Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1881-07-21
THE STRIKERS.

|
The True Position of the Striking Yard
| Men of tho Minneapolis & St. Louis
Railroad.
In order to get at the correct facts re-
garding the formidable strike of the yard
men of the Minneapolis & st. Louis rail-
road, GLOBE reporter made several in
terviews yesterday with the lead
ers of the movement. That
great injustice has been done these men
| by the press of Minneapolis is very appar-
ent. The actual status of the matter and
the real cause leading to the same are as
| follows:
The employees of the road were getting
as compensation for their labor, 81. so per
day, for helpers, and $50 per month for
foremen No extra time was allowed.
The railroad company have no regular
system of paying off. No pay car is run,
as is the invariable rule of other roads.
AS a result, the employees were from ne
cessity compelled to sell their time to
speculators-and there are number of
them who do thriving business-at
discount. In a few instances some of the
men endeavored to save to them
selves this discount, and collect
their wages personally. As a conse-
quence they went to the office of the
company four different times and failing
on each occasion to get their wages. The
excuse was given that the company had
not the money. They were referred to
some of the spectators who would
buy their time. Many of these
yardmen have families to sup
port. This manner of doing
business greatly embarrassed them. They
esteemed it an unwarrantable hardship.
And they were also dissatisfied with the
low wages paid, without any allowances
whatever for extra work on Sundays.
The work in these yards is by far the
heaviest of that of any yards in the
Northwest The freight, wheat or lumber,
from all the loads entering Minneapolis,
have to be handled by the Minneapolis 6
St. Louis switchmen. The trains inva-
riably have to be cut up into one car Sec
tions. The men work from Is to Is
hours per day and Sundays.
Complaints were made to general
Yard Master McDermott, and transmit
ted by him to Supt. Crocker
and General Manager Hudson
Arrangements were uuduo TdlSluS 'uo
wages to $50 per month for forelnen
and $50 for helpers. Extra, pro rata, for
Sunday work.
Under this understanding, McDermott,
to accommodate the men, bought their
time from the first of June. Afterward
the men were notified by posted bulle-
tin that the arrangement did not go into
effect until June 20. AS a result McDer-
mott was left to the extent of three or
four hundred dollars. The employees de-
manded an explicit explanation The
company then agreed to change it to
June /.
At an informal meeting the swi!chmen
decided that their wages, even under the
advance, were insufficient to recompense
the actual work done.
The superintendent called for delega-
ton of five to confer with the company.
The request was granted and the confer
ence held The men asked that the
wages be raised IS per month. The COM
pany refused absolutely to concede more
than had already been offered.
The employees refused to go to work,
but gave assurance that no violence
would be committed. They would inter
fere with no one who wished to fill their
places. Thirty-seven signed paper |
that they would not go to
work unless this demand was acceded to. |
And in no instance has any one been in |
any manner molested who has done any |
work in the yards. One or two of the |
strikers who had signed the strike
document, upon honor, violated the |
agreement. The co-Strlkers went to |
these men and told them to cease work,
and the orders were obeyed.
On Tuesday evening the millers pro-
posed to Messrs. Hudson & Croker to
pay the required IS per month, for |
the next three months, in order |
to get the freight blockade |
lifted. They were suffering heavily, as
no wheat could be otherwise furn ished |
them in any competent amount. The |
railroad company refused to entertain the |
peremptorily The millers |
then appr ached the strikers and offered |
the additional S. In reply the
men said they were not asking
charity. All they wanted was their just
dues, as the employees of other roads re-
ceived. When bulletin should be pub
lished by the company, officially signed
by the superintendent and general man
aver, dlIOWluS tu6 duuiCIoudl %, CHcy
would lift the blockade. Fifteen minutes
after, five full crews would be at their
post and performing their respective
labors.
All along the lines of the various rail-
roads are immense numbers of freight
cars side tracked. They cannot be brought
to Minneapolis, else a serious passenger
train blockade would ensue. The tracks
save the nassenger. are filled with idle