The herald., 1896-08-17
WORKERS AND THEIR WAGES
Railroad Telegraphers Come
Into Court
JUDGES ORDERS IGNORED
Union Pacific Managers Opposed to
Organized Labor
The Value Of the Famous Wage Schedule
Conference of 1904 Will Be Shown
JUDGES ORDERS IGNORED
The Vslue Of the Famous Wage Schedule
Conference Of 1904 VIII Be Shown.
Labor Notes
Associatod Press Special Wire.

Associated Press Special Wire.
OMAHA, Neb., Aug. ia suit has
been filed in the United States circuit
court which is likely to demonstrate
just how great permanent benefits the
| men on the Union Pacific are to reap
from the famous wage schedules con-
ference held before Judge Caldwell in
March, 1894. Among the other results
of this famous conference, in fact, the
result 1t was called to accomplish, and a
code of rules which was to govern the
relations of the men and the receivers.
Among these rules was one which pro-
vided that no man should be discharged
without just cause and another was
that the schedule Of pay fixed upon at
that time was not to be altered excey
by order of the court.
The men in the telegraph branch of
the service allege that both of these pro-
visions been violated and on this the
issue will be Joined in a case which was
filed yesterday in the United States cir
cult court In this case j. T. Weybright,
l.. M. Tudor, l.. Rosenbaum and n. A.
Smith, representing the order of Rail-
road Telegraphers, members of the joint
protective board of the employees of the
Union Pacific system, appear as plain
tlffs
The petition recites the order entered
by JudgesCaldwel and Riner a the con-
clusion of that hearing in March, 1894.
and the conference leading up to it,
Then they proceed to state that the
following rates of pay for telegraph
operators were fixed by that order:
Rogers, $62 per month; Benton, s67;
Aida, $62; Boone, $45; Rockville, $45.
Without notice to the men or to the court
and in violation of that order. the petit
tion states the wages at those stations
have been reduced as follows:
Rogers, to $35 per month; Benton, $25;
Aida, s35; Boone 25; Rockville, $25.
They petition the court that the wages
of the men be restored to the amount
named in the schedule and the difference
btween that and the amount they have
received since the reduction be repaid
to them.
BY far the most important portion of
the petition is contained in the next par
agraph. In 1t the petitioners allege
that the managing officials of the road
are hostile to organized labor and par
ticularly to the Order of Railway Tel
egraphers and that a systematic effort
has been made to weed out the leading
members of the order by summarily dis
charging them without cause. Among
these are cited F. E. Gilliland and E. r.
Dresback. The telegraphers have an
other grievance which will be brought to
the attention of the court in petition
which will be filed tomorrow. 1t has
been the custom of the Union Pacific
for long time to deduct from the pay
of each man on the system the sum of
40 cents per month for the maintenance
of hospitals on this system. The tele-
graphers allege that they receive no ben
eft from the hospitals except in case
of the very few who reside at the places
where they are maintained. They COM
plain that they are not given an account
ing of the expenditure of the money col
lected for this purpose from the men,
which they allege amounts to about
$4,000 year, and if they must pay they
are entitled to know what becomes of
the money. They will also allege in the
Union Pacific does not maintain any hos
pitfalls, simply having the use of small
number of cots in hospitals conducted
by private parties or associations, and
the expense attached thereto is not suf-
ficient to warrant the collection of the
amount of money that is at present
taken from the employees.
RAILROAD PAYDAY.
KANSAS CITY, Mo-, Aug. 16.-Yester-
day was the monthly payday of the
Santa Fe railroad, and the local distri-
button of checks was the greatest it
has been in more than three years. Eight
hundred and forty employees received an
aggregate of $4,000.
The increase in the payroll was the re-
suit of the heavy grain and stock move
ment last month. Nearly every employe
on the road, with the exception of office
men, drew extra pay.
A PAINTERS STRIKE.
NEW YORK, Aug. ia general
strike of painters has been ordered to
take place tomorrow, which will include
men in other trades who will quit work
in sympathy with them in shops of the
contractors who are paying wages less
than the union scale of $3.50 for eight
hours work day. 1t is said that nearly
10000 workmen will go on strike. The
New York Painters union is composed
of five strong organizations, with an ag-
gregate membership of 10000.
Theosophicai Crusaders
PARIS Aup 16 Tho Apoaricoy, or,1