Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1889-03-12
THEY WANT A CHANGE
THB STREET RAILWAY EMPLOYEES WAIT
on THB COMPANY
Mr. Carey, the Union Bridge Contractor, Sraighiens
Ont a Kink-Oontactors and Builders.
Coal Operators hset-hiscsl-
lane0us.

Lest evening the employees OF the Street
Railway Company waited upon the man
aQemsnt through committee, and pre-
sented a petition ASKING for charge IN
the working hours upon the line and also
in the rate of compensation per diem.
Some time sgO the men made q demand
upon the company for a reduction in the
hours Of work TO twelve per day, and an
increase in the wages to two dollars per
dav. The matter was deliberated over,
and finally compromise was reached by
which the men were put on twelve hour
hssis with wages at 81. 80 Tire cars arerun
eighteen hours per day, and there Is thus
siT louis stretch every day, which the
men say must be covered % extra time by
the man making the twelve hour run, OF
the nlaces filed on the cars by extra men
for the short run, on an alternating sys'
tom This state of affairs was far from
satisfactory to the men, and some metnod
of bsttering their condition had been de-
hated bv them, with the result that last
week a petition vas drawn up asking for
the division of the eighteen hours into nine
hour periods, with pay fixed at Sl.io per
day Of nine hours. This, It was desired
by the men, should 20 into elect last
Saturday, but owing to the absence OF
SUPERINTENDENT Lotus the matter was
allowed to 20 over informally antil Satur-
dev of the present week. Yesterday come
of The men mad an intimstion that the
management were preparing to anticipate
their action in an unpleasant way, and II
was determined to present the demand at
once. changing the time when the new sys-
tenn was TO 90 into effect from next Satur-
dav until Thursday About fifty men are
concerned in the matter, and Prosperity
Assembly, X. Of l., to whom the men be-
long. will meet tins evening, when the SIT
uation will be brought up.
The above represents the facts IN the
case s. was gathered yesterday from the
employees Of the Company.
A reporter saw President john NJ.
Sweeney. Of the Company, last evening,
and asked him what he had to fay from
the Company's side about the trouble.
"Thege isn't 8 man on the road, " re-
sponded he. who works eighteen hours
When the working hours were reduced to
twelve hours We arranged, az every other
company in the country has, to have a
gang. known ss the short run men, who
work from four to six hours every day to
make up eighteen hours. While that
plan has bsen adopted by every co pany
in the country, il wasn't satisfactory to the
men here. who insisted that the snort hour
men should make as much time as the re-
mainder of the men. We conceded 10
their demands and rearrsnged the hours
SO that now one crew works twelve hours
and the other six hours one day, and the
next day the six hour crew works twelve
hours and the twelve hour crew six hours,
which is an equal division of Labor all
around.
There is no disaffectiOn on the part OF
any man employed by the railway COM
pany aud who are operating the cars now.
Some few men who have been discharged
fordrunkenness and inattention to business,
are endeavoring to stir up discussion. There
| is no necessity for strike under any cir
cumstauces, and if there is one it will be
entirely due to the act OF the men them
selves without cause.
"a demand was made some time aga
that the men should not be required to go
ahead Of the cars at railroad crossings, but
that. of course, we could not consent to-.
with any care for the lives Of passengers. "
'You will rot accede 10 the demands OF
the men, them"
I'VE certainly shall not"