The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1896-09-04
FOR BETTER WAGES.
An Important Suit Flied by Union rs
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cifc Telcgraphcrs In Omaha.
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 schedule
conference held before Judge Cald-
well in March, 1894. Among the
other results of this famous confer
ence, in fact the result it was called
to accomplish. was the adoption of a
wage schedule and a code of rules
which was to govern the relations of
the men and the receivers. Among
these rules was n which provided
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 except
by order of the court.
The men in the telegraph branch Of
the service allege that both of these
provisions have been violated, and
on this the issue will be joined in q
case which vas filed in the United
States Circuit court. In this case J..
L. Weybright, l.. M. Tudor, L. Rosen-
baum and N. A. Smith, representing
the Order of Railway Telegraphers,
members of the joint protective board
Of the employees Of the Union Pacific
system appear as plaintiffs.
The petition ~recites the order en-
tered by Judges Caldwell and Riner
at the conclusion Of the hearing in
March, 1894, and the conference lead
ing up to it. They then proceed to
state that the following rates of pay
for telegraph operators were fixed by
the order: Rogers, SG2 per month;
Benton, SCI; Aida, $50; Boone, $45;
Rockville. S45. Without notice to the
men or the court, and in violation of
that order, the petition states, the
wages at these stations have been re-
duced as follows: Rogers to $35. Ben
ton to S25, Aida to S35, Boone to S25,
Rockville to S25. They petition to
the court that the wages of the men
be restored to the amount named in
the schedule and the difference be-
tween that and the amount they have
received since the reduction be paid
to them.
By far the most important portion
OF the petition is contained in the
next paragraph. In it the petitioners
allege that the managing officials of
the company are hostile to organized
labor, particularly to the Order OF
Hallway Telegraphers, and that a sys-
tematic effort has been made to weed
out the leaders of the order by sum-
marily ~discharging them without
cause.
The telegraphers have another
grievance which Will be brought to
the attention Of the court. It has
been the custom on the Union Pacific
for a 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 the sys-
TEN. The telegraphers allege that
they receive no benefit from the hos.
pltals except in case of those who re-
side at the place where they are Rain
tanned. They complain hat they are
not given any accounting Of the ex-
pendlture of the money collected
for this purpose from the men,
which they allege amounts to about
100000 per year, and that if they
must pay they are entitled to know
what becomes of the money. They
will also allege in the petition that at
the present time the Union Pacific
does not maintain any hospitals, SIM
ply having the use of a small number
of cots in hospitals conducted by pri-
vate parties or associations,.a and that
the expense attached thereto is not
sufficient to warrant the collection of
the amount OF money that is at pres
ent taken from the employees.
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