El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1899-11-02
THE LOCAL CHAIRMAN
of the Order of Railway Telegraph
ers On the Tucson Division
Makes a Statement Regarding
the Recent Agreement With
the Company.


Mr.. F. S. Thompson local Chairman
of the Order of Railway IeleR raPner
on the Tucson division and at presen
the Southern Pacific day operator
Strauss. called at the HERALD Office
yesterday afternoon. =,
II should like to make statement,
said Mr.. Thompson, in oenaIl OF tne
O. r T. and their agreement recently
made with the Pacific system OF the ..
Z. railroad.
mtttee representing the telegraphers
made a mess of the whole business and
ACCOMPLISHED nothing more than Civ
ing the company $4,000 year saved
in station agents commissions. 1t has
been further charged that men are, un-
der the agreement. advanced In the
service by reason of seniority only with
out regard to merit or ability.
Answering the last allegation hrst,
/ want merely to quote article 80 OF tne
Southern Pacifc's rules and regula-
tions regarding the pay of telegraph
ers, which says:
"Telegraphers will be regarded as In
line of promotion, advancem snt de-
pending upon faithful discharge OF
duty and capacity for increased re-
sponsibility. Where merit is equal,
seniority will have the preference.
present stations for two years or more
will not be displaced by seniors in SER
vice. Claims for positions under the
two-year clause must be filed within
ninety DAYS from the date this sche-
du,e becomes effective.
Thus YOU may see that only where
merit lie equal, seniority will have the
preference, and, further, photographers
who have occupied their present posi-
ton two wears or more will not be dis
placed by seniors in service All this
shows effectively that merit still re-
ceiyes more consideration than any
thing else In determining mans ell
gibiiity to promotion.
SIN regard to the other allegation
that we have caused monetary loss to
agents, and a consequent gain to the
company, the reverse is true.
sit is an actual truth that :32
more per year is paid to the tele-
prsphers on the Tucson division
under the agreement than before,
not counting extra men who have
been put on in September because OF
the schedule, ard without noting the
additional payment for overtime and
special calls and the benefit OF shorten
ed hours.
1T is true that the salaries of some
agents on the system have been cut
ten in all. think-but this has been
in the cases Of agents who drew from
si75 to $3.50 a month, and benefited by
the work of telegraphers under them
who m ade from $50 to $50 only. 1t was
intended that these wages should be
euuslized ss much as possible, and now
these big salaries and commissions are
slightly reduced, while the guaranteed
minim um of the telegraphers is great
er than ever before.
with the exception of those men on
the Salt Lake division of the S. p,
the telegraphers on the Tucson divl-
sion now receive the highest pay in the
United States, and the Salt Lake tele-
graphers receive only II cents more
per man per month than we.
"My own case illustrates the advant-
ages of the agreement. Before, L was
doing all the work at Strauss, and liza
BILE to calls at all hours of the night to
report trains, all without extra pay.
Now, there Is q night operator at S5O,
my salary is advanced, and for extra
work l get extra pay.
stOn the whole the agreement has
been distinctly beneficial to the order.
All our men say and think so, and
want it made clear that our committee
neither were q lot OF farmers nor acted
like chumps."