The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1893-04-18
BIG STRIKE OF MACHINISTS
Employees of the Union Pacific Railway
Company Walk Out at Many Points.
Fivs Hundred Idle at 0maha-Knighis Of Ia
bur Still at Work in the Shops-Alleged
Violation Of an Agreement by the Officials.

Wnistie DleW to-day nve nunuEou GIN
ploves of the Union Pacific shops In this
city quietly gathered their tools. blouses,
overails and dinner-buckets together and
left the employ of the Union Pacific. in
vindication of which 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 the
time when such employment should take
place. AS the several departments, in
Guiding the machinists. boiler makers.
blacksmiths. molders and pattern makers.
mingled In the swarm of workers going 90
their dinners, there was little or no demon
stratiOn. The carpenters. painters.
car-repaireTs and car inspectors went
TO their several lodging houses
or remained eating their noon day meals
In the shops, showing little or no concern
in what was being done by their comrade-
workers in iron. OF course, the action of
the strikers was discussed In all its bear
ings, but the more conservative men in
the shops counseled moderation. and 1.-THE
cOunsels were universally respected By those
who are not members of the federated
machinery constructors. or. in other words,
those men working eight hours. During
the morning there was little TO indicate
that w alk-0ut was contemplated, and tho
morning seemed like any other morning
for weeks. except that walking delegates
were among the trades interested urging
them to stay away from work after leaving
work at the noon hour. Meetings were
held this morning IN the different shops
aud some objection 20 walking out was
made by the molders but at the noon hour
nearly all the men in the trades affected
walked out Att o'clock work about the
yards was resumed in the other depart
ment5 as If nothing had occurred, but the
iron departments were deserted.
The employees claim that the company
has acted In bad faith concerning the fcl-
nllment of an agreement entered into TO
allow tie force OF men employed TO reduce
itself when the time was. below the stan
dard of nine hours day. 1t IL claimed
that the company. instead of allowing tho
force of men EN- ployed to reduce itself nat
urally. has kept up the 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 time from nine to eight hours
for working d ay Jan. 10 OF this year. The
officials held several conferences with the
men. but were unable TO arrive at salts
factory agreement, and the strike TO- day
was the result. j. IL. Mcdonnell, superin-
tendent OF motive power. in an interview,
SAID that the difficulty was not a matter of
wages or OF hours OF work, but
simply the refusal of the company to
sign new contracts submitted by the men
regulating the conditions under which
they would work. The Knights of Labor
among the shop men refused to strike. as q
bulletin was posted by the executive CON-
mittee of ID. A. 62 ordering all knights to
remain a. work, as by striking they would
violate an agreement entered into By the
assembly and the officers Of the road. The
number of knights among the men affected
is small.
The strike inaugurated to-day affects
about $500 men on the ~ stein. and only in
terests the workers of iron or those men
who are working eight hours instead of
nine, as they alleged they were promised
on Jan. Is. The towns to be most affected
by the strike. in addition to Omaha, are
Denver, Cheyenne, Salt Lake Rawlins.
Armstrong. Pocatello, Evanston. Laramie,
La Grande and Shoshone. From con.
yersations with the oficisls the
consensus OF opinion was that the road
has never been in q better condition to
undergo strike than at this present time.
The rolling stock is In much better shape
than in October last. Or loo engines in the
Nebraska division alone. there Is not one
that has not been III the shops In the last
nine months. There is feeling that the
strike Will not extend over the remaining
days of April. but if 1t should the company
Is prepared for the worst.
President 5. Ii. II. Clark, when eeen this
afternoon, refused to make any detailed
statement of the differences between the
men and the company, saying that his re-
marks might be mlscoDstrued. and that
irritation would arise. He believed that
the men as q whole would not act raehly.
and that the strike would not be general.
The men. he said. had simply asked more
than the company could grant, and he
could not. to the extent desired. surrender
his authority over them.
A dispatch from Denver says: The men
in the Union Pacific shops in this city did
not 90 out to-day, but II Is expected that
they will tomorrow follow the example of
the men at other points. 1t seems to be q
of Labor. Should the strike go into effect
there are about $50 trades unIonists who
will walk out of the Denver shops while
the two hundred men who belong TO the
knights OF Labor will probably remain ut
their posts. AT Laramie. Wyo.. about thirty
men quit work at noon. 1t is thought
ut Laramie that of the seven
thousand or eight Thousand shop men
on the Union Pacific not 10 per cent.
of them will 60 ont. At Cheyenne. Wyo..
went out. At Salt Lake. Utah. fifty ma.
chinists our of force of two hundred went
ont at noon. Half of the strikers are non.
union men and 1t Is claimed they will re-
turn tomorrow. Advices received at the
Salt Lake Union Pacific headquarters re-
port that the strike is general over the
system and extends to Butte. Utah. on the
Northern TO Portland along the Oregon
short line and to Cheyenne along the line
In Wyoming. Ogden. Utah. reports that
the strike does not affect that place. There
are but o few mechanics there.
A dispatch from Kansas City. Mo-, says
the machinists employed at Armstrong
went out on orders from Omaha. But few
knew what they were striking for.