The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1894-07-06
THE PULLMAN ESTABLISHMENT.
MIR. Pullman Says it has been Run at a
Loss to Keep the Employees at Work.

From Chicago Herald, June &c. 1884,
In view of the proposed attempt of the
American Railway Union to interfere with
public travel on railway lines using Pull
man cars, in consequence of controversy
as to the wages of employees of the manu-
featuring department of the company, the
Pullman Company requests the publication
of the following statement of the facts. in
| face of which the attempt is to be made:
In the first week of May last. there were
| emnloved in the Car manufacturing depart
ment at Pullman. ILL.,. about 3.l00 persons.
| On MAY T. a committee of the workmen had
an interview by arrangement with MIR.
Wickes, vice president, at which the princ1-
pal subject of discussion related to wages,
but minor grievances as TO shop admln1stra-
ton were also presented, and it was agreed
that another meeting should be held on the
9th of May, at which all the grievances
should be presented in writing. The Sec
ond meeting was held. AS to the COM
plants on all matters except wages. it was
arranged that formal and thorough inves-
tigation should be made by Mr.. Wickes, ito
be begun the next day, and full redress was
assured to the committee as to all COM
plant proved to be well founded.
The absolute necessity of the last redue-
ton IN wages, under the existing condition
of the business of car manufac turing, had
| been explained to the committee, and they
| we're insisting upon a restoration OF the
wage scale of the first half of 1893, when
Mr.. Pullman entered thereon and addressed
the committee, speaking in substance as
| follows:
| Sat the commencement of the very seri-
| GUS depression last year we were employing
at Pullman 5,816 men and paying out IN
wages there S305,000 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 OBJ
| liged to lay off, as you are aware, large
number of men in every department, SO
| that by Nov. l, 1898, there were only about
| 200 men in all departments, or about one
! third of the normal number. l realized the
necessity for the most strenuous exert1ons
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 i'm
mediate vicinity, including between 700 and
| 800 employees who had purchased homes,
| and to whom employment was actually
| necessary to enable them to complete their
| payments.
81 canvassed the matter thoroughly with
| the manager of the works and instructed
| him to cause the men to be assured that the
| company would do every thing in it's power
| to meet the competition which was sure to
occur because of the great number of large
| car manufaL turers that were in the same
! condition, and that were exceedingly anx-
| ious to keep their men employed. knew
| that if there was any work to be let, bids
| for it would be made upon a much lower
| basis than ever before.
| (Note: The selling prices of passenger
J baggage, box, refrigerator and street carts
| in the last two years have fallen by per
| centageS, varying in the separate classes
| from II to 20, the average reduction, taking
| the five classes together, being "a per cent
1.-THE result of this discussion was a Tevi
sion in piece work prices, which, in the alb
sence of any information to the contrary,
supposed to be acceptable to the men under
the circumstances. Under these conditions
and with lower prices upon all materials,
personally undertook the work of the let
ting of cars, and by making lower bids thar
other manufacturers, secured work enough
to gradually increase our force from 200
up to about 1900, the number employed, ac
col ding to the April pay rolls. in all capaci
ties at Pullman.
SAYS COMPANY BEARS ITS SHARE.
''This result has not been accomplished
mercy by reduction in wages, but the com