Omaha daily bee., 1902-04-16
CALL IT LOCKOUT
How the Men View the Union Pacific
Foundry Incident
INSIST THAT WAGES WERE At BOTTOM
Union Men Expect InternatIonaI on
GERS Here 60 Investigate aud
Trouble Nay Follow Pat
terms 60 Chicago.

Members Of the Moulders' ,Inion consider
the shutting down Of the foundry at the
Union Pacific shops as a lockout, and are
taking steps to defend themselves, as
Though the management Of the company
fhad suspended operation in the foundry
sgolely on the ground Of the demand for
increased pay.
As soon as work was suspended at Omaha
a telegram was sent TO the international
officers announcing the lockout, and it is
expected that a committee from the ma
tional headquarters will be in Omaha to-
goay to investigate the local situation.
I'm addition to notifying the International
officers. kilograms were sent to Chicago
TO look out for the cars Of patterns being
sent to that city by the company. The
number Of the cars containing the patterns
were given and It is understood by the
officers OF the local union that a commit
tee Of the Chicago union will meet these
cars upon their arrival in that city and
find out where the patterns are delivered.
stand of the Local Union.
Speaking of the dimculty, a member Of
the union said: THE trouble, II trouble
hhere is to be, has only begun. When the
officers OF the international union arrive we
will lay all the facts before them. Officers
of the company have been quoted as saying
that the demand for increased wages had
nothing TO do with the suspension Of work,
but we know that before the announce
ment was made three of the officials from
headquarters called a number of the
,moulders employed in the shops into their
;ofioe and asked II the men in the foundry
stood by the request Of the local unions
scale committee for the increase in wages.
These officials were informed that the de-
mand was unanimous and their attention
was called to the fact that the increase
would only restore wages to the point where
They were about ten years ago, when a re-
'ductiOn, at that time said to be but tenn
porary, was put into effect. The reason for
calling the men into conference was said to
be because none Of the officers Of the union
signing the demand for the increase were
employees of the company and the officials
desired to know where the men stood upon
the question. AS soon as the answer was
received the order shutting down the shops
wac Issued.
Trouble Follows the Patterns.
"If. as we contend, the shutting down is
a lockout, the matter will not end in Omaha.
The shop to which the patterns have been
sent is a union shop in Chicago. If the
officers Of the international union adopt
our views OF the matter union men cannot
NOIh Du OulOn IdClnC WOIk III CnlChkO, anu |
any attempt to use those patterns will
cause trouble. We have learned that the
patterns are not to be taken to the regular
shop. but to one outside of the regular
foundry, where it is possible an attempt
will be made to use non union men in case
the union men are ordered not to work on
Union Pacific patterns. II such an attempt
is made the machinists in Omaha will re-
fuse to work on the castings and the strike
will then extend to all departments of the
shops. We cannot tell what will be done
until the representatives of the interna-
tional union arrive, but they will probably
be here Wednesday,"
The commercial foundries of the city were
served with a demand for an increase in
the wages of moulders at the time the de-
mand was made on the Union Pacific COM
pany. Employers we're given until today to
answer. but this morning so far as could
be learned every moulder was at his work
and 1t was understood that the question OF
increase would be left to arbitration, which
will be had after the arrival of the rep
resentatives of the international union.
Cas- Builders Ask a Scale.
The Union Pacific ofhcials were yesterday
served with notice that the car builders, |
including the woodworkers and fnishers,
would demand an increase Of wages after
the first OF the month, the minimum wages
TO be So cents an hour. At the present
time 100 or more men are employed at
wages varying from is cents to S5 cents.
No answer has been made to the notice.
"This demand" said a member OF the
Car Builders union, sis made for the reason
that every item in the way of living ex-
penses is higher today than it ever has
been. Rents are higher in Omaha than they
ara In Kansas Citv or anv tnUn nf fa size
in the country. Meat and vegetables cost
more than they ever have before and a man
who a year or two ago was saving some
money now finds himself running behind or
barely keeping even"