Money & Other Things

The loose ends of the New York newspaper strike were still flapping around last week, and there was little chance that they would be tied up in a hurry. While the long argument continued, the strike, longest in the city's history, slipped past the 100-day mark.

Ironically, the biggest obstacle to a settlement turned out to be the union that had not been expected to give anybody trouble--the big but rarely belligerent Newspaper Guild. Even before Bert Powers' printers went on strike last Dec. 8, the Guild had come to terms with most Manhattan papers. But when Mayor Wagner drew up a settlement stipulating that the contracts for the city's ten newspaper unions all lapse at the same time, the Guild got back into the act; its agreement was necessary on any new expiration date. And, said Guild Executive Vice President Thomas Murphy, "if we are going to be asked to extend our contract, we want money and other things."

Back to the Commodore Hotel went the talk-weary publishers, who might have seen this problem approaching months ago. Aware that the Guild's members were anxious to get back to work, the publishers at first offered them only a token raise of $1.50 a week to take effect Nov.1, 1964. "Wholly inadequate," snapped Murphy, who wanted an extra $4 to make up the difference between the $8.50 package the Guild got last fall and the $12.50 won by the printers. He also wanted a citywide Guild shop, pension plan and medical program. The publishers upped their offer to $4.13, but Murphy emerged shaking his head. "Personally," said he, "I'm disappointed."

So was many another Guildsman. At week's end, top officers of the Guild recommended acceptance of the publishers' offer by a split (9-8) vote, but that vote was far from final. This week Guild units at each New York newspaper must ratify the agreement, and there was some doubt that all would go along. At the Daily News, Guild unit leaders voted 47 to 3 to advise their members to turn the offer down. If that advice is accepted, the pickets ,will keep on marching. Bert Powers wants a common expiration date badly, and if the Guild rejects it, he said, "all bets are off."

This file is automatically generated by a robot program, so reader's discretion is required.