Omaha daily bee., 1892-08-07
SETTLED WITHOUT A STRIKE
Telegraphers and Union Pacific 0fi,ials
Come to a Friendly Compromise.
CONCESSIONS MADE BY BOTH SIDES
Each Telegraph Operator In tho Conn
pany's Employ Receives an Increase In
salary-How the Adjustment Was
brought About.

| reached at 5:3O yesterday, aud the threat
ened trouble was happily avertcd.
| When the grievance committee first called
on Assistan. General Manager Dickinson IL
| submitted q schedule that raised the wages
| OF nearly every operator In tho service In
| sums ranging from IS to so month Mr.
| Dickinson refused to concede any general
advance and the committee moderated its
demands to raise of S. all around. Mr..
Dickinson could not grant even that advance,
but he offered to take up each individual
grievance and consider II on its own merits,
aud tho committee tacitly assented to that
proposition.
There was no serious difficulty in agreeing
on rules governing hours of WORK and over
time, and matters raa along smoothly until
the question of minimum wages was reached.
Tho committee demanded that $50 per month
be made the lowest rate for the entire sys-
TEN. Mr., Dickinson offered to raise tn,
minimum on several non paving branches IN
Nebraska and Kansas to S45 and to make S5O
the scale for all the balance of tho system.
On that rock the contending parties split.
and tho committee left Mr.. Dickinson's Office
after Thursday afternoons conference and
issued the ultimatum fixing on o'clock last
night as the hour for n general strike If its
demands were not accedcd to before that
hour.
On the advice of President Clark Mr.
Dickinson referred tho matter to the execu-
tive committee OF the board of directors,
whose headquarters are III Boston, That
body yesterday referred it back to Mr.. Clark
and he turned it over to Mr. Dickinson, with
the advice to make n peaceable settlement.
Tho latter sent for the committee about
O'Clock yesterday afternoon, and rs the re.
suit of u short Inference an amicabe COM
promise was reached
nN toll nNl,
ance as an individual case MIR. Dickinson
agreed that ali telegraphers heretofore re-
ceiving salaries from $50 to 500 shall have an
advance OF $3.50 per month, beginning with
the 1st of August. The committee on its
part acceded to the company's proposition on
minimum wages, SIS for the nonpayng
branches in Nebraska ana Kansas and $50
for the rest Of the Union Pacific system.
Both parties to the contest express them
selves as satisfied with the settlement. Tho
operators get an advance of $3.50 for the
majority of their number and raise OF S. to
Sl5 for about hundred telegraphers
who were receiving less than $50
month. They will also have a set OF
rules governing promotions, regulating their
hours of labor and granting them pay for
over time. The officials expect to hear less
complaining in tho future, and MIR. Dickin-
son will escape the irksou,e duty of investi-
eating every individual grievance. He saws
that the officers of the company bear the
telegraphers no i'll will, and he counts on tho
Union Pacific having service of the highest
excellence.
Summary of the Situation.
A gentleman who had become familia,
with the situation through conferences with
the railway officials made this explanation
yesterday:
"The point at issue is comparatively small
one. or the Se5 telegraphers on the Union
Pacific system Ia receive salaries less than
$50 a month The grievance committee de-
mCnds that $50 shall be the minimum on ali
divisions. The officials are willing to grant
that on all the system except several
branches in Nebraska and Kansas, which ara
being operated at n considerable loss. These
lines are the Kansas Central, the Lincoln &,
Colorado tho Omaha & Republican Valley
and the line IRON Leavenworth to Lawrence
On these there are two operators ut
$50 month and a number at S35.
The company offers to make the maximum
on these S45. The difference between the
two propositions Is estimated by Chief Ram
sey at $1,000 to $1,000, ana by the railroad
officials at 49, 0U0 to $4,000. The telegraphera
think the company should not stick on such
n small amount as that, but the officials reply
that they have already agreed to other
changes which will increase the operating
expenses in the neighborhood of $50, 900. The
officials deprecatc any sensational talk that
will have tendency TO create bitterness
But they regard the insistence of the com
mittee on this one point as very unreasona-
ble The Santa Ee is the strongest COM
petitor of the Union Pacific in Kansas and
ON California business. and yet it has in
force a schedule agreed to by the tele-
graphers which is considerably lower than
the wages voluntarily paid by the Union
PaciTic. On the Santa Fe the average rate
of operators proper is only s54. 40 a month";
while on the Union Pacific it Is S5l70. On
the Santa Fe the largest class at any one
rate is the s45 men, who number l2l. On
the Union Pacific the $50 men arc the most
numerous, there being l2l of them. The
telegraphers have accepted s45 a. the mini
mum on the Santa Fe, but insist on $50 on
the Union Pacific.
Photographers Thoroughly Organized.
"The telegra piers of the Union Pacific ara
SO thoroughly organized that virtually all of
them are members OF the order. A strike at
this time would be more Inconvenlent than
ordinarily because of the heavy passenger
business on account OF the Denver conclave.
there being fifty special trains for that
traffic, but the service could be handled by
train schedule The greatest difficulty would
be in handling freight, particularly the fast
trains with fruit and tea from the
coast. The superintendent of tele-
graph, has received applications for positions
IN anticipation Of a strike, but it would take
some time 10 fill all the places and and the
business OF the road would suffer-"
Feeling in Western Union Circles.
Some OF the Western Union operators were
agitated yesterday by fear that they might
be ordered to do the work Of the railroad in the
event OF strike. While Superintendent
DicKey would not deny that tbs Western
Union might render some assistance IL called
on, he SAID no man under him would DO re-
CURED TO do such work against his will and
he did not believe the Union Pacific would
even ask IL. 1t is the policy of his company
TO keep out of the affairs of tho railway
telegruphers. Tho only time IL has become
involved in one of these strikes was at El
Paso, when the Southern Pacific operators
were out. The Western Union has con-
tract with most of the railroads TO forward
their messages TO points of their own line,
and II is under a penalty to carry out the
contract. A Southern Pacific Official sent
message TO some point on another system
and the Western Union operators at El
Paso refused 10 repeat 1t from that Office
Superintendent Dickey gave them the OPP
tion OF forwarding the message, as 1t
was under contract to do, or throwing
up their positions. The operators quit, and
others were ordered from Denver 20 take
their places. while men from Omaha were
sent TO fill tho vacancies at Denver. The
Western Union, Mr.. Dickey explains was
merely maintaining It's own service, and the
El Paso incident, he says, was the nearest
his company has come TO bong involved In q
strike OF railroad teiegraphers.
When asked what effect tho threatened
strike would have on Western Union business
Mr. Dickey said 1t would close "a great many
offices temporarily The Western Union has
Ind la.N Nxltl.. alA..s 4.