The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-10-01


At meeting of large number of the
employees of the Washington Traction and
Electric Company, held Friday at a. m.
at Typographical Temple, a permanent or
ganization was effected and full corps of
officers chosen. The union is affiliated with
| the American Federation of Labor and is
| known as the Amalgamated Street Rail-
/ way Mems Association of America. 1t is
stated that the membership Of the organi-
cation already numbers nearly 600, all of
| whom are employed in different capacities
by the Washington Traction and Electric
Company.
AT the meeting Friday morning it was
I decided that the organization should at
| tach itself to the Central Labor Union, he
/ local representative body of the American
Federation of Labor. With this in view
five delegates were elected to represent
the street railway men at the meeting of
| the Central Labor Union which will he held
this evening.
The principal causes which led to the or
ganization of the employees of the Washing
ton Traction and Electric Company are the
hours OF labor of the regulars and the
wages OF the extras. or trip men. The for
mer, ii is said, are required to work nearly
twelve hours daily, while the latter are
employed about one-half this length of
time and are paid according to the number
OF trips they make over the road and not
Tor the time they are employed. Often it
Is SAID, conductor or motorman earns
not more than % cents day. because he
is not given the opportunity to work.
Inc price paid for running trip from
one terminus to the other and return. IL
is said, Is regulated according TO the
number of trips a regular can make over
the same line during his eleven hours and
1orty-eight minutes of work. The regu-
lars, 1t Is said. are paid 81 per day, or
about 10 ga cents an hour 1t is also
stated that the time required to make
a trip from the terminus of the F Street
brance OF the Washington Traction and
Electro. Company, at Fifteenth and East
capitol Street, to the Georgetown termi-
nus and return is eighty minutes This,
it Will be seen, will allow a conductor
and motorEan to make between eight and
nine trips during his eleven hours and
forty-eigbt minutes. According 10 these
figures, the pay for making a trip is about
% cents.
II is understood that the regulars are
NOT making any complaint in reference
to the wages paid them, but OF the num-
Der OF hours of work. They believe that
the time of running the cars should be
divided and Two sets of regulars employed
This, it is cii.imed, would make The length
of days work for conductors, motor
men. switchmen, and barn men about Line
hours day.
The extras, OF trip men. complain be-
cause they cannot get work enough, they
being only able to work from the time
the regulars stop at SIP p. m. until the
cars are run under the sheds after mid
night Besides this they say they are
paid by the trip and not by the hour or
the length of time they work In the |
event that there is an accident on any
of the lines Of the road and the conduc-
tor and motorman in charge of a car
are delayed, no matter how long, they |
are paid for making the single trip.
Besides the conductors and motorroen |
1t is said that the employees OF the |
Washington Traction and Electric Com |
pany in nearly every other capacity |
have enrolled themselves as members of |
the union. ~
The organization of the street railway |
men began about two weeks ago. The |
first meeting was attend.. by about |
si1ty-fve of the employees of the Wash |
ington Traction Company. Since then |
four meetings have been held each week. |
two at p. N. on Tuesdays and Thurs |
days and two others at a m. on |
Wednesdays and Fridays. At each of
these meetings it is said more than fifty
new members have been enrolled