Evening star., 1955-06-19
Transit Tieup Feared
In Union StoIemote
Continued From First Page

Continued From First Page
union which feels it has beer
sighted in the past, particularly
in regard to pensions and welfare
benefits, and is determined to gel
for its members a wage increase
of a size comparable to that
which it maintains has beer
given to transit workers in Other
cities.
On the other side Of the bar
gaining table is the company
with a steadily declining business
and revenue. 1t has paid divi-
dends at a comfortable rate only
by biting heavily into reserves
piled up in past years.
Publicly. Vice President E.
Cleveland Giddings, the company
spokesman, says negotiations are
being conducted in a friendly
atmosphere" and that both par
ties are hopeful Of reaching
agreement"
Says It Has Nothing to Give
But, in talks with the union
and others. the company has
taken the position that it can
give the union nothing because
1t has nothing to give, Manage
ment officers have maintained
they will not be in position to
even talk about concessions to
employees until some time after
the PUG has ruled on the fare
increase request. If the ruling
Is favorable and time shows it
produces more income, then
they will talk. That time, at
best. would be some months from
now.
In line, presumably, with this
thinking, company negotiators
made their only proposals Of
the current bargaining sessions.
They first proposed a years ex-
tension of the. present contract.
When it was rejected by the
union, the company suggested a
six months extension. That, too,
was turned down quickly.
Walter j. Bierwagen, presi-
dent of the Amalgamated Asso-
cations Local $50, said fatty
the union will not accept any
improvements in contract that
are conditioned on a fare in
crease.
Mr.. Bierwagen said company
r1egotiators brushed aside his
verbal suggestion that the dis
pute be submitted to arbitration.
Mr.. Giddings said a formal
suggestion for arbitration had
not been made. When asked if
the company would accept ar
bitration, he suggested look at
Capital Transit's past policy on
that. Significantly. perhaps the
company. in the nearly six years
Of Louis Wolfson control, con-
siStently has rejected both ar
bitration and fact-finding except
on grievances relating to inter-
pretation of the contract.
Little Authorities Can Do
II a strike situation should de-
velop, there would be little that
District authorities or the Fed
eral Government could do beyond
the powers of persuasion, either
to head of a stoppage or to
halt one.
The war powers used by for
il1er President Truman in No
vember. 1945, to seize Capital
Transit and end a brief strike
have expired. So has a World
War I seizure law that was used
In railroad disputes in more re-
cent years.
z The Taft-Hartley Qabor rela-
tions) Act provides the President
with injunctive machinery to
deal with a dispute he regards
as creating a national emer-
gency. Taft-Hartley has never
been used in any Of the many
bitter transit strikes over the
country, and there was a long
one in Detroit, a vital produc-
ton center. during the Korean
conflict. A Federal official said
he doubted if strike here would
be regarded as endangering the
Nations health and safety.
Truman Castigated Union
Ironically, President Truman's
seizure of Capital Transit in 1945
followed a refusal by the union
to arbitrate. He castigated the
union, describing the refusal as
q blow at the sanctity of labor
agreements" and at orderly
government"
The strike in 1851 followed re-
fusal of the company to agree
to arbitration. It was settled in
prolonged negotiations in which
Cyrus S. Ching. former Federal
mediation chief, and former
Commissioner F. Joseph Dono-
hue took part. An agreement
was hammered out at a mara
thon session lasting from 4 pm
one day until 6 o'clock the fol-
lowing morning.
Mr.. Bierwagen's union rep
resents about 5000 operating and
maintenance employees Of Capita
Transit. OF these. by far the
largest group-some 2,100-rur
the buses and streetcars.
Here are the unions initial
major proposals which. Mr.. Bier.
wagon said. he has told the COM
pany were "bargainable":
/. A general wage rise of 2g
cents an hour with an extra siz
cents for mechanics Of top skill
Operators now receive $1.90 ar
hour. and wages Of maintenance
people range from $1.57 to $2.03
2. More liberal vacations.