The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1889-12-28
A STRIKE NOT UNLIKELY
The Grand Grievance Com
mittee Sitting Here.
THE TROUBLE ON THE ERIE ROAD.
1t Will Be Referred to the General
Committee, and There the Die
Will Be Cast.

The Grand Grievance Committee OF the
Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers,
together with committees from the Bro
therhoods of Locomotive Firemen and
Railroad Brakemen, have been in secret
session since eleven o'clock this morning,
at the lodge room over the Third Ma
tional Bank, corner of Erie street and
Pavonia avenue.
The Engineers Committee consists of
two members from each of the seven
districts of the Erie and the n. Y, P,
and Ohio Railroads and similar number
represented each of the other brother
hoods.
The meeting is an urgentand important
one, and it is the first time the grievance
committees have been called upon to act
with reference to the Erie Railroad.
THE FOUR SUSPENSIONS.
Four weeks ago THE JERSEY CITY NEWS
gave exclusively the cause of the griev-
ance, which has today come before the
committee for action. Four of the Oldest
and mostcapable engineers on the road had
been suspended for refusing to subscribe
to the newly established code of rules.
These engineers were Levi Linley. Ed
ward Kent, John Sullivan and Eugene
Scribner.
They and other engineers had been ap-
pointed a committee to wait upon Gen
eral Manager Thomas to protest Specially
against rules No. 21 and "a, which
compelled all trainmen to waive
compensation from the company in
case of accident, and requiring
freight engineers and brakemen to be-
come responsible for damage to freight
and railway property by accident, and
generally against the old trainmen being
forced to subscribe to the 296 questions
contained in the new code.
SOME CONCESSIONS.
Since that time the managers have
stricken out rules Nos. 81 and "a, but that
has not had the effect OF causing the old
trainmen of the several branches to sub
NIT to the required examination or to
subscribe to the new rules.
Evidences that q general strike was
threatened were daily evident, but all
efforts to learn the attitude of affairs
from officials and employees were bluffed
Neither would give any information, in
fact everybody on the subject was as
dumb as an oyster.
WHAT THE COMMITTEE WILL DO.
Today, however, / conversed with an
intelligent engineer who has faithfully
served the Erie Company for more than
thirty years.
! ), He was not disposed to go into particu-
lars, but was willing to answer most OF
my questions. After giving the intorma-
tion as to the meeting of the committee,
he said
'"That body will hear the whole matter
in dispute, and will prepare demand, to
be made upon the company.
''If they fail to secure redress for the
men the matter will be referred to the
General Committee of the United States
and Canada, and their decision will be
final.
s'If they say strike, why the strike will
come" He then presented the real OBJ
lection to signing the new rules. Said
he:-''We who have served thirty
years are receiving the highest
wages. We are told that we can submit
TO an oral examination, but we must be
able to answer correctly seventy-fiye per
cent of the questions. Ifnot we will have
to step down and out; and
that, after we have run our
trains successfully all these years. The
Brotherhood understands the dodge. 1t
is simply a plan to reduce salaries by
getting rid of the old and high
priced men. 1t is a concerted
plan adopted in convention by
the railway magnates and the Bro
therhood understanding it, do not pro-
pose to submit to the Civil Service ex-
animation. The fact is, we old men have
got to give up the footboard to young