Strikes knifed through the nation's network of 22 million telephones last week. In 44 states, long distance and overseas service was paralyzed. In many a city or town which still has manual phones, local calls were spotty or completely cut off.* Executives and clerical workers, trying to man the switchboards (see cut), fell hopelessly behind the blinking lights.
Root of the confusion was a labor-management dispute involving only 8,000 menmembers of the Association of Communications Equipment Workers, who install switchboard equipment for the Bell System. They wanted a long-sought raise of $6...