The Topeka state journal., 1899-12-06
New Piece Work System Cause
Of the Trouble.
MANY DISSATISFIED.
Trial In Some Departments Is
Not Reassuring.
General Introduction May Be
Signal For a WalkOut.
Officials Say the System Will
Be Satisfactory.

The scale of wages. which has been
adopted at the Santa Ee shops, may
be fair enough in some shops. but the
men say that it does not meet with
that result in the shops here, and main
~ because the shops in Topeka are not
equipped for the proper introduction of
the piece work system. The wages
which many of the men have made up
TO the present time, it is claimed, bear
out this statement. and 90 to show
that the present scale of wages ought
10 be changed. if the men are to be ex-
pected to make anything like living
wages
Another thing which has served to
anger the men and turn them against
Me piece work system is the charge
ot having a different scale of prices Tor
the same work. This has been done in
the car sheds by the men who have
charge of the WOrkmen. The men say
that on more than one occasion, when
a workman was found to be making too
much money on a certain piece of work
that it was not very long before the
piece work price for doing that work
would be cut down. The bosses have
done this 50 the men say, but whether
with the sanction of the mana cement
they do not know
The many little extra pieces of work
which the men have to do under the
present scale Of wages, is making hard
feelings between the men and the man
1SeulenI- T. OF instance III Lne IeDldc-
ing OF sill in car, the old sill has
TO be taken out and carried to the out
side of the building and new one put
in, and all for a price which does not
pay for the time consumed. Also the
ordering of the men back to work on
Saturday afternoon, without pay. to
clean up the scraps and refuse which
has gathered from the repair of the
cars during the. week, has given the
men another grievance against the
company. and adds one more objective
point. which the men can bring up in
opposition 10 the introduction Of the
piece work system in the shops here.
The piece work system of working
which is gradually being introduced into
the various departments of the Santa
E'e shops in this city, still continues to
be the main topic of conversation
among the many WOrkmen who are
employed there and there is danger
that it may terminate in a strike The
employees in the shops are greatly ex-
cited and it Will be surprising if there
is no trouble
The men are nearly a unit on being
opposed to the Introduction of this
piece work system into the shops. and
many of them are so much opposed to
it that they are backing up their Op-
position by giving up their positions
ana looking Tor work some where else
organizations are being formed to re
slst the Introduction of the piece work
system to the various departments.
The men are not doing much talk
ing save among themselves. but they ara
eating, and what the result or this win
be can only be cOnjectured The men
may possibly wait until the system is
generally introduced and tested in the
shops here before taking any action.
Up TO the present time the system
has not been introduced into any de-
partment in fun. The car sheds are do
ing more work under the piece work
system than any other part of the
shops Here the men say that it does
not show up very well. and if it is go
rD ha rs in Z F7e
other departments when it is intro
duced it has in the car sheds then
they do not want much to do with it.
Ihey claim that their experience with
the piece work system in the car sheds
has been anything but pleasant or
profitable.
During the past few weeks while the
system has been in operation in the
car sheds. il is reported that between
20 and so wOrkmen have given up their
positions and sought work elsewhere.
on Monday eleven men called for their
time and quit. and as a result of this
wholesale quitting Of the workmen in
the car sheds the efficiency of that
part of the shops is very much dimin-
ished owing to the comparatively few
Workmen left.
To give some idea of the Stacking uD
of the work in this department owing
to the men quitting. it may be said that
formerly it was customary for a string
of cars. which had been repaired. to be
run out OF the shops every day Up to
last night. only one string of cars had
been run out of the shops since Fri
day.
The whole success of the piece work
system depends on the adoption by the
company, of a fair and just schedule of
wages to be paid the men. If fair
scale of wages is paid, and il is fair
enough so that the men do not have to
oVerwork themselves to make a living
then there is no doubt but that the
INTRODUCTION of the piece work system
Of working in the Santa Fe shops in this
city would meet with no opposition on
the part of the mem Here is where all
the trouble lies
THE OTHER SIDE.
IN conversation last evening about the
piece work system which has lately been
naugurated i'll the Santa Fe shops in
Ihls city Mr. Ben Johnson. master me
chanic. said.
Mr. Player Mr.. Hancock and myself
are nearllIy in favor of the piece work
Idlr ana 9lSI to all who are working un-
der It. The men who are working in a
majority of the shops and manufactures
IN the country are working under the
piece work system and they are all max
ING EoOu wages. BY the adoption of the
piece work system. we hone TO increa Sc
the output of the shops and at the same
time give the men a chance to make
higher wages
Some of the men will make less and
some or the men viii make more and if
IS not our intention to cut the wa ges of
the Workmen. but only to improve the af-
hciency of the shops We exDect to nav
q Ialr nDeral schedule, that Will al
low the men 10 ma ke a good living and in
many Instances, the men will receive
more for their work than they are al
present receiving under the former svs-
Gem OF paying by the day.