“Movie Operators Demand Pay Rise”

Headline: “Movie Operators Demand Pay Rise”

Subhead: Wage Agreement Expires Wednesday—Higher Scale Aim of Union

Unless motion picture machine operators and theater owners of Minneapolis negotiate a new wage scale by Wednesday night, the city will be without motion pictures Thursday, spokemen for the operators’ union said today.

The present wage agreement between the Motion Picture Machine Operators Union and the Motion Picture Theater Owners Association will expire at midnight, August 31, and the operators have served notice that unless they are granted increases in pay, they will strike September 1.

No question caused by the strike of motion picture machine operators in Chicago is involved in the dispute here, Joseph Elwood, business represetnative of the union in Minneapolis, said today.

“No action on the Chicago strike situation will be taken here unless the owners there should decide to try to break the strike by employment of nonunion men,” Mr. Elwood said. “If that situation should arise, we probably would be instructed by the international office to take some sympathetic action.”

Negotiations between the theater owners and the operators have been under way for 30 days with no agreement reached or any arrangements make [sic] for a meeting to iron out differences, according to Mr. Elwood.

There are about 70 operators in Minneapolis who are members of the union. They are employed by 58 motion picture houses. Only one theater in the city employs a non-union operator.

The present wage scale ranges from one dollar to one dollar and forty cents an hour, depending on the class of theater in which the worker is employed. Average number of hours worked is six and a half a day.

It is expected that a meeting the men and the theater owners will be called today or Wednesday in an effort to conclude a new agreement. The agreement now effective was made two years ago.