Omaha daily bee., 1902-12-20
WILL RETIRE ON PENSIONS
Many Names viii Disappear from Union
Pacific Pay Rolls January L.
APPLIES TO AL BRANCHES OF SERVICE
Many Employees DO Not Look with
Favor Upon the Pension scheme
to Ne Put into Eject
First of Year.

Some prominent names will be dropped
from the cay rolls Of the Union Pacific jan
uary l. when the new pension system goes
into effect. The exact number Of names
has not been obtained, as the reports from
the various quarters are coming in slowly,
but II is understood that the list will be
large and will include names of veteran
employees from the various departments OF
the company. 1t appears that the auditing
department will lose more men than any
other department at the general headquar-
ters in Omaha. The names of Cook, Mills,
Lavidge and Reed, which have appeared on
the pay rolls OF the Union Pacific for twenty
years or more will be dropped from General
Auditor Young's roll. and possibly one or
two more. John R. Manchester, general
claim agent, probably will be the most
prominent veteran around the headquarters
affected by this system.
Among the prominent ~oficers Of the Union
Pacific In other cities who. 1t is said. will
come under the benefits OF this magnani-
nous dispensation are these: J. D.. Ten
brock, travelling passenger agent, Albany,
N. Y; r. Tenbroeck, general eastern agent,
Boston; George Ady, city passenger and
ticket agent. Denver; J. b. Reese, travelling
passenger agent. Kansas City; d. w. Hitch
cock, general agent passenger department,
San Francisco. This list is not supposed to
be complete. but these are a few of the
more prominent in the trafic circle who, It
is held, will be effected.
Primarily for shop Employees.
The pension system, II is said, was de-
signed primarily with reference TO the men
employed in the company's shops, where
there we're so many old-timers. The COM
pany Is said to have devoted much time try
ing to evolve some successful method of
dispensing with these old men. where age
is more of a factor in incapacitating men
than in any other department Of the COM
pany's service.
Arbitrary discharge Of these old employees
has not proved the most feasible way out OF
the difficulty. Such a departure incurs the
displeasure of the trade unions to which the
discharged men belong, and the company at
once hazards its peaceful relations with or
| ganized labor by pursuing this course.
This test has been made. Less than a year
ago there was a thinning out process to
some extent and matters have not been en-
tirely adjusted over that action yet. Just
about the time the pending strike began. or
a few days before, the company let out some
of its Oldest shopmen and the strikers in
corporated this as one Of their grievances
when the order came to quit work. so that
the company has decided that this is not
a successful expedient. The pension system
is expected to adequately meet the demand.
Men Are Not Enthusiastic
The strikers attitude toward the pension
system Is not one of great enthusiasm, to
say the least. In fact, many Of the men
do not display the interest in 1t which
might naturally be expected. As one Of
them put it: II never expectito get any
thing from this pension system. The COM
pany will take good care that none of its
men in the shops get old enough to be
pensioned. They will be .~letweut." .el
But from the officials standpoint this is
a pessimistic view. The pension system
was promulgated in the best faith and after
close observation of its workings on other
roads. It has been organized for operation
on all the Hartman lines and many cleri-
cal employees are greatly enthused over It.
Not many Omaha shopmen will be pen
stoned under this system right away. OF
the machinists these are named as pos
sibilities: Edwar Edwards. Otto Gugler
Henry Jones; blacksmiths, John Bonni-
vier; boiler makers. John Clare, Pompy
Krause and U. Flanagan. There
the road. Armstrong is said to have more
than any other one shop.
The trainmen. as we'll as the shopmen
and the other employees, are subject to this
system also. How many engineers, fire.
men. conductors, brakesmen or switchmen
are IS or rs years of age and have been
in the service Of the Union Pacific fol
twenty years cannot now be stated.