The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1893-04-18
| UNION PACIFIC STRIKE.
Boiler Makers. Blacksmiths and
Machinists Walk Out
THE WALK OUT GENERAL.
About 1850 Men Are Affected By the
Order TO Quit.
Ehe Company Claim to BE in Splendid
Condition TO stand the Strike
About Forty Go Out in
This City.

OMAHA, Neb.. April 17.-Six hundred
men employed in the Union Pacific shops,
struck here at noon. The men who went
out were machinists, boiler makers,
blacksmiths, mouIders and pattern
makers. The employees claim that the
company has acted in bad faith concern
ing the fulfllment OF an agreement
entered into, to allow the force of men
employed to reduce itself when time was
below the standard of nine hours day.
1t is claimed that the company, instead of
allowing the force of men employed to
reduce itself, actually has kept up full
quota of men, and in some shops, Omaha
included, has increased the force. The
company has not only increased the force,
but reduced the standard of nine hours to
eight for a working dag on January Is Of
of this year.
The employees claim to have written
agreement signed by General Manager
Dickinson and Assistant Superintendent
Mertzhelmer, that while the men are
working eight hours, 1t is understood the
places OF the men who leave the service
will not be filed except when absolutely
necessary in order 10 carry On work to adj
vantage, there being no intention OF
doing anything that might be construed
sls bad faith or standing in the way of this
plan, taking out naturally and speedily,
as soon as the force has been reduced
sufficiently TO establish a standard OF
ninc hours.
The aggrieved employees claim that no
effort has been made by the company to
live up to the terms of the agreement, and
that while they are working on an eight
hour basis, other roads are paving the
same rate of wages and work their men
ten hours day. The executive board
representing the employees has been en-
oeaEor.ng to persuade President S. ii. n.
Clark and j. H. Mcconnell, the general
master mechanic of the Union Pacific sys-
TEN TO modify their views concerning the
Interpretation of the agreement to reduce
the force and increase the working hours
from eight to nine. The officials have held
several conferences with the committee.
but were unable to arrive at satisfactory
agreement, and the strike today was the
result.
j. IL. Mcconnell, superintendent OF
motive power, IN an interview said the
difficulty was not matter OF wages OF
hours of work, but simply the refusal OF
the company to sign the new contract
submitted by the men regulating the con-
ditions under which they should work
The first proposition was submitted 70
him, which he refused to sign. 1t was
4
declined.
One of the primary objections to the
contract demanded that when necessary
to reduce expenses and the men were
obliged to work eight hours, the company
should not employ any new boiler max
ers, machinists, blacksmiths or moul6ers.
The men finally withdrew this proposition
and presented another, which provided
that when working eight hours a day
the company should not employ any OF
the above named craftsmen until after IL
per cent. of the force had been discharged.
This, Mcconnell stated, would prevent
interested men working eight hours,
thereby practically taking the contract
of hiring the men out of the company s
hands. Superintendent Mcconnell
would not say just how many men would
be affected
The knights of Labor in the shops re.
fused to strike, as bulletin was posted
by the executive committee of District
Assembly 50, ordering them to remain al
work, as by striking they would violate
their contract. There are only few
knights among them. The men in the
company's shops at North Platte have
also struck.
The strike inaugurated today affects
about 9, 500 men on the system, and only
affects the workers of iron or those men
working eight hours instead of nine az
they alleged they were promised on Jan
is. The towns most affected in addition
to Omaha are Denver, Cheyenne, Salt
Lake, Rawlins, Armstrong, Pocatello
Evanston, Laramie, La Grand and Sho-
shone From conversations with official:
the concensus Of opinion was that the
road has never been in a better condition
to undergo strike than at the presen
time.
The rolling stock is in much bette
shape although coming out of winte
than in October lass. OF 100 engines or
the Nebraska division alone there is no
one that has rot been in the shops in tn,
last nine months and although the shop
have been turning out two engines on al
average per day, having undergone hgh
and heavy repairs, the officials do no
hesitate to say they can go on for the mex
ninety days without the men who wakes
out today.
President Clark refused to make an,
detailed statement of the differences be
tween the men and the company, saying
his remarks might be misconstrued an
irritation would rise. He believed tn
men. as a whole, would not act rashly
and the strike would not be general. Tn
men. he said, SIMPLY asked more than tn
company granted, and he could not to tn
extent desired surrender his authorit
over them.