Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-07-08
All the Railroads Entering
the City are Affected by
Strike.
DEMANDS PRESENTED


MateriaIizes This Mornine-Between
5000 and 5000 Men Affected-Make
Demands for Higher Pay.
Chicago, July between 5000 and
5000 freight handlers struck this
morning upon the refusal Of the rail
way companies to pay the scale of
wages demanded by the. men. All rail
roads entering Chicago are affected, in
volving the employees in nearly 100
freight houses and it is claimed that
the men outside the unon will also go
out
Struggle Precipitated Last Night.
The struggle between the railroads
and their employees was precipitated
last night when the executive board of
the Interior Warehouse and Freight
Handlers union decided to insist upon
demands refused by the railroads. The
general managers announce that they
will have nothing to do with the men
as union and have ordered hundreds
of men from the east to take the places
of strikers The freight handlers will at
tempt to tie up every freight depot in
the city
Demands of the Men.
The demands of the freight handlers
Were presented to all railroads June
rs and asked for a reply by 10 o'clock
on the morning of July 1. In addition
to asking an advance in wages, time
and a nalf pay for overtime and double
pay for Sunday and holiday work, and
two pay days a month, the union de-
mands recognition as an organization.
The officers have adhered strictly to.
the demand that the roads treat with
the representatives of the union in
stead OF with their own employees.
Nearly all the roads granted an adj
ed the new schedules on the walls of
the freight houses. This, however, was
not accepted.
Lake Shore Official Talks.
the Lake Shore road, said last night
that he had no hope of a settlement
with the freight handlers as long as
they were refused to treat direct with
the company.
president Curran is demanding
something which none of the other la
Dor unions Connected with railroads de-
mand," said Mr.. Brown. Every year
r Tolrn
its differences with the engineers, the
firemen, the trainmen, and other labor
organizations by dealing directly with
committees representing the employees.
There really is but little in dispute
between the Lake Shore company and
its freight handlers"
Mr.. Brown produced a table show
ing the wages asked by the union and
is willing to pay. The figures are as
follows:
Wages Wages
asked. paid.
. Assistant foreman,
Checking and receiy
ing clerks, month. 60.00 5000
Delivery clerks, ,amonth $500 $500
Callers and scalers, an
hour 49,. .......... 20 10
Storers, an hour. 19 .1Sh
Coopers, month. .... $500 5000
Truckmen, an hour =. is II
Business Men Fear Strike.
Chicago, July 7.-Business men fear
that the strike will be the most SER
ious which has affected their interests
in years. At noon, President Curran
of the union, reported his men all out
and that it was all but impossible for
any freight to enter or leave Chicago.
Many railroads had small forces of
A1en previously hired on hand, when
the strike was called and by adding to
it men from other departments man
aged to handle perishable commodi-
ties. In hiring non-union men, it is
said that the railroads run serious risk
of bringing about strike with team
sters, who recently won their fight
from the packers. The teamsters it is
said will refuse absolutely to have any
thing to do with the freight in any
way handled by non-union help.
The men called out included fore
men, check, re-check, receiving and de-
, livery clerks, callers, weighmasters,
stevedores, coopers and elevatormen.
Chief of Police O'Neill ordered his
subordinates to make every prepara-
tion to preserve order. Two hundred
and fifty men were called in from out
lying stations to form a reserve force
to be stationed at downtown stations.
From these stations the men went in
squads to the different yards. There
were no marked demonstrations as
they entered.
Strike Is Over.
Providence, r. l., July 7.-Haying
voted, after a strike of two months
duration, to return to work, the motor
men and conductors of the United
Traction company here, lost no time
today In making application for their
old places The men found less than