Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1899-05-26
GAS BOARD employees
Insists on an Increase Of Wages, or
They Will Strike.
! HISTORY OF THE SITUATION
DOWN TO THE PRESENT TIME.
THE WORKS ARE NOW OVER
BURDENED, AND CANNO
MAKE BOTH ENDS MEET AT
THE OLD WAGE SCALE.

THE OLD WAGE SCALE.
The employees of the city gas works
rciterate the announcement made to
the Council Committee on Finance
a week Or more ago, that unless the
increased wages demanded of that
Committee be granted by the city on
or before the first of June they will go
out on strike.
AS the Finance Committee appears
to be entirely unable to provide the
necessary money, and as the Gas Board
cannot get along with it's revenues
upon the present basis of wages, but
must have some help, the strike will
probably take place, unless the men
change their minds.
The employees at the gas works,
prior to the summer of 1898, worked
on two turns of twelve hours each. At
that time they voluntarily, and with
the endorsement of the Trades and
Labor Assembly, asked that the turns
be increased to three, of eight hours
each, with a corresponding reduction
in wages, the desired end being that
more men might find employment, in
a time when there were many idle
workmen. The works has since been
running upon that basis, and street
men and laborers have been receiving
S175 per day, chargers in the retort
house $3.50, mud-men $3.50, stokers
the same, engineers at the gas works
SIS per month, engineers at the light
plant $50 per month dynamo men $50
per month, lamp trimmers 81 per day,
and the foreman at the light plant 81
per day. A member Of the Finance
Committee asserted in open meeting
that after an investigation he had no
hesitancy in saying that these wages
were higher than was paid in private
plants, and in many public plants, aad
instanced Bellaire as one example of
many.
The men petitioned the Gas Board
for an increase some two months ago,
before the annual estimate of the de-
partment was made up, and the Gas
Board appended to its annual estimate
for the Finance Committee a statement
that to pay the increa1ed wages asked
for would require $541696 per annum
When the Finance Committee met, last
week, this statement was before the
Committee, and committee of the re-
tort house men--chargers, stokers and
mud-men-appeared and made the re-
quest for an advance of 40c per day, at
the same time saying if the increase
was not given the men would strike.
The other departments at the works
were not then represented. The Com
mittee gave the matter attention, and
inserted an item of $1,000 in the Gas
Board appropriation for an increase of
zoe per day to the classes of men last
above mentioned. At the next session
of the Committee the laborers were rep
resented by a committee of one, and it
was represented to the Committee gen
orally and particularly that the class of
labor referred to was just as much en-
titled to- an advance as others, and ask
ed for an increase of 25c per day, or
from $1.75 to $500. Now, the foreman
at the light plant asks for a like in
crease of 25c per day, the dynamo men
for an increase from $50 to $40 per
month, the engineers at the gas works
from SIS to $3.50 per month, and the
electric light trimmers from 50 to 1925
per day. In other words, every one
wishes as advance.
The total cost of this advance would
be in the neighborhood of $500 for the
remaining seven months of this year,
and where the money is to come from
is a question which not even the Fin
ance Committee can solve, as it cannot
even pay the Gas Boards overcheck in
bank, but must be content with wiping
out one-half of it, with every source of
income strained to the limit.
The Finance Committee meets again
this evening, and this particular mat
ter is pretty sure to come up for dis
cussion. AS it stands at present, it is
either more money or q ctriIya Tho
Committee will probably pass a bad
hour in considering the alternative.