The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-12-31
ANNUAL SHAKE Up
New Years Day Will See Changes
Under the Street Railways
Civil Service Plan.
Those Longest in the Service Have
the First Choice Of New
Assignments.

On New Years day the man who takes
his car at the usual time Is likely to hand
his street fare to q strange conductor
and if he should notice he would also find
a stranger in the Inotorman's VestlDule.
The casual street ear patrons or those
who ride at irregular hours may notice
no difference but the people riding on "a
regular schedule and those In. the sub
urbs who become we'll acquainted with
the trainmen Of their lines Will all note
the changes.
Very few of these patrons, however
will understand that the changers a gem
eral one and is due to fully established
custom Of the street railway company.
Seniority Is not more rigidly adhered to
in the congress Of the United States than
In the street railway company's dealings
with its employees. Whatever choice there
may be in it's service Is given to men In
the order of their service.
Every man when he is enrolled as a
permanent employee OF the company as a
trainman is assigned to one of the sta
tions Of which there are four, Midway,
East Side, Thirty-flrst street and Bloom
ington avenue. He is given a number,
the last in the list OF the men running
from that station. AS men ahead of him
drop out, he gradually moves up and with
every move he betters his chances for
getting what he wants. ... d. ~
Z With cars running from o'clock in the
morning until nearly 2 the following NOR
ming and, with system of short line; cars
at busy times of the day on nearly every
line, there is considerable difference in
the car runs and, quite naturally, every
man in the system wants :. the easiest
hours. the best line and the greatest num-
Der of hours that he can work 4conyeni-
entity, since the men are paid by the hour
and have no desire for an eight-hour day.
Since some people must be disappointed
about getting all of these advantages, the
company gives to the oldest man in serV-
ice at each station his choice of all the
runs from the station The choice is made
annually, to go into effect on New Year S
day. The last Of the week the fortunate
veteran employees will be rejoicing in the
best there is and the newcomer, who by
some chance change during the year got
a good run, will be grunlbling because
some man whose number was above his
took it away. from him. ..e. ....-.
There are numerous changes during
the year but these are not general and
| involve only the men of the different lines,
I not the whole station. Whenever there
| is a change In the time card, and these
are quite frequent, the senior employee or
! the line makes a new choice and so on
through all the men assigned to the line
The men are not permitted to change
from line to line out Of their own station
during the year, nor are they permitted
to change from one, station to another
except that, at the beginning Of the!year
| vacancies on the interurban may be talSer
| by men from other stations, but they have
to begin at the bottom again in number.
ing. ~
| AS a rule, long runs are the most, pop,
| u1ar and this accounts for the preference
| the men have for the interurban. Not al
| of the employees want the same thing
some men prefer to begin early and gel
off correspondingly early; others prefer tt
begin late and work late. No one, how
ever, wants a split run, the parts Of which
are separated by a long interval, and
these fall ito the lot of newcomers, also
| the stub runs that fall below the average
/ nuInber Of hours. a.
| AT Midway station the first choice. Of
runs this year will fall to Frank Ellis.
worth, nnotornan, and A. Foss, conductor
at East Side, to Alex Judge, motorman
and, Joe Waltz, conductor;~ Thirty-flrs
street, to Joe Shubert, motornan. and M
! McCann, conductor; Bloomington, Joe
Stirling, motornan, and H-#O. Wold,@4con:
| ductOr. 20 r - : :
There are, however, men in the service
Of the company who have been there
longer than any Of these men, having ad
tvanced from the car to higher positions
Henry Mousseau, who is employed in the
East Side station, was the driver of the
first car run by the company way back III
! the early 70's, on the University line
which pulled in at dark. M. Mousseau
| and A. l.. Smith, superintendent Of the
Bloomington station, were also drivers Of
| the early mule car service.