Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-07-07
FREIGHT MEN STRIKE
All the Railroads Entering Chi.
cago Affected by Strike OF
Freight Handlers.
Between Nine and Ten Thous.
and Men Quit..-Demands OF
the Strikers.
Ninth Week of the Coal Miners
Strike Begun With Situa-
tion Unchanged.

| Chicago, July 7.-Bulletin: Between
| S, 900 and 5000 freight handlers struck
this morning. All the railroads enter
| ing Chicago are affected.
Chicago. Juy "a strike of 5000
freight handlers in Chicago was called
today and every freight house of the
twenty-four railroads concerned is
practically tied up. Business men fear
the strike will be the most serious
which has effected their business in
years. The strike was called by a
committee appointed at meeting of
1000 freight handlers held last night.
The committee was instructed to call
q strike within forty eight hours, unless
the railroads should meet the demands
of the men at once for an increase in
wages, extra pay for overtime and holi-
days and recognition of the union. Ac-
tion on those instructions was taken
sooner than had been expected. The
committee went first to the men in the
Michigan Central. Illinois Central and
Wisconsin Central houses on the lake
front. The men walked out with cheers
and marched across the viaducl on
Randolph street with union cards tuck
ed in their hats. BY messenger and by
telephone, according to strike leaders,
all other members of interior freight
handlers and ware -housemen's union
were called out. At noon President
Curran Of the union reported his men
all out.
1t is impossible for any freight to en-
ter Chicago, or to leave it. Many rail-
roads had small forces of men previous
ly hired on hand when the strike was
called and by yielding to the men from
other departments managed to handle
perishable commodities. In hiring nom
union men, it is said the railroads run
a serious risk of bringing about strike
of the teamSters who recently won
their fight fro mthe. packers. The team
Sters, it is said, will refuse absolutely to
have anything to do with freight in any
way handled by non -union help. The
men called out include foreman. check,
receiving clerks, callers, weighmasters,
stevedores, coopers and elevator men.
Chief of Police O'Neill, when no
orders to subordinates to make every
preparation to preserve order. Two
hundred and fifty men We're called in
from outlying stations to form reserve
force to be stationed at downtown sta
tions. From the stations the men went
in squads to the different yards. There
We're no marked demonstrations as they
entered, altho they had to remain quiet
under a running fire of sarcasm and
rough wit. w. c. Brown, vice president,
of the Lake Shore & Michigan South
ern, said to the Associated Press of the
situation on his road: about so per
cent of our men went out. The re-
mainder, with the additional help which
we have hired. are handling our busi-
ness as we'll as could be expected. Our
business is not tied up and will not be-.
j. L. Harahan, second vice president
of the Illinois Central, said about half
his company's $50 men had struck, but
tn at he had men close at hand to take
tn cir places
Harahan said he thought the strike
could have been avoided if the men had
been willing to consult with the roads
their their own committees, instead of
thru their union.
I'VE have no trouble in adjusting the
differences with our engineers. tiremen
and other employees" said Harahan.
but the freight handlers presented n
document thru the officers of their
union and we of course. could not deal
with them thru third parties"
Harahan said the railroads were
Unit in refusing to deal with the strill-
ers thru their union, but all of them
We're ready at any time to discuss and
adjust grievances if presented by their
He did not think there would
be much difficulty in supplying men to
take the strikers places.
The demands of the freight handlers
were presented to all railroads June 25
and asked for reply by 10 o'clock on
thu morning of July /. In addition to
asking an advance in wages, time and
a 1alf pay for overtime and double pay
for Sunday and holiday work. and two
pay days a month, the union demanded
recognition as an organization. The
officers have adhered strictly to the de-
man that the roads treat with the rep
resentatives of the union instead of
with their own employees.
4>tdIiy ttil tIie I1sidS 81 stiitsfN s'ii siH-
vance in wages to their men and posted
the new schedules on the walls of the
freight houses. This, however, was not
accepted.
The freight handlers We're denied the
of their demands for an
increase in wages in the afternoon by
the Chicago federation of labor. First
the executive committee of the fedora
ton came in With a report i'm which 1T
urged the freight handlers to appoint a
committee to meet with the railroad
selecting representatives from
the freight houses and virtually COM
plying with the request of the compa-
nies. President Curran of the freight
men submitted copies of the wage scale
his union demanded and the schedule
offered by the companies. He explain
ed that the offer of the companies was
a reduction for some of the men.
Instead of complying with the re-
quest of the freight men, the federation
it back to it's executive COM
mittee. AS President Curran approach
ed Secretary Philip Henry OF the
freight handlers, his face was white
with anger.
political trickery," he said. "We'll
show them yet"
The officers of the freight handlers