The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1877-08-09
The Wages the Railroad Men Struck
Against.

The strikers on the Baltimore and
Ohio have put their demands in writing
and they think that the figures ought
to be higher than ever before. In fact
they demand higher wages than the road
ever paid. When the war broke out In
1861 engineers were getting from 81 80
to So, fremen Sill to $175, and brake
men 81 to $1.33. The wages against
which they struck were 1925 to 50. SO for
engineers and $1.35 to $50 for firemen
and bTakemen. This is a little less then
in 1861 for the engineers, about the same
for the firemen and ten or fifteen per
cent. more for the brakemen. They
| demand $3.50 to ST for engineers and 81
as a minimum for firemen and brakemen,
which is about one-third more than in
1861. Vice-President Kings answer,
though courteous and polite, is not
entirely candid. He refers to the panic
/ of 1878 and the consequent falling off in
traffic, and says that the Baltimore and
| Ohio company was the last company
! which completes for the great trade of
| the west which made the reduction of
! ten per cent. This IS intended to convey
| the idea that the Baltimore and Ohio
/ had since the panic been the last to
! reduce the wages of its employees. This
| is tallaciOus. During 1873 they could
make ten or eleven days a week at So a
! day, by extra work. When the panic
1 came a reduction was made putting the
/ regular pay at $3.50, taking off extra
/ time and the extra half day for SUNDAYS.
/ In A ugust further reduction of twenty
/ per cent. or fifty per cent. was made, and
the fremen got $1.75 and $3.50. This
! shows that the reduction has amounted
to over fifty per cent. since 1873, and
/ the work has been increased by length
/ ening the trains and reducing the num-
Der of brakemen.
The strikes on the Pennsylvania was
/ against wages almost as high as the ex-
IRENE demands of the Baltimore and
/ Ohio employees, and quite as much, if
/ their statement Is true. Under the re-
/ ductiOn engineers got from $48. 8S to
/ 1929. If the men on the Baltimore
and Ohio only made eighteen days in
their best months these wages on the
Pennsylvania were certainly greater
| than the former asked for. The Erie
was the next road where the men began
! to starve. Some of their men were
making more than the fondest dreams
of the Baltimore men, and were doing
/ less work. Nevertheless they could
not buy bread for their families" and
/ they struck. The New York Central
was paying less than either of Il e
last two named roads, though more than
/ the Baltimore and Ohio The run was
a 'Out the same. On the Lake Shore the
wages were lower still, being as follows:
/ For hundred mile runs, engineers, 1928;
/ fireman S1.19, and brakemen, S135.
/ These might be increased by overwork.
/ On the New Jersey Central wages were
/ the highest known, though the road was
in the hands of a receiver. The hands
struck for the only reduction made
since the war, and that a slight one,
three months ago. Even under that
engineers got an average of $40, fire.
men 500, and brakemen $40 during
June. The Lehigh Valley was about at
ans average. 1t was paying more than
( the Baltimore and Ohio before the re-
/ duction. The Delaware, Lackawanna
and Western scale did not vary much
/ from that of the Lehigh Valley. The
( following gives a summaryOt the average
wages on the principal roads concerned
/ in the strike: