Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-12-04
A STRIKE PROBABLE.
The Santa Fe Cut" Not Yet
Disposed Of.
WHAT THE A. & P. MEN DID
The Trainmen in Sympathy With
the Clerical Depart
mentS.

The ten per cent" reduction on the
Santa Fe system has taken a serious
turn. A canvass was taken on the Allan
tic and Pacific road to see whether the
trainmen would submit to the reduction
and it was found that they certainly
would not. The operators, train dis
patchers, station agents and section fore.
men, however, received the notification
that their pay was reduced from Decem
ber 1st, and they decided not to submit
They had no time to call conference
but they telegraphed to each other along
the road and the result was that on Sun.
day afternoon the companyreceived notice
that all of the reduced forces would quit
work at 6 O'Clock that evening. Here
was dilemma. No men could be OBJ
tanned to take the places of the strikers.
and even if they could have been the
trainmen declared that they would not
take orders from them, so it meant a
virtual tie-up CT all business. The COM
pany is in the midst OF its winter boom
with tourist trains following each other
in an interminable procession across the
continent, so such contingency had to
be avoided at all hazards. The malcon-
tents were asked to remain at work until
8 O'Clock on Monday morning, when a
decision would be given as to whether
their wages would be restored tc
their former basis or not. They
did go, and at the hour ap
pointed yesterday morning the news
flashed across the wires, "Go back tc
work at your old wages" and all was
harmony again.
IN CALIFORNIA.
The same thing is being repeated in
month q good many of the clerical EN-.
ployees received formally the unwelcome
tidings that their pay was reduced. and
although the auditors department
was the only one officially notified in the
Phillips block, it was generally under
stood that the rule applied to all. So far
the result can scarcely be said to have
been profitable to the company. Four or
five of the best men have quit, and it is
an open secret that nearly all of the ex-
perienced and, therefore, most valuable
men are open to offers from other roads,
But while all this was going on an
understanding has been secretly reached
among the men on whose shoulders the
blow falls. 1t developed itself yesterday
by hint to the company that unless the
pay was restored the operators and sta
ton agents would probably declare them
selves on strike, and would doubtless be
followed by large proportion of the
general clerical staff. With this in
timation it was also understood
that the trainmen would act
in sympathy with tie movement
and the result would be general strike
on the Santa Fe's California lines. Gen
eral Manager Dan McCool at once set
to work to handle the problem, and as a
result has called for a conference on
Wednesday afternoon. The employees
will be represented by station agents,
oper. tors, train-dispatchers and heads of
the clerical departments, and it is under.
stood that in all probability the ten per
cent reduction order will be revoked
and retreuchment made in some other
direction, probably by cutting down of
the working staff. The conference will
be very important one, as its result
doubtless means either a strike or a
restoration of wages.
A dispatch in reference to the
threatened strike will be found in
another column.