Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1870-01-07
THE TELEGRAPHERs.
Card from the Western Union Telegraph
Company,
EXECUTIVE OFFICE w. U. TEL. Co,

=
l45 Broadway, n. Y, Jan. 0.
To the Public: Since the publication,
this morning, of the card signed by the
officers Of this company, explaining the
circumstances out of which the strike Of
the operators arose, a full and detailed
statement of what occurred in California
has been received from the cOmpanys
agent, Mr.. Mumford, as follows: About the
middle of December, superintendent CAM
BILE determining to readjust the compen-
satiOn of the employees at San Francisco,
according the the value of their services,
gave notice to two operators that after
January lst their salaries would be re-
duced from $40 to Sll5 per month; and a
third that his would be increased from
SlU0 TO SI20 a month, making an increase
in the aggregate compensation of the
three of $40 a month. Acting on these
notices, as is supposed, the operators at
San Francisco united in presenting q
schedule of salaries which they asked to
have adopted. In this schedule the two
salaries which Mr., Gamble had proposed
to reduce remains as before, and an in
crease of four others was asked for. Mr..
MumfOrd so far assented 10 its schedule
as 70 make no reduction of salaries, and
allowed . portion of the proposed increase.
He at the same time informed the
operators that the force in the Office was
larger than was justified by the dimin-
ished business.
The number of messages being less
than usual, and the receipts lighter, the
operators themselves admitted that more
men were employed than was strictly
necessary. go bring the force thus into
harmony with the wants Of the business,
two men were dismissed, but they were
not the men whose salaries Mr.. Gamble
had in the first instance proposed to re-
duce. The salaries Of these men re-
mained unchanged, although one of these
was dismissed after the reduction OF the
price above mentioned, and a fourth man
refused TO work at the schedule price, al
though it was ten dollars month higher
than he had ever before received. Out Of
this state of things the strike arose. The
facts thus explained fully support
Mr.. Mumford's original statement that
he had reduced no salaries and had no in
tention of doing so. He had, in fact, in
creased them upon the petition of the Op-
orators themselves, and the only man
who appears to have left because ne was
dissatisfied with his compensation, re-
fused to work at an advance in his salary
of ten dollars a month. The strike there
is not as the operators here have alleged
and supposed strike in resistance TO a
reduction of wages, general or special
but in support of the claim Of an individ-
ual whose salary has been raised, but not
10 SO hiEh lIgufe as ne desired. II can
not be denied in view of all these circum-
stances that the whole body of strikers
throughout the Union have left their
work with view and purpose
of subieobing the business Of tie
entire country to delay and arrangement
because some John Smith in California is
demanding an increase of twenty dol
lars IN his salary, and can only get
ten dollars. This is the real issue,
unless il is further claimed that this COM
pany shall not be permitted to determine
how large force is necessary to do its
business, and to increase or diminish from
time to time, accordingly.
(Signed) o. II. PALMER, Treasurer.