Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-04-15
A POSSIBLE STRIKE.
B. & 0. Employees Object to the New
Relief Association as Unfair.
THEY MUST SIGN 1T OR QUIT WORK.
Many Prefer the Latter Alternative, and
a Tie-Up May Occur.
HIGHER RATES, BUT LOWER BENEFITS

The employees of the B. & o. Railroad
are, according to the statements of some Of
them, almost ripe for a strike. The new In
surarce feature, which the company has
been introducing since April /, has pro-
produced general dissatisfaction. The men
are mad, and fully believe the road is
rubbing it in" and they say they will not
stand it. Last week, rather than sign the
policies, three night crews in the yard and
one day man quit work. A number in the
shops and yards at Glenwood have given up
their Jobs, and at least ten of the employees
at Connellsville declined to sign and were
told to go.
The dissatisfaction extends along the full
extent of the line, from Philadelphia to
Chicago. On the Chicago division the men
were given until to-day to decide whether
they will; join the insurance company or be
discharged.
The old Baltimore and Ohio Relief Asso-
citation, the charter of which was annulled
by the Maryland Legislature, was never
received with great degree of appreciation
by the men. There was always considerable
grumbling, and the employees were dissatis-
fed. The new insurance plan of~the COM
pany has
PRODUCED A REGULAR CYCLONE
Of complaints. The men claim that the
rates have been increased and the benefits
reduced. By the present plan the employees
are classified, and each one. pays according
to the salary received. A man who gets
$35 pays 81 per month; one vino receives
$55 about So, and so on. An engineer who
makes $50 per month now pays $6 for the
same time, against rate of S. in the old
Relief Association. Before, the family of
any member of train crew, killed while on
duty, received $1,000; now they will
only get 81, 500. In a similar manner the
amount paid for the death of switchmen,
yardmen, etc., killed on duty, has been re-
duced from 81 900 to 500, and for natural
death from $500 to $3.50; but the rate per
| month was lowered from 81 90 to 81.
In the main, the trouble is that the rates
of some of the employees have been increased
with no increase of benefit, while the rates
of others have been reduced, but the
amounts paid at death have been cut down.
A number of the local men were inter-
viewed yesterday. Said an engineer:
"Some of the clerks from Baltimore were in
| Tie CITY d lew udJS 4uC h1Ch orc Al
vited into the Office, and asked to sign
blank. II they refuse
THEY ARE DISCHARGED.
"The circular states that it is mot made
compulsory to join;' but man has no other
alternative when it comes to the question of
signing. Some of the men on the Pittsburg
division have gone into the Relief Associa-
ton under protest. They have large fami-
lies to support, and need the money they
earn. The clerks will be in the city again
tomorrow, and they will find plenty of
men, principally switchmen, brakemen,
yardmen, cleaners and this class Of en-
ployes whose jobs do not pay great deal,
willing to quit rather than be bulldozed.
"The men are thoroughly aroused, and it
wouldn't take much to produce strike.
If the Chicago employees stand firm I
shouldn't be surprised to see the men on the
Eastern division stick to them. This is q
matter for the various brotherhoods to con-
slider; but so far as know, no action has
vet been taken by any of them. This in
surance business applies to every employe
on the road, and an effort may be made to
tie up the system. If the brotherhoods favor
a strike it will go; and the road will have
: to give in, if the men stand firm, as be-
lieve they will.
BRAKEMEN IN BAD HUMoR.
A brakeman said: sIhaven't signed vet,
and am not so sure that will. My job is
not so valuable that would sacrifice much
for it. Many of the engineers will give in,
but not without kick. am not SO posi-
tive about the other employees.
f'The Pennsylvania road has a relief as
sociation, but the men are not compelled to
Join it. I am told that Superintendent
Patton said that the Relief Association is a
nuisance and caused him a great deal of
trouble. Even if man is killed, it de-
pends on the opinion of the Superintendent
whether his family is entitled to the relief
or not
1.-THE employees regard the whole thing as a
scheme to flch them; and I, for one, am
ready to strike unless these Objectionable
| features are changed. 1 admit that the
present is not favorable opportunity to
make such q move. There are many men
out of work who would be ready to take our
places, but they can't get experienced men. "
LIKELY TO TIE UP THE ROAD.
In connection with the above facts, which
are very moderately stated, the following
sumner and clincher comes from Chicago
this morning by Associated Press:
''The NeaCs tomorrow will say: Twenty
thousand men threaten to quit the employ
of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Com
pany and tie up its trains. The NeacS
goes into the details of the compulsory
insurance mentioned in the dispatches last
night as being the cause of the trouble, and
adds: Every employe in the service of the
company-and there are 10000 of them
has been given to understand that he must
, sign the contract or be discharged. A de-
termined and serious opposition to the COM
pany's orders is being organized, and, if
they are persisted in, strike all along the
line may result
VERY HIGH RATES.
, ''Mr. Frank B. Clark, life and accident
insurance broker In the Home Insurance
building, has examined the Baltimore and
Ohio system of insurance or benefits, and
SAYS the charges are on the average twice.as
large as those of other accident and life in
surance companies carrying similar risks.
The contract which the employees are asked
S to sign contains clause making the insur-
S ance release of all claims for damages
against the company for injury or death.
s cat the meeting in South Chicago last
night an employe in the company's shops at
Garrett, Ind, reported that 81 machinists
had been laid off for refusing to sign. "A
s lay-off to starve 'em into subsection, cried
a voice. The feeling among the men seemed
E very bitter. One engineer shouted, as the
meeting was adjourned: We'll make il
/ another case of the 90"
A