The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1893-04-18
The Strike Affects at Least $500
Shopmen Along the Whole
System.
Trouble Over the Matter Of Hours
OF Work and Employment
of Men.
Serious Rioting in Belgium in which
Several Lives are Lost, Both Work.
lngmen and OfIicers.

| OMAHA. Neb.. April 17.-Six hundred men
employed in the Union Pacific shops hero
struck at noon. The men who went out
wore machinists, boiIer-lna kers, black
! smiths. moulders and pattern makers. The
employees claim that the company has acted
IN bad faith concerning the fulfillment of
an hgreement 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 tho COM
pany. instead of allowing the force of mon
employed to reduce itsolf. actually has kept
up the full quota of men. and in some
shops. Omaha included. has increased tho
force. The company. the mon say, has not
only increased the force. but reduced the
standard of time from nine hours to eight
hours for working day, January Is, of
this year. Tho employees claim to have
written agreement. signed by General Man.
aRer Dickinson and Assistant Superintend-
ent Mertzheimer, that while the men were
working eight hou's 1t was understood that
the men who should leave the
service, will not be filled ex-
in order to carry on work to advantage.
There being no intention of doing anything
that might be construed AZ bad faith, or
standing in the way of this plan taking Of
feot naturally and speedily. az soon az the
force had been reduced sufficiently to estab-
llsh standard of nine hours. The ag-
grleved 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 paying the same rate of wages work
their men ten hours a day.
An executive board representing the en-
ployes has been endeavorinR to persuade
President s. II. Fl. Clark and j. H. McCon-
nell, general master mechanic of the
Union Pacific system. to modify their
views concerning the Interpretation of the
management to reduce the force and in
crease tho working hours from eight to
nine. The officials held several confer
ences with the committee but were unable
TO arrive at a satisfactory agreement. and
the strike to-day was the result.
j. IL. McConnell, superintendent of mo-
sive power. In an interview said the diff
Guilty was not matter OF wages or hours of
work. bat simply refusal of the company
to sign new contra OTIS submsttod by the mon
regulating tho conditions under which they
should work. The first proposition was
submitted to him, which he refused to sign.
1t was then taken to CLARK, who also de-
cilned. One of the primary objections to
the contract was the demand that when
necessary to reduce expenses and the men
were obliged to work eight hours, the COM
pnny should not employ anv new boiler
makers machinists, blacksmiths or mould
ers. The men finally withdrew this propo-
sltlon and presented another, which pro-
vided that when working eight hours day
the company should not employ any of the
above named Craftsmen until after 10 per
cent of the force had been discharged.
This. Mcconnell stated, would prevent the
employment of men while working eight
hours. thereby practically taking the CON
troll of hiring men out of the company's
hands. Superintendent Mcdonnell would
not say just how many men would be af-
fected.
The Knights of Labor in the shops re-
fused TO strike. as a bulletin posted by the
executive committee of District Assem- blv |
81 ordered them to remain at work, as BY
striking they would violats their contract. |
There are only few Knights among them,
The strike affects about 2, 800 men on the
system. and only interests workers of iron
or those men wo king eight hours instead
OF nine.. as they allepe they were promised
on Jan. 10. The towns most affected in ad- |
dltion to Omaha are Denver. Cheyenne,
Salt Lake. kawlins, Armstt onR, Pooatello,
Evanston. Laramie. La Grande and Sho-
shone.
From conversations with officials the con-
census OF opinion was that the road had
never been in bettor condition to undergo
a strike than at the present time. The roll
ing stock is in much better shape although
coming ont Of winter, than in Octo-
Der last. OF 100 engines on
the Nebraska division alone. there is
not one that has not been in the shops in
the last nine months. and although the
shops have been turning out two engines
on an average per day, having undergone
light and heavy repairs, the officials do not
hesitate to say they can 90 on for the next
ninety days without the men who walked
out to-day.
President Clarke refused TO make any de-
tailed statement Of the differences between
tho mon and tho COMPANY. saying his re-
marks might be misoonstrued and irrita-
tion would arise. He believed tho men, as
whole. would not act rashly and the strike
would not be general. The men, he said,
simply asked moro than the company
granted, and he could not. to the extent de-
sired, surrender his authority over them.