Omaha daily bee., 1902-07-20
MEN CONFIDENT OF WINNING
Union Pacific BlackSmiths Insist that the
Company viii Submit
GENERAL PRESIDENT sLocUws OPINION
Head of BIacksmiths' Union says the
Fight is as Good as won and
that PieeewOrk viii BE
Abandoned.

"Our fight is as good as won; it's only
a question OF a few days until the Union
Pacinc will announce its readiness to set
tie this strike" said John slocum. gen.
eral president and organizer Of the In
ternational Brotherhood Of Blacksmith,
last night, in discussing the strike sit
uation.
Mr.. slocum, whose home is in Moline,
H., spent Saturday In Omaha consulting
with blacksmiths who are on a strike and
others engaged in the fight with the Union
Pacific. He came up from Kansas City and
st. Louis, where satisfactory adjustments
have been made on the Missouri Pacific lines
whereby the blacksmiths get q general in
crease in wages Of 10 per cent
The company simply cannot get skilled
men in its shops, for they are not to be
had anywhere In this country and the Of
ncials Of the Union Pacific know Il as well
and better than anybody else. 1 will guar
antee that Of the several hundred men they
claim to have at work in their Omaha shops
and other shops over the system. there Is
not a single thorough and competent work.
man." he continued.
why He Feels Confident.
81 know what I am talking about when
/ say that skilled ~blacksmiths. machinists
and boilermakers are not to be had, for l
have had orders myself since this strike
began for hundreds of blacksmiths and
could not all them, and / know that the
other crafts are in similar conditions. /
could place $50 b~lacksmiths today II l
could get them. Where would you so to get
skilled biacksmiths for a railroad shop ?
You can't get them out Of ordinary black
smith shops. There is a vast differences
between q railroad blacksmith and any
other.
1--WE have but one demand, you might say,
and that Is that the company must not
introduce piecework. This Is one thing
the blacksmiths will never submit to-
Piecework Is out of the question with US
and the Union Pacific Railroad company
cannot force It upon us. We could mo-
earn living wages under that system, fol
reductions in the pieces Of work would b
made whenever the company saw that mer
were making more than ordinary wages
I'll warrant that they have not a man ir
their employ now who could earn a decent
days wages under the plecework system.
"They may say THAT they please, but thli
piecework proposition ia wrong from FRS
to last and 1t will be proven so before long
The strike will be settled soon and settled
in favor Of the strikers. The compan!
cannot get skilled men and 1t cannot rur
it's shops without skilled men. That IL th,
whole matter in a nutshell"
Efforts for
Mr.. slocum said he found upon his ar
rival here that the blacksmiths, boiler
makers and machinists are not working ii
s~trictest harmony. The exercises beinI
planned for July 20 and 80 were to b
for the financial benefit Of helpers Of tn
machinists, who are not thoroughly or
ganized and the blacksmiths helpers, VIII
also are not thoroughly organized. wer
to get nothing out Of the fund, although
they were asked to contribute. He Sc
a movement on foot looking to the cooper
alton Of all interests and the plan will
be acted on today by the other unions q
a meeting at Labor Temple.
I Mr.. Slocum goes west, visiting all tn
} towns where there are Union Pacific shops
On his return to Omaha within a week o
SO he will seek an interview with Presiden
Burt. Only at Omaha and Armstrong ar
= the blacksmiths out. At none of the othe
places have they been asked TO accept tn
piecework.
I The Omaha blacksmiths will hold a meet
ing this morning at Q o'clock in their hal
, at Sixteenth and Cunning streets. The
were addressed Saturday at their hall b
President slocum.
what the Machinists Say.
. The machinists claimed Saturday nlgf
I. that thirteen nonunion men had left tn
Union Pacific Omaha shops during the da
= and that seven had gone out at Cheyenn'
s. H. Grace insists that no union me
nave gone out of Omaha TO accept work 1