Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1883-08-03

surate increase In the business, until
now the company is transmitting be-
tween 35. 900. 900 and 10000, 900 mes
sages annually.
With the vast increase in the num-
Der of employees and the business re-
quired of them, rules of increasing
severity have been adopted, and as the
supply of operators has increased.
wages have been, if not reduced,
made to depend on little matters that
were annoying. With 10000 opera
tors. each one a minute late, it would
make about a months service lost to
the company, and hence tardiness
was made Unable omission of duty.
| This is only an instance of the many
rules of which operators complain
have come into vogue.
With each infringement of their
privileges the operators employed by
the company have for years been
growing more and NOSE restive, and
it has not tended to quiet their appre-
tensions to see every new rival line
that gave promise of furnishing de-
mand for their services go into the
rapacious NAV of the Western Union
as soon as it was in position for busi-
ness. In this way the great company
practically was enabled to control not
only the supply of, but demand for
operators As long ago as 1869 the
operators started an organization for
their mutual protection, which was
known as the
TELEGRAPH PROTECTIVE LEAGUE,
and extended its organization all over
the country, from New York to San
Francisco. having from 1,500 to 1000
members. The object of the organiz
alton was as its name indicated, the
mutual protection OF each other in
their business. 1t was not strange
that the company should desire to
check the growth of the organization
and weaken its hold upon its employ
es. This was undertaken in San
Francisco by an effort to prevent the
operators from joining it. The jangle
in California resulted in reducing the
salaries in that office, and the opera
tors promptly left their instruments,
notified the offices along the line, and
on the Sd of January, 1870, strike
was made in all the Offices of the
Western Union company in the
United States All the operators in
San Francisco belonging to the league
left, those remaining being two ladies
and four men, who We're no members,
simply asked their salaries should not
be reduced, and that the San Fran
cisco operators be retained at their
former salaries. The pay then was
S220 month for tirst-class
men. The strike, however,
INCREASED IN MAGNITUDE
and every prominent office in the
country was more or less affected by
it. The company on January 4th,
declared by its secretary. that it could
submit to no dictation as to the num-
Der of men it employed nor the wages
paid them. closing its declaration by
saying: 'They must go under or we
shall; and we shall not. No one
that has left the Office will ever be al
lowed to return" But on January
Sth the company put out card in
New York offering amnesty to all
operators who would withdraw from
the league. The matters in dispute
between the league and the company
were nnally lett 10 cOnlmlttee Tor
decision, of which r. w. Pope was
the leading spirit. On the 18th of
January, Pope telegraphed the
following to the officers of
the league; 4 have canvassed
the situation, and believe it to be use
less to continue the strike. | hereby
absolve all Western Union members
from their oath, and advise them to
return to their work.
Following the death of the league
two protective associations were form
ed. an Eastern and a Western. the
principles and objects of which were
similar At convention held in Gin
cinnati, Ohio, some two years ago the
two branches were consolidated under
the name of the Brotherhood of Tel
egraphers of the United States and
Canada 1t is said that at that con-
vention the subject of the present
strike was discussed and argued upon.
and that from the etfecting of that
consolidation the single aim and OBJ
iect of the organization has been to
prepare for the strike that now pre-
walls