Mail dispute forces jobless to line up for own cheques

Original Toronto Star caption: Mail dispute forces jobless to line up for own cheques. Line-ups like this one have continued for the past two days at the Fort York Armory as nearly 7;500 persons picked up unemployment cheques. Payments to the 68;000 persons eligible for benefits in the Metro area were not mailed out because of the threat of a postal strike. Winnipeg postmen have already started a 24-hour walkout and strike at Windsor threatened to spread to other cities. Post office employees; who now earn from $102 to $129 a week; are demanding a 60-cent-an-hour increase over two years. Ottawa is offering 41 cents over 2 1/2 years. Since the threat of a major mail tie-up has loomed for days; officials have plans to open more cheque pick-up systems at Moss Park and Denison armories.