The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-11-11
SANTA FE STRIKE.
Switchmen at Pueblo Quit Their
Work.
Action Was Not Authorized by
the Union.

At midnight saturday all OF tne
Santa Fe switchmen at Pueblo, Colo,
went out on a strike, supposedly in
sympathy with the strike of the Den
yer & Rio Grande switchmen, who have
been out for several days.
The strike on the Santa F'e appears
to be unauthorized by the officials of
the Switchmen's Union of America +.
T. Hawley, president of the national or
ganization, wired General Manager
Nudge on Sunday that the Santa Fe
strike was without his knowledge or
authority. ]. Z. Larkin, who is en-
ployed by the Santa F'e here in Topeka,
and who is the chairman of the union
for the Santa Fe lines, also denies all
responsibility for the Santa Fe strike,
and left yesterday for Pueblo for the
purpose of doing all in his power TO
have the strike called off.
The Santa Fe officials state that none
of the strikers Will be re-employed.
Switchmen are being hired in Topeka
and Kansas City, who will be sent to
Pueblo to take the place of the strik-
erS.
The Santa Fe is still working five out
of twelve engines at Pueblo, and hand
ling the more important traffic. Road
officials, yardmasters, and all classes
of labor are being pressed into service
to take the places of the striking
sWitchmen.
It is not believed that the strike will
extend further ON the Santa F'e lines
President Hawley is at present in Den
yer, directing the strike on the Denver
& Rio Grande. If his disavowal of the
sympathy strike on the Santa F'e is
sincere, he will doubtless use his in
fiuence to prevent further spreading OF
the trouble.
General Manager H. U. Nudge, of the
Santa Fe, made the following state
ment today:
L wired to Mr.. Hawley Sunday. ask
ing him if he authorized the strike of
our sWitchmen at Pueblo. He replied
that he had nothing to do with it. Mr..
I.arkin, the chairman for the Santa F'e
l'nion, also denied authority for the
strike, and has gone to Pueblo to help
settle the difficulty.
Our switchmen have no grievances.
They simply objected to handling cars
transferred to us by the Denver & Rio
Grande. We receive a great deal of
freight from that road, much of it be-
ing oranges and perishable goods. AT
midnight Saturday all our sWitchmen
quit without further notice. They did
not give out any statement concerning
their action.
I'VE will fill the places of the strik-
ers as rapidly as possible Switchmen
viii be hired here and in Kansas City
and sent west until we have the re-
quired number. l believe that when the
switchmen understand that this strike
on the Santa F'e is entirely without au-
thority of the union officials they will
not hesitate to go to work for us. We
az taking care of the more important
fright traffic as usual I do not an
ticipate that the strike will go any
further than Pueblo. 1 think the strike
was caused by strikers from the Den
yer & Rio Grande talking to our men
and getting them excited All our
sWitchmen at Pueblo went out except
two or three of the foremen."
Reports from the Denver & Rio
Grande strike indicate that it will fail
The Rio Grande is carrying on it's
traffic about as usual. The Brother
hood of Railway Trainmen have refused
| to aid the Rio Grande strikers, and are
helping the road instead
On Saturday afternoon the Santa F'e
switchmen had several conferences with
Superintendent Parker of the Rio
Grande division.
The switchmen demanded assurance
that they would not be called upon TO
| pull the Rio Grande transfer which has
| been standing for several days. Mr..
| Parker counseled the men to act with
| elaboration, but told them he was not
| able to give them any such assurance as
| they wished. They agreed to have an
| other conference at 8o'clock in the even
| ing. At that time nothing was accom-
| plished, and the switchmen almost OPP
emily said they proposed to quit before
being called upon to do work which
they would refuse to do. At midnight
| the men quit work
The claims of the D & r. G.. switch
men are set forth in circular which
was distributed by them in Pueblo Sat
/
refer to the Santa Fe road. is as fol-
| lows:
owing to the fact that misleading
! stories and untrue statements in re-
| gard to our position are being circu-
lated, we have thought it only fair to
| the public to issue this statement Of
| facts:
''F'irst-The great majority of the
| strikers are men of family who reside
| in Pueblo and many of them own pro-
| perty here.
| ttSecond-The strike was ordered by
Frank T. Hawley, grand master of the
| Switchmen's Union of North America.
| 'sThird-We are only claiming the
| right to legislate and make the sched-
| ule for switchmen working in the yards
| and we have exhausted every honorable
| means of settling the differences before
| resorting to a strike. Negotiations
| have been in progress since last May
| and we would still have parleyed had
the strike not been forced upon US by
the discharge of a number of our men
Fourth-Ninety-e eight per cent of the
switchmen employed by the Rio Grande
railway signed a petition asking the
| Switchmen's Union of North America
to arrange a schedule for switchmer
on the Rio Grande system.
THE Switchmen's union is only fight
ing for right and justice and it asks
the moral support of all union people
and the public at large We would II
conclusion say, if you cannot do US any
good, at least remain neutral and thu:
do US no HARM
Equal Suffrage officers.