Omaha daily bee., 1903-01-02
STRIKERS TO REMAIN FIRM
Declare They viii Take Nothing Less Than
They Originally Demanded.
PltcEwoRK SYSTEM MUST Be ABOLISHED
Reimbursement of Former Employees.
Discharge of Strike Breakers, In
crease of wages and New
Rules Among the Demands.


Despite the reports from New York that
the Union Pacific strike is substantially
settled, local strike leaders are slow to
enthuse over the prospect Of peace. They
treat reports rather philosophically and
point out that they have all emanated from
the side Of the railroad and not from the
strikers representatives in the east. This
they take to mean that the Union and
Southern Pacific officials are determined on
bringing about a settlement. The men are
not opposed to this, but insist that no set
Element can be effected along the original
lines laid down in the ultimatum submitted
to the company.
In the Judgment OF the strikers who are
holding the fort here while their represent
atives are comforting In the east with off,
cials, 1t Is a foregone conclusion that the
railroad has decided to give up its former
avowal Of introducing piecework. Speaking
Of this matter a strike leader said:
"Of course we will have won a decisive
victory II we successfully resist the en-
forcement Of this piecework order. but II
out victory stopped at that It would be
incomplete. The o~fhcials must not think
that we will be content with that alone.
Our demand includes the reinstatement Of
all discharged men and the discharge Of all
strike breakers, new shop rules and 10 per
cent Increase in our wages. We will in
sIst as strongly on one point as the other.
Since this demand was presented, however,
there has been a general and sweeping ad-
vance Of wages throughout the country;
even the Union Pacific has advanced the
pay Of its trainmen and ~telegraphers and
50 we want more money"
Entitled to More Pay.
"The three crafts, blacksmiths, machin-
lists and boiler makers. ask for a uniform
per cent Of increase and while we decline
to make known the exact amount, IL can
be said that 1t is all of 10 per cent. We
are Just as much entitled to an increase as
the telegraphers and trainmen and we will
not stop until we get II.
"These other organizations have profted
by our struggle. They rode into port on
the waves Of our disturbance. The Union
Pacific had too much on its hands in our
strike to resist the telegraphers and train
men and were therefore forced to CANT
what they asked, which was more than we
have asked. Now 1t is only right that we
get more money. We are working on sched-
ules adopted as far back as 1872 and while
II conditions we're normal these schedules
would be fair. they are too low in COM
parlson with the cost Of living. There must
be a relative standard Of pay for the shop
men Just as there is for the other en-
ployes.
1--WE will be glad TO see Mr.. Burt back
here and in conference with our men and
will welcome the day Of final settlement,
but It must not be understood that we are
so eager for a settlement as to be willing
" - A. LA--oA.
We have made a long, hard fight and I
think we can say, a good, clean fight, and
we cannot afford, at this stage, to yield to
an unfair compromise. We are more pow
erful today thai last June when we
launched out upon this uncertain sea Of
difficulty. with the combined aid, fnan-
| cially and physically, Of the shopmen on all
the Hartman and some other roads, we are
infinitely better prepared to continue this
fight than we were to begin It,"
Mcneil sure of victory.
NEW YORK, Jan. 1.-(special Telegram
John Mcneil, president OF the Boiler
makers international union, who is here
with other representatives OF the Union
Pacific railroad mechanics now on strike at
Omaha, said today that he and his col
leagues would spend New Years day in
sightseeing, as nOlulnB HOIO COulu " % uohS
toward settling the strike until the confer
ence with the Union Pacific ofhcers at IL
o'clock tomorrow morning.
1--WE shall probably be In consultation q
few hours" said the head boilermaker.
"Are there any prospects for a speedy ad-
justment Of the dificulties?" was asked.
ut all depends upon the wisdom OF the
officers Of the company, to whom the terms
will be referred. Eventually the strikers
will win out, but 1t may not be on this
trip. 1t takes machinists longer to win s
strike than II does locomotive engineers
but it's the same old story Of the tortoise
and the hare. The machinists may be slow
but they are sure. In normal times the en-
gineers would refuse to take out an engine
with a leaky hue. But now out in omahS
the engineers will take out any old kin o.
engine, anything that will pull a trair
downhill. But the result is that the stool
Of nearly 500 Union Pacific engines is get
ting worse and worse"
Then the engineers have decided Il
stand by the company?" was asked.
"Sure, they'll stand by the company. Tit
engineers are plutocrats in the world OF or
ganized labor. They always get what theY
ask for because the companies can always
rely on them to take out their engines, NJ
matter what other branch Of laborers are a.
war. We don't expect any help from tn
engineers. They are aristocraSs while
they've got anything to fly in. but they ma!
find, like the Erie engineers did, that loco
motives improperly repaired don't last Very