Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-12-14
THE TELEGRAPHERs' WOES.
KumOrs of Impending Trouble With the
OperatOrs-COmplain of Reduced Sal
aries and Extra WOrk-What the Sa-
vannsh Operators Say.

Rum ors of Impending Trouble With the
OperatOrs-COmplain of Reduced Sal
aries and Extra WOrk-What the Sa
vannah Operators Say.
| For some time past it has been rumOred,
and supposedly from authentic sources
that the telegraph operators of the
country are contemplating another
! strike. The recent strike-a memo
ram one to manipulators of the
wires-hag, the operators as body
say, made them Veterans. 1t was an e1.
perience that they were untlseIt to, and
Che too that has taught them the vaIue
Of organization as an important
factor in such a movement. They have
about recovered from the blow they re-
ceiYed by the disastrous ending of the
great STRIFE of 1888, and in some parts of
the country it is reported that the prOba-
bilitieS are that within the next three
months they Will again try conclusions
with the Western Union Company. The
encounter, it is claimed, may not be in
the form Of a pitched battle, but The feel
ing is reported to be so intense among
operators that no matter what is the
character OF their warfare it will be ag-
gressive and bitter to the last
degree. A leading operator in
saying few days ago: "Hhe operators
have grievances as great now as those
which brought about their strike two
years ago. The rules in all the large
offices have been made arbitrary to the
last degree. There has been a systematic
reduction in wages all over the country.
1t is true that notices have not been
posted in the offices informing the en-
plOyes that after certain date
a ~
less. A warning of that kind would
have provoked a strike, and safer but
equally effective plan was adopted. Every
day at some point in the country one or
more men have been discharged and their
places filed with cheaper men. The extra
pay received for OverwOrk has been cut
off, and men are required to work over
time without any compensation what
ever.D
j. B. Tattaval, editor Of the TeledTdDh-
erS' AdgOcdte, in New York, says that an
other move is contemplated by the opera
tors. ''FrOm all parts of the country" he
says, "comes the news that the operators
are holding meetings in the larger places
almost every night with view of taking
some action that will prevent the West
ern Union in making further reductions
in their salaries. look for trouble. There
is bound to be trouble in the South,
the greatest reductions are being made
by the Western Union. The men cannot
live on the salaries they are receiving
and they must do something and that
very soon. There is, also, great diSsatis-
faction among the operatives in Boston.
Heretofore, when they worked on Sunday
they received extra pay, but now the
Western Union has refused to pay extra
for Sunday work. This is the chief cause
of complai mt there. While the operators
in New York are treated badly
enough, they have less to urgmble at
than the operators in the Western and
Southern cities.
A News reporter talked with several
operators in the Savannah office yester-
day, and all of them without exception
say that there is no danger of a strike. The
operators all over the country, they say,
believe in organizing, but they had enough
of the strike in 1888 to last them. So far
as can be learned there have been no
changes IN this or any of the nearby
offices except the withdrawal of
extra pay for work over time. The
operators have not as yet
been required to work over the regular
time-nine hours in daytime and seven
hours aud a half at night-tut say they
are expecting it all the time. The opera
tors in the Jacksonville office, it is re-
ported. have sent in a petition for a re-
mOval of the OverwOrk rule, and will quit
in case it is not complied with. In At
lanta, on Friday, a cut was reported to
have been made, and the messenger boys
even did not escape. They had been paid
, cents tor each message delivered and
were reduced a quarter of cent. One clerk
was reduced from $50 to S25 per month,
and walked out OF the Office. His place
was filled by woman at the latter
salary. Another clerk who was an
operator and received so, was put in
place of a regular operator who had re-
ceiYed SO, and who was let out to make
room for the cheaper man. A woman was
appointed to take the place Of the $50
clerk, but only received one halt his
salary.
While these stories Of reductions and
cuts are reported elsewhere there seems
yet to be no cause for any dissatisfaction
here. The men in Savannah deny, so far
as they know, that any str ke is con-
templated. The Superintendent during
his visit cut off all extra pay for emer-
gency hours, but made no other reductions,
and the change has been apparently