Show N NI 1 Y VI BUS STRIKE LINES TIGHTEN NEW YORK March 11 lP- lP Nearly New Yorkers jammed subways rode taxicabs or walked to work again Tuesday as asa asa asa a strike of bus drivers on virtually all Manhattan lines entered its second second second sec sec- ond day on a grim note We are digging in for a long fight was the warning of Michael J. J Quill international president of ot the Transport Workers' Workers union CIO which Monday called out of two major bus companies The whole system Is tied up per cent said Edmund C. C Collins Collins Col Col- lins speaking for the two companies com com- the the Fifth Avenue Coach company and the New York City Omnibus corporation The strike which also affects two Queens routes is intensified by the fact that trolley cars al almost almost almost al- al most have disappeared from Manhattan Manhattan Manhattan Man Man- hattan streets The walkout began just before dawn Tuesday completely Immobilizing immobilizing immobilizing 1300 buses and depriving Manhattan of 95 per cent of its surface transportation facilities An effort by Mayor F F. H. H LaGuardia LaGuardia LaGuardia La- La Guardia to bring together the bus operators and strikers failed and the mayor criticized the strike as asa asa asa a tragic mistake and useless and unnecessary The union remained adamant In its demands for a new contract calling for a 25 per cent wage increase in increase increase in- in crease reduction in working hours from 54 to 4 48 a week and three- three week vacations instead of two The companies characterized these demands as but said they were willing up to noon Tuesday to resume negotiations negotiations negotiations on a basis of extending for 30 60 or 90 days the old contract which expired March 1 1 Newspaper advertisements by bythe bythe bythe the bus companies said the average annual pay pay- for a driver of the Fifth Avenue company which operates operates operates op op- op- op the familiar double deck buses was and for a driver on the other company's routes II |