Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1894-04-12
EMPLOYEES GLAD.
No Lowering of the Wages of the
Union Pao fic Mon.
TIE DECISION OF JUDGE CALDWELL.
he Says the Rate OF Wages Was De-
termined by Certain schedules
which Had Been In Foros
for Some Time.

Union Pacific wage schedule case wa,
rendered yesterday morning and was Q
complete victory for the employees
After stating the facts about the re
ceivership, Judge Caldwell said:
| The relation Of these men 10 the company anc
! their rate OF wages were determined in the
main by certain written rul regulations and
schedules. some Of which bad been In force for
more than quarter OF a cen urv and oil ol
| which had been In force substantially as he's
stand to day for q period OF eight years and
more. These rules, regulations aud schedules
were the result Of free and voluntary
conferences, held from time to time b.
tween the managers OF the railroad
| and the Officers and represen tatives ol
the several labor organizations representing
the men in the different subdivisions OF
| branches OF the service, via The Brother
| hood OF Locomotive Engineers, the Broth
erhood Of Locomotive Fireinen. the Order
OF Railway onductors tn Order OF
| Railway Teegrapher the Union Pacinc
Employees association and the brotherhood
OF RAILWAY Trainmen. These labor organiza.
uons, like tho rules, regulations and sched
ules had become established institutions
| on the system many years before the appoiut
ment { the receivers Two OF the ablest rail.
roa managers ever In the service Of this sys-
TEN, and probably as able as anv this country
has ever produoed-Mr. s II II Clark aud Mr..
| Edward Dickinson, now genera manager Of the
road, testify that these labor organic tlons on
| this system had improved the morals and et.
/ nciency OF the men and had rendered valuable
aid TO the company In periectlng and putting
! into force the rules and regulations govern ing
I the operation Of the Union Pacific railway,
which, confessedly have made IL one OF the
best managed and conducted roads In tho
| country.
Among the rules and regulations in
operation when the receivers were ap.
pointed was one that no change should
DO made in the rules and regulations
and the rate of wages without giving
TO the la Dor organizations, whose mem
bers would be affected by such change,
thirty days notice, or other reasona BILE
notice. This the judge declared just
| and fair
Judge Caldwell then recited how the
receivers went into court last January
TO force n reduction on the schedule of
wages and all the legal steps taken
down to and including the hearing just
ended and continued:
At tn 8 conference an agreement was reached
| as the rules, regulations and schedules re-
lating 10 the train dispatct ers and operators,
which have been reported to the court and con.
| firmed This was one OF tho most dim cult
schedules in the whole list to adjust aud the
| satisfactory agreement re lched by the confer.
ence shows the great value OF good tempered,
| calm and Intelligent inquiry in which both
side learned, perhaps for the nrst time.
the ground on which the demand is
| made bv tho one and resisted
b. the other The receivers had declared to
the court that after careful consideralio OF the
matter and consultation with the managing Of
| ncnls OF the Union Pacific system they were
! OF the opinion that the so.cailed rules regula.
tions and sche Jules OF pay for train dispatch.
And yet At the conn renee held under the or.
der OF the circuit judges the position assumed
by the receivers In their petition to the court
was found TO be untenabo and was abandoned
and rules and regulations governing tole
graphers' wages adopted
Judge Caldwell then said that when
court Of equity took upon itself the
conduct and operation of Great line
OF railroad, the men. engaged in con.
Quoting the business and operating the
road became the employees OF the court,
and were subject r. its orders in all
matters relating to the discharge OF
their duties, and entitled TO its protec-
tion. An essential and indispensable
requisite to the safe and successful
operation of the road Is the employ
ment Of sober, intelligent, expert
enced and capable men for that
purpose. When a road comes under
the management of court In
which the employees are conceded to
possess all these qualiacations-and
that concession is made In the fullest
manner here-the court will not upon
light or trivial grounds, dispense with
their services or reduce their wages
And when the schedule or wages in
force at the time the court assumes
the management of the road is the re.
suit Of q mutual agreement between
the company and the employees which
has been in force for years, the court
will presume the schedule is reason
able and any one disputing that pre-
sumption will be required to overthrow
1t by satisfactory proofs This tia
court contends has not been done by
the receivers, although they all recon-
mended that the cut be made.
The recommendations OF the receiv-
ers to adopt their schedule cannot be
accepted by the court for another rea-
son. That schedule was adopted with
out affording to the men or their rep
resentatives any opportunity TO be
heard. This was In violation OF the
agreement existing between the COM
pany and the men.
The system of rules and regulations
by which the company has been able
TO bring into service and retain for
twenty-five years, In some instances.
the class of men who have appeared
before the court at this hearing is GER
tainly commendable, and meets the en-
tire approval of this court In the
opinion of the court the allowance
made by the schedules now In force are
just and equitable. The employees, un-
der the present system, share the bur
dens Of diminished business
In conclusion Judge Cald we'll said:
We may be IN iulged IN giving expression to
the hope that In future differences about wages
between courts and their employees, at least
and we would fain hope that between all en-
ployers and employees, resort may be had to
reason and not to passion, TO the law and not
TO violence, to the courts and not 10 q strike
II II reproaoh TO our civilization that such
differences should result as the often have, In
personal violence, loss OF life, d. sruotion Of
property, loss OF wages to the men and loss Of
earnings 10 the empo er, and, when theY 90
cur on great lines Of railroad, great damage
and Inconvenience 10 the public
After the decision had been rendered,
the engineers who had been attending
the conference, adopted n series OF res
olutlons thanking Judge Caldwell for
hiA fairnesa
Idle Coal Miners.
LEHIeH, l. T., April 10. An the min
ers at LehiRh, Coal Gate and Krebs are
still idle, and no effort seems TO be
made by the operators TO compronise