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18/13/44
BLUE NETWORK ACCUSES PETRILLO OF WILDCAT STRIKE THREAT
Wliether there will be a strike against the National Broad¬ casting Company and the Blue networks because of the disagreement between the American Federation of Musicians and the National Association of Broadcast Engineers and Technicians as to who will turn the transcription platters, seems to be anyone's guess.
Petrillo, as usual, is believed to mean business and the situation is very tense.
National Broadcasting officials were silent but Mark Woods, president of the Blue Network, expressed himself as follows:
"In negotiating a new contract with James C. Petrillo, for the American Federation of Musicians, last January, we agreed, effect¬ ive in June, 1944, to employ platter turners who are members of the American Federation of Musicians. This agreement was part of a gen¬ eral contract, in which the AF of M made a number of concessions and we in turn accepted the AF of M Jurisdiction over platter turners, in order that a musicians* strike could be averted and the network continued in orderly operation. We were acting in good faith, and had been advised that we were within our legal rights to award this Jurisdiction to the American Federation of Musicians,
"The National Association of Broadcast Engineers and Tech¬ nicians also claims Jurisdiction over the emoloyment of platter turn¬ ers. NABET appealed to the National Labor Relations Board, asking that their rights to this Jurisdiction be upheld,
"The National Labor Relations Board decided that status quo should be maintained, which meant that NABET would control the Juris¬ diction of platter turners, except in Chicago, in which city platter turners have for many years been under the Jurisdiction of the AF of M.
"The Blue Network was and is perfectly willing to accept the decision of the National Labor Relations Board, However, Mr, Petrillo refuses to accept this decision and has warned our company that if we do not keep our agreement with the AF of M, he will order a series of wild cat strikes by withdrawing musicians from our prograr.: at sporadic intervals. We would have no adequate relief from these tactics and over a period of time it would be impossible for us to broadcast our leading programs, due to the absence of musicians for temporary periods.
"It is our hope that the courts will settle the dispute between the American Federation of Musicians and the National Associ¬ ation of Broadcast Engineers and Technicians. Only in that way can either the AF of M or NABET be forced to accent a conclusion to the Jurisdictional dispute.
"The Blue Network finds itself in the middle of a Juris¬ dictional fi^t between the AF of M and the NABET. As between these two unions, we do not favor one over the other. We desire that the labor laws of the country be comnlied with, that our emnloyees be