Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1883-08-14

A Senate Subcommittee Listening Ia
The story of the Telegraph
Operators.

committee on labor and education began .
session today in the p0stoffice building. The
members present we're Senators Blair. chair
man, George, Pugh, Call and Aldrich. The
special subject of the sub committee investi-
CATION is the strike and labor movements in
general, the object being to obtain informa-
ton which may be used in securing future
legislation to prevent them. The first wit
ness today was Master Workman John Camp
bell of Pittsfeld. He testified that he had
been a telegraph operator over twenty years !;
had been connected with the Knights of La
Dor and Brotherhood of Telegraphers for two
wears. There are between Is. 600 and $4,000
telegraphers in the United States and Canada
who are members of the brotherhood. and the
whole membership is $4,000. The cause OF
the strike was the refusal to grant demand
on the part of the operators for increased
compensation, decrease in hours, and extra
compensation for Sunday work. Since 1870
the salaries of telegraph operators have been
systematically cut down, and the object of
the strike was to bring the rate of compensa-
ton back to its former STANDARD.
Operators are nov paid a fixed salary per
month, the average rate throughout the cOun-
try being about S54 for commercial opera
tors and $50 per month for railroad opera
tors. The rate of wages for first-class com
mercial operators now ranges between $50
and $50 per month. The salary in New York
city are higher than in smaller cities, with
the exception of New Orleans, Memphis and
Nashville. where the scale of wages was
about equal to that in this city.
This city has the lowest rates for CONNER
cial operators. These rates were from S35 to
$40 per month for operators at small way
way stations. Before the reduction of wages
rates were 30 to 30 per cent higher than at
present. In 1880, first class operators could
make from $50 to Sl30 month. These rates
extended back to the time of the beginning OF
the war, when the scale of wages was about
the same as it is at present for railroad Oper-
ators, and that for commercial men was a
little higher.
The Western Union company employs a
quarter of all the operators in the country,
and about two-thirds are railroad operators.
The American Rapid company only employs
about one-fifth as many operators as the
Western Union. The protest of the brother
hood was against all companies and all en-
ployes. Telegraph operators wages are not
considered sufficient to live upon, and is
much below that of common labOrers in
many instances. Companies are able to pay
higher wages to men without increasing the
rates of service to the public.
ms was evident from tHe large OlVluenuS
fixed by the Western Union. Besides this,
facilities for transmitting messages have been
increased by the invention of duplex and
quadruplex instruments. There has been no
reduction in tariff in consequence of these
improvements, but on the other hand the
wages of operators have been cut down. The
number of operators has doubled since 1870,
while the facilities of the companies have
more than doubled. The Western Union
company on that year handled 200. 900 mes
sages. and last year the number was 80 ZOO,
coo.
Campbell related the history of the strike
since the beginning. There was a conven-
tion of the brotherhood, he said, held in
Chicago last March, at which a bill of griev-
an ces was drawn up. This was presented to
the different local assemblies of the brother
hood throughout the United States and Can
ada. wi no unanimously ratified the action of
the convention. The returns to the executive
board were made about two months ago, and
the committee was instructed to present the
demands of the operators to the different
companies and were also empowered to ar
bitrate upon any propositions that might be
made by the companies.
John McLelland. an officer OF the brother
hood, and an operator of fourteen years
standing was next examined. He said that
the direction of this strike was an insult Of
fered by the Western Union company to the
committee of the brotherhood in refusing to
recognize them. 1t had been expected that
the strike would occur, but it was thought
the company would be willing to listen to the
demand of the men and come to some adjust
ment if possible. The grievances were real
ones, and if there had been a spirit of con-
cession manifested by the company, the op-
orators would have met them in this spirit
1t was shown that Gen. Eckert and other
officers Of the company had known of the
plans of the brotherhood before the strike
began. The company knew that the grew
ances existed, and that the demands were to
be presented, and had been preparing to re-
sist these demands since last March. In re-
gard to the grievances, the salaries of opera
tors was of great Importance, while the
length of working hours and Sunday work
without additional compensation was also a
great grievance. Mr.. Orion, when president
of the Western Union, said that six hours a
day was sufficient for an operator to work in
order to do justice to the company. The
operators now only asked that eight hours be
considered days work.
As to the wages inferior men were getting
larger pay than first class men. This was
the result of favoritsm on the part of the Of
ficers, and if the present strike was failure
it would only strengthen the existing organ
ization instead of breaking its power Since
the organization of the strike, he said, the
brotherhood had positive knowledge that the
Western Union had mailed hundreds of mes
sages which had been taken at the regular
tariff and had sent large bundles by express
to important points. The business had been
delayed from to "a hours during the whole
of the strike, and he offered to produce evil
dence to corrobOrate these statements.
Plans and estimates for the construction of
new telegraph company, equal with the
Western Union, were in his possession. The
cost of construction and equipments of which
was about one fourth of the amount repres-
enting the capital stock of the Western
Union Co. When asked whether he could
suggest any method by which a more relia.
BILE division could be made of the products
of labor and capitol between the employees
and employed, McLelland said this would be
impossible. The committee adjourned until
10 O'Clock tomorrow when the examination
of Mr.. McLelland will be concluded and
other members of the brotherhood ovap,;no1