Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1902-07-11
GREAT STRIKEI Is ON
FREIGHT HANDLERS IN CHICAGO
OUT FOR MORE PAY.
Over Nine Thousand Men Quit Work Upon
Order Of Executive Committee Of Freight
Handler uaioa- Chicago Federation Of
labor Disapproves Of Strike and Will Not
Assist the Freight Handlers.

Chicago, July 9.-HOpes of a speedy
settlement of the strike of the Freight
Handlers Union, which was declared
yesterday, are entertained by officials
of the union and members of the state
board of arbitration. The officials of
the union, at conference last night,
told Chairman Job, of the board of ar
| bitration, that they were willing to
permit employees of the different COM
panies to meet officials of the came to
discuss the wage scale, providing
joint conference should be held at
which officials of the union would be
permitted to act as advisers to the men.
The arbitration board is now working
on the matter in an effort to bring
about conference between the railway
managers, and committees representing
the men. AS the railroad officials
have offered this step from the begin
ming of the controversy, there is little
doubt the strike can be settled salts.
factorily to both sides if the conference
is arranged.
Lack of unanimity already perme-
ates the strike. The Chicago Fedora
tion of Labor was ignored when the
order was issued for the men to quit
work, and its executive officials are
somewhat offended and are inclined to
let the freight handlers fight out their
battle in their own way. There are
Il, 900 freight handlers in and about
the various freight houses of the "a
railroads centering in Chicago. OF
this number, more than 5000 are now
involved in the strike. Some of the
men who quit work did so under pro-
test. Notably was this the case in the
freight house of the Lake Shore &
Michigan Central. The men there
employed were receiving all the con-
sideration they had asked. They were
forced to strike, however, by the order
of the executive committee of their
union. Before going out the men in
formed the railway officials of the situ-
alton, and said they would seek an i'm
mediate return order from the authori-
ties that had ordered them outs
The sudden suspension of customary
operations by the freight handlers oc-
casioned considerable trouble In and
about the various railroad warehouses
and stations, but the Inconvenience and
delay were but drop in the bucket to
what will happen if the strike shall
not be settled soon.
To add to the present difficulties of
the railroads.. the Teamsters' and
Truckmen's Union threatens to join in
a sympathetic strike. If this shall
occur, it will affect all incoming and
outgoing freight of every kind. Every
railroad in Chicago today accepted all
freight offered. While it was con-
fessed by several railroad officials that
freight was not being moved as expe-
ditiously as heretofore, yet it was said
the larger part OF it was being handled
we'll. The various freignthouses and
yards, however, disclosed large ac-
emulation of unmoved freight and cars
loaded with freight.
There was no trouble or disorder in
or about any of the freight houses.
Anticipating the possibilities of such
strike, the railroad companies had
brought to Chicago a number of men
to take the places of the strikers.
These men were intercepted by pickets
of the strikers, and most of them we're
induced to join the Freight Handlers
Union.