The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-04-18

OMAHA, April 17-When the noon whis
BE blew today the 500 employees of the
Union Pacific shops in this city quietly
gathered their tools, blouses and overalls
and dinner buckets together. and left the
employ of the Union Pacific. in vindica-
tion of what they believe to be an inherent
principle of right-the right to voice as
TO who should be employed in the several
departments of the shops and as to when
such employment shall take place. As the
several departments, including machinists,
boiler makers, blacksmithS, molders and
pattern-makers, mingled IN the swarm OF
workers going to their dinners, there was
little or no demonstration, except that
now and then some yer-zealous striker
would utter yell, which might have been
taken for pean of victory or i'll eXulta-
ton that day off had been ordered by
those who were high in authority among
them. The carpenters, painters, car-re-
pairers ard car-inspectors went to their
several lodging houses or remained eating
their MONDAY meals in the shops, showing
little or no concern in what was being
done by their comrades, the workers III
Iron.
Of couse the action of the strikers was
discussed in all it's bearings, and the more
conservative men in the shops counseled
moderation. Their counsels were unlver-
sally respected by those who are not mem
bers of the federated machinery constrnc-
tors or, in other words, those men work
Ing eight hours. During the morning
there was little to indicate that walkout
was contemplated, and the morning
seemed like every other morning for
weeks, except that the walking delegates
were among the trades interested, urging
ha rl<S af
leaving them at the noon hour. Meetings
were held this morning in the different
shops. Some objection to walking out
was made by the molders, but at the
noon hour nearly all the men III the trades
affected walked out. AT l o'clock work
about the yards was resumed IN the other
departments as if nothing had occurred,
but the iron departments were deserted.
CAUSE OF THE TROUBLE.
OMAHA, April 17.-Five hundred men en-
ployed in the Union Pacific shops here
struck at noon today. The men who went
out were the machinists, boiler makers,
blacksmiths, molders and pattern makers.
The employees claim that the company has
acted in bad faith concerning the fulfill
ment of an agreement entered into to
allow the force of men employed to reduce
itself when the time was below the stand
ard of nine hours a day. 1t is claimed
that the company, instead of allowing the
force of men employed to reduce itself
naturally, has kept up the full force Of
men and in some shops, Omaha included,
has increased the force; that the company
has not only increased the force, but re-
duced the standard of time from nine
hours to eight hours for a working day on
January l of this year. The men claim
10 have a written agreement signed by
General Manager Dickinson and Assistant
Superintendent Wertsheimer that while
the men are working eight hours it is un-
derstood that the places of men who leave
the service of the company shall not be
filled, except when absolutely necessary,
in order to carry on the work to advantage,
there being no intention of doing anything
that might be construed as bad faith or as
standing in the way of this plan being
carried out naturally and speedily.
The company claims that an effort has
been made by the company to live up to
the terms of the agreement, and that
while it is working on the eight hour ba-
sis other roads, paying the same wages,
work their men ten hours a day. The eX-
ecutlve board, representing the employees,
has been endeavoring to persuade P.eSi-
dent s. II. ii. Clark ana J, II. Mcconnell,
general master mechanic of the Union Pa
CIHC system, TO lnOully buelr views con-
cerning the agreement to reduce the force
and increase the working hours from eight
10 nine hours day. The officials held
several conferences with the committee
hut were unable to arrive at "A satisfactory
agreement, and the strike today was the
result.
:. III. Mcconnell, superintendent of mo-
tive power, in an interview said that the
dfilculty was not "A matter of wages or OF
hours of work, but simply refusal of the
company TO sign new contracts submitted
by the men regulating the conditions un-
Ter which they should work. The first
proposition was submitted to him, which
he refused to sign. 1t was then taken to
Mr. Clark, who also declined.
One OF the primary objections TO the
contract was a demand that when it was
necessary TO reduce expenses and the men
we're obliged to work eight hours, the
company should not employ any new
3oiler-makers, machinists, blacksmths or
molders. The men finally withdrew this