Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1894-07-13
The Pullman Side of it.
Mr.. Pullman Tells How the Hard TImei
hit Their Business and why wagei
Were Reduced,

Mr.. Pullman Tells How the Hard Times
hit Their Business and why Wages
Were Reduced,
In an interview printed soon after the
beginning of the strike Geo. NJ. Pullman,
the head of the great car company, said:
At the commencement of the serious de-
preston last year we were employing at
Pullman 5Sl6 men and paying out in wages
there S30j, 600 a month. Negotiations
with intending purchasers of railway equip
ment that were then pending for new work
were stopped by them, orders already given
by others were Cancelled, and we were
obliged to lay off large number of men in
every department. so that by November l,
1893, there were only about 2OO0 men in
all departments, or about one-third of the
normal number. | realized the necessity
for the most strenuous exertions to procure
work Immediately, without which there
would be great embarrassment, not only to
the employees and their families at Pullman,
but also to those living in the immediate
vicinity, including between 700 and 500
employees, who had purchased homes and
to whom employment was actually neces-
sary to enable them to complete their pay
mentS. / canvassed the matter thoroughly
with the manager of the works, and the
result of this discussion was revision in
piece-work prices, which, in the absence of
any information to the contrary, | sup
posed to be acceptable to the men under
the circumstances Under these condi-
| tions and with lower prices upon all ma
| terials, personally undertook the work OF
| the letting of cars, and by making lower
/ bids than other manufacturers, | secured
| work enough to gradually increase our
| force from 200 up to about 1900, the num-
! Der employed, according to the April pay
rolls, in all capacities at Pullman. The
| result has not been accomplished merely by
reduction in wages, but the company has
borne its full share by eliminating from its
estimates the use of capital and machinery,
and, in many cases, even going below that
and taking work at a considerable loss.
What Geo. {. Fisk of the Wason Conn
pany Says.
The statement of Mr.. Fisk is given Ger.
tain local interest by the fact that the Wa
son car company of Brightwood, Mass, OF
which Geo. c. Fisk is the president, wa;
one of the bidders on the job out of which
the strike grew. The Springfield Repub
lican quotes Mr.. Fisk as saying that the
contract in question, for building 10 cars
for the Long Island railroad, came on The
market at time when there was absolutel!
no other big job in sight, and of cours'
there was the most active competition
among the car builders of the country t
secure it. The Wason company made ;
bid for the construction of 40 cars at thu
lowest possible rate, the office work anC
the use of the shops being wholly dis
counted in the bid, and a cut of 10 pc
cent-ths with the knowledge and consen
of the employes-being made in the pric
of labor. This cut of 10 per cent was after
ward made 20, the employees knowing tn
fact and conserving to the further reduc
ton. This was simply done to keep tn
shops running and the men employed Blu
the companys agent in New \ ork was toll
that no matter what price was made tn
work would 90 to Pullman, and so it di'
eventually. Mr. Fisk said that Pullman
bid was in reality, considering the cost o
moving the cars East, about $500 less thai
the Wason company's bid, and SO it is evi
dent at what a loss the manufacture of tn
cars has been conducted. Mr.. Fisk di
not wish to express an opinion about MI
Pullman's action in the whole matter, bu
contented himself by saying that employe
should always be consulted about any re
duction of wages, and that arbitration wa
the best method of settling labor difiicu
ties.