Settlements Stop Transport Strikes; Snow Could Obstruct Airline Travel

Though continued snow could hinder speedy travel, homeward bound students will not be impeded by either of two serious transport strikes which recently threatened the nation.

The AFL-CIO Machinists Union and United Air Lines reached an agreement yesterday morning which headed off a strike scheduled for last night. Earlier in the day, Secretary of Labor W. Willard Wirtz announced the settlement of a dispute between the AFL-CIO Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters and the railroads.

United carries about 800,000 passengers during the Christmas season. The porters' strike, scheduled to begin this evening, would have shut down most of the nation's railroads.

Major Travel Blocked

United workers will receive most of the terms they demanded in the contract dispute. The major item is a 39 cent an hour increase which they asked for after Braniff Airways, inc., granted a similar raise to their employees last week.

The porters asked for both a reduction of hours and an increase in the hourly wage. The present 48 hour week will be shortened to 40 hours by July 1965, under the terms of the new settlement.

Although man-made problems were solved by the peaceful settlements, natural impediments may not be so easily overcome. Yesterday's snowfall might present a large obstacle to the vacation-bound student. All fights were reportedly "on or close to schedule" last night. Eastern Airlines said, however, that due to the continued snowfall, planes would be subject to delays of 30 to 45 minutes today. United announced that all planes would "almost certainly" fly on schedule roughout the day.