New York Transport Strike Settled

Press, Volume CV, Issue 30958, 14 January 1966, Page 9

New York Transport Strike Settled

UN.Z.P.A. Reuter—Copyright) NEW YORK, January 13. Both sides today accepted proposals to end the crippling New York transport strike.

The peace plan was drawn up by a mediation panel at the request of Mayor John Lindsay, who took office only five hours before the strike of the city’s buses and underground began on New Year’s Day. The two transport unions were the first to announce acceptance of the proposals. Mr Douglas MacMahon, leader of the second team of negotiators who took over when Mr Michael Quill was sent to gaol, called the settlement plan “a victory.” The city Transit Authority announced its acceptance of the proposals about an hour later. Mr MacMahon said the twoyear contract with the Transit Authority was for 70 million dollars. Board Agrees The peace plan unanimously recommended by union negotiators has been approved by the union board and ratified by the membership. But a Transit Authorityspokesman said the authority was trying to work out with the unions an immediate resumption of service. The stoppage became a national problem. In an obvious reference to New York, President Johnson said in his State of the Union address last night he

would seek legislation to “enable us effectively to deal with strikes which threaten irreparable damage to the national interest."

Many large corporations which have their national headquarters in New York were unable to handle correspondence because secretaries and typists could not get to work.

Goods lay idle on the docks and in warehouses in a sea of traffic jams. Ships were diverted from New York harbour.

Early closing on Wall Street hampered stock and shares dealing on the west coast. The garment district, where a substantial amount of the clothes worn across the nation are made, was specially hard hit.

A dire economic threat for the future of the greatest city in the United States came as executives pondered moving from the metropolis.

The title man suffered most and many small businesses

operating on small profit margins faced bankruptcy. Only the bigger corporations paid workers who could not get to the office.

In the slums of Negro Harlem and the Puerto Rican district real hardship was suffered by people unable to get to work and having no resources. For the unskilled worker a taxi was out of the question and few have cars. But some people prospered.

Taxi-drivers, with the bylaw against taking more than one fare temporarily rescinded, made a bigger income than usual.

Bicycle and motor-cycle shops did a roaring trade. Hotels in Manhattan near the business districts were full. A few executives drove away from the city to Kennedy Airport, there to catch a helicopter back into the city.

Horses and riders were even seen among the skyscrapers and so were the roller skaters.