Session: 123456789101112131415161718192021222324         Page 145146147148149150151152153154155156157158159160161162163164165166167168169170171172173174175176177 of 592

He says, “It sounds reasonable.”

Then I go to the World Telegram and Sun and to the Daily News. There were a lot of papers. Every paper -- you should see -- “Rocky must step in.” I'm in touch with Corbin and with Hank all the time. Hank is saying, “It's going great. It's going great.”

I said, “What's going to happen with this thing?”

He says, “Don't worry. It's going great. It's going great.”

One day I'm in the office and I get a call. I remember Dick Montague of the New York Post was in my office. The reporters had heard. A report had come out -- that's why they all came to the office -- that Governor Rockefeller was touring in Nassau County with Joe Carlino as part of the campaign. He had given out a statement to the press that he was canceling his appointments for the rest of the day because he was inviting to his office in New York the leaders of the labor movement and the leaders of the hospitals to discuss the hospital strike which has now become a serious problem. I get a call. So the reporters are all around wanting to know, and I'm saying, “I don't know what's happening. I don't know.”

“Wish I knew.”

And then there's a call, and the switchboard operator yells out to me, “The governor's office is on the phone!” Then the reporters are rushing.

I say, “You've got to let me alone on this.”

And It's Corbin. He says, “Moe, it's happening, but you've got to have confidence in us. It's not going to be played the way you would like it to be played, but it's going to be played. The ending is going to be right. We can't have Davis there. They won't sit in the same room with him. But Van Arsdale is going to be involved in it. Just trust us that it will work.”

So I have a choice. I told Davis, “You have a choice. You trust them.” Okay.

David Livingston is there representing us, too, and Van Arsdale was there. Even the state AFL-CIO president, Ray Corbett, who I had this big battle with. Of course, the bill had to include compulsory arbitration. I had a battle with him later on, because the governor said, “I cannot get a bill passed in the Republican legislature if it does not include compulsory arbitration.” That created a problem for us