18 cents
This figure includes Is cents ar
hour straight raise, and 3 cents
fringe benefits.
The company said the 18-cent
figure would cost $1,530,000 a
year, and would make a fare in
crease absolutely necessary.
Rate Boosts Held Essential.
Even when the company was
offering a 13-cent wage increase
it announced it would be neces-
sary to charge a straight 15-cent
fare, doing away with tokens and
81 weekly passes.
Negotiations toward a new con-
tract began early in March, when
preliminary sessions were held be-
tween company and union repre-
sentatives.
A letter from the company tc
the union, on March 30, stated that
all union requests had been care
fully considered. The letter offered
"a counter-proposal-an increase o1
13 cents an hour in all pay rates
4 cents effective April l. ana the
remainder July /; $40 monthly
increase in pension rates and ar
increase in sick leave benefits.
The union rejected the offer
and on April 13, CTC President
j. A. B. Broadwater sent indi.
vidual letters to the firms EN-.
ployes. uring them to give care.
full consideration to the company.
offer. The union charged thi.
was an attempt to "undercut thu
authority Of (the union)."
The union made its formal de.
mands April 27, seeking, among
other things, a 30 cents an houl
wage boost and a strong seniorit,
clause.
The company replied that the
wage increase asked was twice
the amount allowable under Gov.
eminent wage regulations. Or
May IS. company and union rep.
Iresentatives began across the table
negotiations. AS negotiations
Jagged. the union met June 2;
and voted to strike. Last-minute
negotiations, with Federal con-
|ciliators sitting in, failed to halt
the walkout.