Evening star., 1957-12-09
Subway Strike
Hits New York,
Leaders jailed
Service Disrupted;
4 Union Men Seized
On Jurist's Order


NEW YORK. Dec. Q CR.--A
strike by subway motormen
today severely disrupted New
York's vast transportation sys-
TEN during the morning rush
hours.
The strike started at 5 am.
after the president and three
other leaders Of the Motor
mems Benevolent Association.
an independent union. we're
Jailed by q Supreme Court
Justice for violating q no.
strike injunction.
In q post-midnight hearing,
Justice Henry Clay Greenberg
ordered the four to start serv-
ing To-day suspended sem
tences lodged against them fol-
lowing an MBA strike in June.
1886. which tied up q large part
Of the subway system for nine
hours. That tieup was the first
large-scale subway strike in the
city in 80 years.
Thousands Late to Work
Emergency facilities were set
up this morning on still-oper-
ating lines. Discomfort rather
than disorder appeared to be
the principal result. Thousands
got 70 work late.
A heavy rain pelted COM
muters who scampered for sub
stitute transportation into
midtown from the suburbs and
the huge residential areas Of
the boroughs Of Brooklyn.
Queens and the Bronx. as well
as Manhattan. Normally as
million riders use the subway
daily.
There were conflicting claims
of the effectiveness Of the
walkout. The announcement
yesterday Of the strike vote ap-
parently had been ample warn
ing for many riders TO plan
ahead.
The hardest hit route today
was the Independent Division.
which runs trains TO all bor-
oughS OF the city except Staten
Island which has no subway
service. Only one Independent
line was operating fully. and
an MBA spokesman claimed
the strike there was 90 per
cent effective.
One Division Untouched
Some portions Of service on
Observation-Disclosures Transit
Division (BMT) we're also out.
The division operates in Man
haitian. Queens and Brooklyn.
Apparently untouched was
activity Of the Interhorough
Rapid Transit Division uRTD,
which runs to the Bronx as wen
as the other boroughs served
by subway.
DiSputing MBA claims.
Thomas J. McLernon. general
manager OF the Transit Author
ity. the agency which operates
all the subways. said service on
the BMT and IRT were both
CLOSE to normal" and that
crews for Independent trains
were beginning TO report for
work.
We are very optimistic about
about the evening rush hour"
Mr.. McLernon commented.
Stay at Work, Quill Says
In another mid-morning de-
velopment, Michael J. Quill.
president Of the Transport
Workers Union. repeated in
structions to his fellows not to
strike. and declared that the
MBA walkout was petering out.
A dispute for jurisdictional
recognition between the Quill
union and the MBA is the basis
for the motormens strike.
Defiance Of any effort to-
ward quick end Of the strike
was voiced by Frank A. Zelano,
MBA executive secretary.
Wen be out until Teddy gets
out Of JAIL" he declared. re-
ferring 10 the order Of Justice
Greenberg which imprisoned
Theodore Loos. MBA president
Jailed with him were Angus
tine J. johnson. Edwin o. Kis-
ser and Louis Steinfeld.
The men we're under injunc-
ton since the 1856 strike not
to call another walkout.
The MBA claims to represent
$500 Of the subway lines 3.l67
See SUBWAY, Page AS