The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1902-08-06
"Arbitrate it!"

"Arbitrate it,"
When the union street car men de-
livered to General Manager Silliman of
the Scranton Railway company, q
grievance with a demand for redress
that was equivalent to an ultimatum,
The Tribune made demand in the name
| the general, public, that the question
at issue be arbitrated.
A sentiment was aroused in favor OF
arbitration which neither side could
| we'll stand out against, and, in a very
brief conference between representa-
tives of the company and the men, ar
bitration was agreed to.
The arbitration has taken place, a
settlement of the dispute has been
| reached and the community is saved
| the annoyance and other ills of anoth-
er street car strike.
The result of the arbitration in which
The Tribune and the community is
primarily interested, the averting Of a
strike, has been achieved. How the
company and men Jared is interesting,
but, comparatively speaking, it is in
teresting only in an "also" sense.
The strike is averted-that's the main
thing.
Sept. 80, 1901, the 3o7 employees of the
company went on strike. April {, 1902,
they returned to work under written
! working agreement. While the strike
| was on, the company recruited nearly
one hundred men from various places
to work it's cars. A few of this one
hundred were eX-strikerS.
In the agreement which formed the
"a nj nf hn OF a
clause, No. 6, which read in effect that
when the number of men in the COM
pany's employ should be reduced to
3O7-the number employed when the
strike began-the company would re-
arrange the runs and give preference
| to the men according to "length of SER
vice."
| OLD CONDITIONS OBTAIN.
June 20, last, the number of men in
| the employ of the company was re-
| duced to 307. The returned strikers
made demand for Encouragement Of
the runs which would give the old men
| the regular runs and put the new men
| on the waiting list" The company
said "all right" but when it came to
| selecting men according to seniority,
| the company placed all the eX-strikers
behind the men who had been imported
| during the strike, or old employees who
had returned to work before the strike
was ended. In support of this action,
| the company contended that length of
| service" meant length of continuous
| or uninterrupted service, and that the
| eX-strikerS' length of service" should
| be measured from April Z, 1902, the day
| the strike ended and they returned to
the company's employ.
This would leave forty-five union
men on the waiting list, and give regu-
lar runs to all the non-union men.
| The union didn't propose to stal.d for
this and protested that the men who
represented the company in the settle
ment of the strike gave them to UNDER
stand that length of service meant
that the time man served before the
strike was to be taken into the COM
putation, or, in other words, that the
eX-strikers were to be preferred to the
imports.
General Manager Sillman insisted
that this could not have been the un-
derstanding of the clause in question
as he had declared all along that come
what might the company would never
agree to anything that would disturb
the men who served the company in
its due extremity and so forth.
The eX-strikers made answer that ii
was true Mr.. Silliman held to this
declaration right along during the me-
gotiations for settlement, but finally
deserted this position and agreed tc
give the old employees their old standing
after old conditions had been re-estab-
lished. In support of this contention
the men pointed to the fact that the
eX-strikers, came under the high rat
ing as to wages while the imports were
classed as first year men, at II cents
an hour, and also that there was a
clause in the contract reading There
shall be no discrimination on account
of the strike"
ARBITRATORS' FINDINGS.
Alter hearing evidence for two days
from each side the arbitrators, yester.
day afternoon made the following
award:
The undersigned board of arbitrators
In the question between the Scranton
Railway company and the Amalgama tee
Association of Street Railway Employe.
of America, Division No. 16S, in relation
to the Interpretation of the sixth claus,
of an agreement dated April 9TH, 1902
and an adjustment of the same, render
the following decision:
l. The wording of Clause VII, in tn,
Agreeme.t / of April Ith, 1902, is such tha
we are convinced that both parties to tn,
agreement are honest in their separat,
interpretations of the same, and, as
consequence, we find 1t impossible to re
concile the conflicting interpretations b,
the parties of the agreement, and W,
therefore declare that the interests o
all parties will be best conserved by th
following adjustment, which we hereb,
decide must be carried into effect.
.. All men in the employ of the com
pany on April 9TH, 1902, Immediately prio
to the signing of the agreement of Aprl
7th 1902, are not to be disturbed in thei
positions. standing or relations with tn
company by reason of this decision on tn
} agreement of April 7th, 1902.
8. All men who returned to work unde
terms of agreement dated April 7th, 100.
, whenever rate of wages or any other con
ditons are considered, shall have tn
benefit OF their term of service with III
company prior to September 30th. 1901.
4. Nothing in Section III of this pape
shall be understood or construed to, 4
any manner whatsoever, modify Sectio
III of this paper.
5. All men now on waiting list" O
company who had regular runs prior I
September SOth, 1901, shall at once eithe
be restored to a regular run or be paiC
in addition to what they are now earning
the dinerence between what they are no'
earning and the wages paid for regula
run. until such time as they are given
regular run.
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