The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-05-14
SUBWAY STRIKERS STAY OUT.
LEADERS AND Arbitration
SIMPLY HOWLED DOWN.

TO Work and the Contractors VII
Hire More To-day-No violence Tr'ed
Yet-Police Ready for Disturbers'
The striking Italians did not 90 back to
work on the subway yesterday. Despite
! the warning Of their leaders that their places
| would be filled II they were not at work by
noon, and that they would also probably
lose all chance OF having their demands
arbitrated-which other unions longer In
the business think Ia a good deal to get
practically all OF the 1000 strikers, at meet
ings held all day long, voted to remain OUT
until they get 81 for eight hours work
or nothing. When Contractor MoDonald
learned this, he issued statement IN whoh
he said:
have heard that the laborers at meetin 81
OF their unions this morning have voted not
to return to work. In taking this action they
reject the proposition for arbitration as en-
dorsed by the Central Federated Union. The
question OF arbitrat ton therefore ceases TO
be an issue. Conferences are at an END
Work has been resumed on the rapid transit
road to-day and 1t will only be very Few
days before the pace Of every man VINO Is
on a strike will be filled by men willing TO
work under the conditions that prevailed
before the strike.
The outlook seems to be that most OF
the laborers will get nothing now from the
subway contractors, at any rate. True to
their promise, the latter hired all laborers
who applied for work. paying them at the
old rate-3l 80 for eight hours work. Only
about nine hundred were secured out OF the
1000 men needed and on many sections
few II any laborers were put to work. In
consequence there was not much work
done. The contractors say. however, that
more men will be secured to day, and more
work done.
The difficulty they met in getting men
Yesterday was attributed by most Of them
to the gene raj fear OF Italians which seems
to prevail among unskilled laborersi fear
inspired by such incidents as the recent
barrel murder. There were no visible evil
dences Of intimidation, but the fact that so
few laborers applied for work convinced
some Of the contractors that more or less
intimidation had been tried. As an in
stance OF the fear under which non-union
laborers appear to be. gang Of negroes
lowered around the section being built by
Contractor Shields yesterday. Asked II
they didn't want a job, the leader said to
the foreman:
our heads would be punched the minute
we got away from this trench"
These laborers did not go to work, but
some Irishmen and few Italians. They
worked under protection Of the police
and no effort was made to modest them.
Contractor Bradley got $50 men and the
Degnon- Mclean Company about 200. In
the Harlem sections hardly any work was
done. The contractors still said, how
ever, that there would be no need OF sending
out OF town for labor
None of the employers was half 80 angry
over the situation as were the teamsters.
They struck when the laborers did, but
accepted the contractors offer to settle
their demands by arbitration. Yesterday
morning. when all the 200 teamsters In
the union reported for work, there were
so few laborers that there was no work
for many Of the teamsters They were
angry clear through at the Italians, and
no was every skilled worker on the subway.
The failure of the strike leaders to get
their men back to work, as they said they
would do seemed TO be due TO the refusal
Of the other members Of the union who
have quit other jobs TO allow the subway
laborers to go back under the arbitration
offer unless they consented to contribute
SO cents a day to the strikers still out. The
subway laborers are about one-fourth Of
the total membership of the union. They
said they would stay out in common with
the rest When their leaders tried to
argue they were howled down,
BY holding meetings every hour the
leaders of the Italians kept them away from
the subway yesterday, which accounted
for the little the police had TO do; but as
trouble is still likely il the strikers persist
in overriding their leaders the order cam
ceiling police days on will remain in force
and the subway will still be guarded in
sections.
The Central Federated Union. which has
got itself into such pickle by organizing
the Italians and then letting them disre-
gard orders and turn down their own
leaders, may move to take their charter
away on Sunday
About fifty Italians carrying picks.
shovels and sticks. went Yesterday morn
ing to Second avenue and Forty-third
street, where a gang Of laborers was as
phalting the street, and ordered them on
strike. The workmen refused to quit and
the other Italians, brandshing their tools.
said It was strike or fight
Christopher Murphy. the foreman, ad-
vsed his men to quit for while and sent
for the police. Capt. Tighe and a squad
of reserves soon drove the disturhers away.
Two of the Italians. who were pointed out
as the leaders and were said to be walking
delegates, were arrested and held.