Evening star., 1953-07-08
Transit Strike Put Off
Pending Report Of
Fact-Finding Board

A threatened transit strike has
been put off to give a special
fact-finding board time to seek
a basis for settlement of the dis
pute.
The three-member board will
be set up within seven days by
the Commissioners and Clyde M.
Mills, acting director of the Fed
eral Mediation and Cancellation
Service.
The board will be directed to
offer a solution as rapidly as
possible, but estimates of the
time it would take to sift through
the problems ran from a month
to six weeks.
Decision to set up the fact
finding board was announced
Jointly by the Commissioners
and Federal mediators, and re-
vealed to union members at a
special meeting last night. The
500 transit workers attending
the meeting at Pythian Temple
1912 Ninth street NV, gave the
union leaders vote of con-
fdence.
In Questioning Mood.
At the beginning of the As
minute session Walter j. Bier
wagen. president of the union,
told the union members, on reg
ular runs, about the situation.
However. they were in a ques-
tioning mood, particularly want
ing to know why no strike had
been called after all this time.
Mr.. Bierwagen then explained
that the fact-f1nding board was
the next step, and the members,
he said. agreed that this was a
correct one. The meeting, as in
the past, was closed to the press.
In announcing that a fact
finding board would be ap-
pointed the Commissioners and
Federal mediators who have
been working together said:
"The public interest demands of
us such further action as we
may deem appropriate in order
that continued and uninter-
rupted transportation service be
maintained pending additional
efforts to settle the dispute.
Company Stand Unclear.
In the light of the course
taken these facts stood out:
l. The position of the Capital
Transit Co. remained unclear. A
statement by j. A. B. Broadwater,
company president. said only:
1--WE feel that we have a legal
and binding contract with the
union that runs until 1855. We
do not feel that this is a proper
matter for a fact finding board" "
E. Cleveland Giddings, COM
pany vice president, was asked
whether the company would CO.
operate with the proposed board.
His only reply was to refer re-
porters to Mr.. Broadwater's
statement.
2. The union said it would CO.
operate and make the facts rele-
want to the pension dispute avail
able to the fact-finding board. "
But it did not rule out a strike
entirely.
A statement by Mr.. Bierwagen
said the union will, IF a report
is made expeditiouSly. hold in
allegiance any strike call pending
the report of the board"
3. Neither side is under COM
pulsion to accept a fact finding
boards report. This is in con-
trast to arbitration procedure
where both sides agree in ad-
vance to accept a ruling of the
arbitratorS.
1t is believed, however, that a
report by a board composed of
men respected by the community
who had thoroughly sifted the
issues would carry such weight
that it would be difficult for
either side to ignore it.
Arbitration Is Issue.
The dispute involves both the
unions demands for improved
pensions and its inSistence that,
in view of the company's denial
of a settlement of the pension
issue, the matter be arbitrated.
The company maintains it is not
legally obligated to submit the
matter to arbitration; the union
contends the contract calls for
arbitration.
The Commissioners and me-
diatorS decision that the Situa-
ton called for appointment of
a board was disclosed to the
two sides late yesterday. This