Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-07-16
THE MEN ARE SATISFIED
Gripmen and Conductors Say They Do Not
Want More Eating Time
A Talk With a Veteran OF the 18th
street Ltnc-Constderate Employers
EASY Hours and Good Wnxes.

ana conductors of the Washington and
Georgetown cable system have no sympa-
thy with the cry that is being raised in
certain quarters in their behalf for time in
which to eat their dinners instead of being
obliged to take their meals between trips.
Representations have been made to the eff
feet that the men feel that they are not
justly treated in that they are forced to
refresh themselves while on the run, so to
speak, and have 10 lay-over time for
| meals. Reporters for The Star have talked
with number of the >grfpmen and con-
ductors and find there is no such sentiment
among them. On the contrary, they gen.
orally feel indignant at the statements that
nave been made rejecting on the degree of
consideration shown the men by the COM
pany, and say that they are very well sat-
| isfied with the existing arrangements and
| Will not welcome any change. Indeed, they
voiced this opinion in a practical manner
yesterday when the compeny caused a Pc
| luton to be placed at each of the stations
! of the 14sh street, 18th street and George
town lines: This petition was framed in
| triple fo1m, containing three distinct
propositions. and its plan was for the men
to sign their favorite scheme so as to give
| expression to the views of the employees.
ThreeRropositfons.
Inc first proposition was for the men to
work as they have been doing, that is. be-
| ginning at o'clock and working until
| FOR the day trip. and beginning at 8 and
working until about midnight for the night
trip; second for the day men to be relieved
| by the night crew for one trip in order to
! get meals, and return the favor to the night
| crew later in the day; third, to give each
| man four trips on and four off, with an in
terval between for eating time So far as
has been ascertaired the men were unani-
mously in favor of the present system. At
the 14th street car house last evening
| when about three-fourths of the sigma
1 t,,rac Sc ~,
| one bad approved the first proposition. II
| addition to this. the men yesterday circu-
| lated among themselves a paper on each
| line certifying that they We're perfectly sat
| 1sfied with the present system and earnest
| iy protesting against any change. This
| paper was generally signed. and, so far as
] is known. none of the gripmen or conduc-
tors refused to do so when given the op-
| porturity.
Mr.. Bolts Protests.
Mr.. G. NJ. Bolts, gripman of No. 3, 18th
| street line. called at the office of The Star
| this morning to place on record his ,erson-
al protest against the statements that have
been made regarding the discomfort of the
| men and the alleged harsh treatment of the
employees by the officers Of the company
Il have been with the Washington and
| Georgetown road" he said, for twelve
years, and have never had the least cause
] to complain on the ground Of harsh or in
| considerate treatment by my superior off,
| GERS. 1 would like to say on behalf of Mr..
Sailer, the Superintendent of the line, that
| he Is kind to the men and always grants
everything in reason that they ask for
| their benefit. In my experience the COM
| pany meets the men half way every time.
| If man attends to business and does his
| work. keeps sober and does not trifle with
| the rules. which are not harsh, he will be
| retained and rewarded for his faithfulness.
| Now, as to this matter of eating, let me say
! that there Is no discomfort whatever among
the men. For month am on the day
| trip. and for the next month 1 am on the
! night trip. For the day trip I eat my
brea fast before going on duty, at o'clock.
Then at $50 or Whereabouts l get lunch
| con, which is handed to me at street by
| one of my children. and We time what We
| call the dinner trip SO that our usual lay
over of six minutes is most often stretched
| to eight minutes. This gives plenty OF
| time for me to eat. I tell you man can
get away with good deal of food in eight
minutes. Every man that know on the
road thinks this is plenty Of time Some
| times we may meet a gripman, one of tho
regulars. Just going on duty or an extra
| going to the office, while on the run up the
hill and the company allows us to take him
| on and let him run the grip beyond the boun-
dairy, while We get little more time for
our meals. eating on the car. The COM
pany used to let us turn the grip over to
| the conductor, but so many accidents oc-
CURED that this is prohibited, and We are
now allowed to be relieved only at the ex-
| IRENE end of the dinner trip by some ex-
perienced gripman, who may chance to be
off duty at that time. This is favor
which we grant to each other, and 1t soHe-
to twelve fifteen minutes. Then at 1890
get my dinner in the same way.
Plenty of Time to Eat.
when I am on the night run. beginning
at about 3 o'clock, 1 get two good meals
early in the day. and then take my supper
! on the car at about 1880. The regular lay
over time is the same at night as in the
| day-six minutes-but we can almost al
ways stretch 1t a minute or two by START
ing little ahead of time and pushing
things along, which we are allowed to do
| by the company It would break our day
up very badly to split our trips, and 1 do
not know man who would prefer any
! change to the present system. have
| talked with the men generally since this
matter came up, nd they are quite fndig-
| nant at the misrepresentation Of the true
| conditions Of things which have been
printed.
Nor is it true that the company bla TX
| lists men whom it discharges SO as to prs-
vent their ever obtaining employment on
| local street car line / know of tweaty
cases of men who have been dismissed
from the Washington and Georgetown road
for various reasons who are now drivers or
conductors on the Metropolitan and Eek
ington lines. Nor is there a word Of truth
in the statement that the company has
given orders against our joining the union.
The men generally do not favor the idea Of
vantages enough to them to compensate
| for what they lose We have benefit as
ISOLATION OF our own. which pays us dol
lar a day when we are sick or disabled.
and we could not afford to go into tho
union and maintain the dues of both the
association and the union.
Fair Wages and Easy Rules.
1--WE get two dollars for every day We
work, whether We make our full number of
| trips or not. If by any accident the road Is
| blocked for a time and we lose one or more
| trips, we are not locked for the trips lost
| but are paid Two dolalrs for the day. Last
| winter, when the weather was so severeI
think 1t was in February-each gripman
| and conductor was paid four dollars day.
| and in the same way the wages of every
man working for the company, working out
of doors, were doubled during the severe
| weather. About every twelfth day each
regular man gets assigned off, and This
gives him a holiday, which he really needs,
1t also allows the company to work the
men on the extra roll, who manage to get
in about five days of the week on an aver
age l do not know of any road in the
| country, and certainly there is none in this
city, on which the men work so few hours
10, dor 81 5py a