Omaha daily bee., 1902-07-17
IMPORTED MEN WALK OUT
Union Pacific Has Difficulty in Keeping Its
Nonunion Men.
BRlcKLAYERs MAKE EFFECTIVE PROTEST
Lay Down Their Tools and stop
work Until NonunIon EmpIOye
ts Discharged from Work
on shops.

The Union Pacific is having serious diff
nculty In keeping the nonunion men II
brings from the east in its shops after
they arrive. In addition to the twenty
Ave who arrived from Chicago Tuesday.
nine others came in yesterday, but only
seven OF them reached the interior OF the
shops and four OF these promised to leave
as soon as they could.
The men we're brought into the city under
the surveillance of the company guards, as
is usually the case, but the strikers pick
cts also had an eye on the recruits and
laid their hands on them as we'll just in
time to keep them from going into the
companys quarters. Four others said they
would leave during the night.
The men who deserted upon their ar
rival at the shops made this statement re-
garding their employment by the company's
agents in Chicago:
I'VE answered an advertisement In one OF
the papers there which said that boiler
makers, machinlsts, car repairers, painters
and coach carpenters were wanted. We
made application for work and found that
we were consulting a representative of the
Union Pacific Railroad company, who
wanted men for the shops out in this part
Of the country. We were structural iron
workers and we hired for boilermakers. The
agent asked us no questions and this aroused
our curiosity. We thought 1t must be that
the company was having trouble with its
men, or that It was in pretty narrow straits
else Its agent would be more particular
about the kind of mechanics he hired.
Not Told of Strike.
I'VE inquired II there was any trouble
and were told that there was no strike
but that just a few men had refused to
work because they objected to piecework
This looked little better to us and so,
as we were looking for something to do
for while and had desire to come west
anyway, we took the chance
1t is said the company intends to send all
the coach carpenters and repairers 1t can
get to the Southern Pacific and stock up
on its own system with all the boilermak-
ers and machlnists 1t can get.
News came to strike headquarters yes
terday morning from Armstrong, Kan, that
five men had quit the shops there and
Joined the strikers. The report says that
the company raised the price OF meals to
the men from 20 to 25 cents. Reports were
received also at strike headquarters that
the machnists' helpers who did not go out
the other day left the North Platte shops
is said. the three inspectors in the round
house and four men in the tank gang and
probably seven or eight helpers from the
shops proper.
Bricl<layers' Quick Action.
1.-THE brickiayers at work on the Union
Paci1c's new shops got into the game"
for short time yesterday and made things
somewhat interesting. nonunion brick
layer had been put to work on the struc-
| ture. as the company is extremely anxious
to push the work, and Just as soon as the
union men caught sight of this man, whom
they recognized as the same fellow who
was smuggled in on them on a former
occasion, they gave the signal and every
man laid down his trowel and leaped
| from the scaffold-on a strike. There were
about twenty OF these bricklayers and the
entire force at work on the building, in
cluding carpenters and skylight workers,
was about 100. Had not the bricklayers
been able to compel a settlement all this
number would have struck.
But little time was wasted In bringing
matters to an end. General Superintendent
Neff, who has charge OF the construction
for the Union Pacific company, met the
bricklayers and their foremen and within
an hour after laying down their tools the
| bricklayers were back at work and the
"scab" was of the grounds.
One condition exacted by the invincible
| bricklayers before they would return to
work was that all the work that had been
done by the nonunion man should be torn
down. This was promptly done and the
entire force resumed operations, and the
remainder OF the day passed on without
| further trouble