The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-12-08
Santa Fe ShOpmen "SIeeping on
Their Arms.'
Waiting Result of Conference
With Officers.
OF SETTLEMENT.
Have Faith That Agreement
Will Be Reached.
A Better Schedule Will Then Be
Arranged.


1.-THE grievance existing between the
car builders and the Santa F'e railroad
is now up to the officials of the com
pany," said prominent car builder
this morning, "and it is for them to de-
eide whether or not we will remain in
the employ of the Santa Fe road or be
compelled to give up our positions, and
seek work elsewhere mainly because
we can not make wages under the
present piece work schedule.
1t is my candid opinion. that the Of
ficials intend to treat US fairly in this
matter and although we have not yet
been informed by the committee whom
we appointed to confer with the Off
Gals of what the officials intend to do,
yet the men in the car sheds and also
in the other departments truly believe
that the officials viii assist US IN every
way that they can. The men believe,
after the matter was thoroughly dis
cussed in our meeting the other night.
that the officials were not fully aware
of the true state of affairs, and since
they have been informed. they can bet
ter see our position in the matter"
The action of the men in the car
sheds for the past day or two, fully
carries out this idea. The men are all
busy with usual routine of work, just
the same as if nothing had happened in
the way of an almost threatened walk
out q the men employed in that de-
partment. They are attending strictly
to business, and seem to have conf
dence in the anticipation that since the
officials have been apprised OF their
condition, that the officials will do all
in their power to relieve the distress,
and bring about a harmonious feeling
again between the men ana the COM
pany.
No men quit yesterday in the car
sheds, which is an exceptional thing,
considering that for nearly every day
of 10 81
of half a dozen men have called for
their time. This carries out the idea
further that the men believe that the
officials win meet them half way, in the
proposition to give them a new sche-
dule, and adjust the several little diff
ferences which exist. The men seem
perfectly willing to let the matter rest
with the committee which was appoint
ed to straighten out the bad places
with the officials.
The men do not oppose the piece work
system as a system, for as has been
said before, they are willing to earn
their money under piece work as well
as by the day, provided they can make
good fair living wages. There has been
a tendency in many of the shops where
the piece work system of working is in
operation, to cut the wages down lower
and lower, as the facilities became bet
ter and the men were kept on about the
same wages. although doing more work.
If the Santa F'e company should
make out a fair scale Of wages said
~
would assure the men that this sched-
ule would not be cut down, and the ia
cilitieS would be arranged so that ma
teriaI would be plentiful, then there is
no doubt that the piece work system
would be a good system to work under,
and would not only give satisfaction to
the company but would also be satisr
factory to the WOrkmen- one OF the
things which is worrying the men, is
the fact that they believe that even af-
ter a scale of wages is established, that
it will be slowly cut down as the men
begin to make better wages, by becOm-
ing more proficient in the piece work
system
Theer are several irregularities in the
piece work system and one of these is
that where a gang of four men, for in
stance, are working on a car and spend
40 hours in the work, then each man
gets credit for 10 hours work, and
the work. This places each man on the
same footing, and if there should be
slow workman on the gang he receives
much for his work by the piece work
system as do his cO-WOrkers on the
gang who have to work harder to make
wages.
A slow man of this kind must be got
ten rid Of but how to do it is a ques-
ton. If he is discharged, then a, green
man is generally put IN his place, and
for some time the same irregularity of
the division of the work goes on the
same as before. This green man works
the same hardship until he is broken in
and the other men have to practically
carry him along.
It is well in the establishment Of the
piece work system in the shops here
that the company has not given the
men an overdose of it. There is little
doubt but that if the system had been
put into operation into all the depart
ments at once. that today the shops
would be very much depopulated on ac-
count of it. The action of the men in
the car sheds and the sympathy which
exists for them, from all the other de-
partments and the different labor
unions represented in the shops prove
this The system will probably not be
introduced into any of the other de-
partments until the kinks are straight
in I7a CHI