“Theatre Strike Halted”

Headline: “Theatre Strike Halted”

Subhead: Labor Troubles Rapidly Drawing to Close as Settlements Are Reached

STRIKE settlements have been effected in most of the principal cities where trouble loomed a week ago and the situation has returned to normalcy. Los Angeles, one of the storm centers, narrowly averted a strike a few hours before it was scheduled to go into effect. A new three year agreement granted wage increases to theatre unions, but only the musicians won their demand for a six-day week, which was granted only providing the musicians individually pay for a substitute. Wage increases of 7½ per cent the first year, 2½ per cent the second and none the third were granted musicians.

Three hours after non-union operators had been placed in the booths of three Publix houses, an Interstate house and a tabloid theatre in Houston, Texas, a wage settlement was reaxihed between the theatres, union operators and stagehands. Union operators immediately replaced the nonunion men.

Under the new scale granted in Houston, operators at the Publix houses and the Interstate houses will receive $65 a week. Stagehands at the Interstate will receive $65 a week and their assistants $60. The raise in salaries is approximately 12 per cent. Settlements have been reached with motion picture theatre machine operators in St. Paul and Fargo, N. D., by the theatre owners, represented by Theodore L. Hays of the Finkelstein and Ruben organization and in Fargo by Ben Friedman of the American Amusement company.

In St. Paul the contract is the same as last year in most cases but a slight increase in wage scale was granted the workers in legitimate houses and in some of the suburban theatres. Chicago’s movie strike spread to Missouri towns, but thus far the unions have been decidedly defeated in their efforts and demands. At Springfield, Mo., a city of 65,000, operators, stage hands and musicians demanded an increase of $5 weekly. The exhibitors flatly refused. Then followed a lockout, with the theatres being picketed. As it became apparent that the exhibitors did not intend to yield, the union demands dwindled to $1.75 for two operators. That, also, was refused by exhibitors. As a result of the Springfield strike, theatres of that city are operating successfully on a non-union basis under police protection.