New-York tribune., 1901-06-23
READING RAILWAY STRIK E
MEN HAVE UNTIL TUESDAY TO RETURN
TO WORK - THEIR DEMANDS IN
REASONABLE, SAYS PRESI-
DENT BAER.

Reading Penn June 22-The strike of employees
of the Reading Railway shops which was begun
yesterday noon, has not spread to any other de-
partments in this city. and they are working as
usual to-day
large number of persons gathered about the
car and machine shops last evening for the pur-
pose of counting the number of men who had not
gone out. AT the former place the crowd included
many who had quit work yesterday, and at the
latter some of the one thousand machnists frankly
told their friends that they going out in day
or two. About three hundred and fifty OF these are
union men, but the leaders say all the men save
few laborers will go when they are asked and
that the request will probably be made on Monday.
The moulders, who hundred strong, went
TO work usual to-day, but the men said they
were simply waiting for the call from their ma
tional organization.
The number strike in the companys shops
now is nearly one thousand. Early next week 1850
men may out in addition $500 Reading Iron
Company workers. who went on strike several
weeks ago and are now locked out ,o, co.
pany this afternoon addressed a circular letter to
the employees, in which he refers to their demands
as unreasonable He gives them until next Tuesday
morning to return work, when. he declares,
those who do not return will be paid of and dis
charged and their places hlled. lie refuses 40 TO
allow any dctation. and asks the men to consider
VEL vel the step they are about to take Il, II Ihoe Uboe
they have the utmost faith. He strongly init
mates that the company will allow no interference
President Baers letter was not well received by
efforts to spread the strike. They are. apparently
determined to force the issue in view of the report
that some of the men may be influenced by Mr..
Baer's letter.
1t is stated that if it is necessary for the men
to win, the railroad employees of the Reading
company will be called out and IT is also said
that the greater part of them will respond 10 the
order to strike The trainmen asked for an in
crease of time ago.
Chairman A. II. Bechor, of the joint committee
which is directing the strike said tonight:
We have word that the men employed at the
shops at Palo Alto and Wayne Junction have gone
out and that others will follow in short time.
q
shops may go out at any time. As they are simply
waiting for word from their national organization.
While all do not belong to the union. We have as
SuranceS that majority ready 20 go out
when the time Everything is in good
shape. the men confident that their position is
just and that the time make stand for reCog
milton and advance of WAGES is here"
The maChinists who seen said that they
would go out in day or two, and that they We're
simply waiting for the order to come from Pres-
dent OConne who is at the head of the Inter
national Machinists Union, of which they are mem
bers. Some employees of the Oley-st. mills were
stopped by the picket while their way TO the
mill TO resume work to-day Nearly all were In
duced to remain away. Shops Of the Reading
company. which either shut down or badly
crippled. employ 4.300 men.