Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-02-28
Both Sides Hit
In Dispute as
Irresponsible
BY CHARLES L. HOFFMAN
Star stan Correspondent

MAT yld11u 12OucC Va 0CAS60V0o
defeated two bills last night that
would have provided for seizure
Iof the strike-bound Baltimore
Transit Co.. shortly after it &C
cused both management and
labor OF 'irresponsibilities" In
the dispute.
The votes came shortly before
midnight, with a bill urged by
Gov McKeldin faring better
than one sponsored by the, Bal
itimore City delegation, but still
falling IL votes short Of success.
For Bus Competition
However, the Senate passed q
bill authorizing the Public Serv-
ice Commission to issue perma-
nent franchises to competing bus
companies in the city, which
would break the transit COM
lpany's monopoly.
j Like the strike-seiZure pro-
Iposal, this measure was aimed
lat ending the transit walkout.
It still requires approval by the
House.
Both seizure bills would have
allowed the State to take over
the transit system and operate
lit while negotiations continued.
mediation would have been re-
Iquired and, if it failed, forced
Arbitration.
Among those leading the oppo-
Isition to the measures was Carl
ton r. Sickles, Democrat Of
Prince Georges,
i A Washington labor attorney,
he branded a feature of one Of
the bills to make the transit
operators State employees Q
I"sham and a fiction"
It would be a shame to take
away the basic rights of the
employes-it would be interior.
ence with the process of free
collective bargaining" he said
Iof the bills branded by labor a.
ke-breaking measures"
) Both Sides Criticized
\ The actions came shortly after
1.-THE House, sitting as the grand
. inquest. adopted q report charg-
, ling that both parties in the 30
, day -old transit strike must be
Iadjudged to have been guilty Of
Iirrespopsibilities."
More specifically, the report
accused both parties of "inex.
cusable delays in negotiations"
and stubbornness in maintain
ling theoretical principles.
The report was adopted in .
secret session from which re-
porters were barred. after it had
been announced that no action
on the report would be taken
during the meeting.
The 83-page report summarize
ing eight days of testimony that
developed a l.708-page record
was prepared for the grand in
quest by Special Counsel Jerome
M. Alper Of Washington and his
staff.
/ Declining Industry
Although discussing the issues
in the dispute the report said:
THE fundamental problem In
the situation is that of a de-
Ginning industry in an expanding
economy"
/ THE conduct of the negotia-
tons :. contributes little toward
relieving the parties of the
charge that they had not carried
out their obligations with that
responsibility which the COM
munity is justified in demanding
of them. .
"a. Both parties have failed
to approach and to grapple with
the problems involved in the de-
mands in a realistic and prac-
tical way"
The grand inquest report said
the present strike might have
been avoided.
1t said the dispute sis ripe for
settlement by direct negotia-
tionS."
Suggests Greater Powers
The report suggested that the
powers of the Public Service
Commission be expanded to per-
init it to exercise day-to-day
supervision of all aspects of the
transit situation.
The absence of experienced
negotiators on either side at the
start of contract talks also drew
a rebuke from the grand in
quest.
Washington Labor Attorney
Bernard Cushman, who was
called in by the union to act as
its chief negotiator, was counsel
for the Washington Transit Union
and a principal negotiator dur
ing the 52-day strike in the
National Capital last summer.
Calls Ability to Pay Vital
The grand inquest, although
expressing admiration for Mr..
Cushman's argument that the
company's ability to pay is
theoretically irrelevant" never
theless said the issae actually
plays an important role in the
practically of negotiation"
In urging a study of the long
range mass transportation plan.
the report noted that the COM
pany's ability to earn has been
squeezed in the past. =. The COM
Ipany will reach a point where
its continued existence will be
extremely tenuous."
Pending completion Of such
studies, the grand inquest urged
Baltimore to consider system of
traffic control and street use to
speed I'D mass transit travel time